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Richmond farmer talks challenges and opportunities of the biz

Richmond may have an abundance of farmland but it isnt always easy for new farmers to access this land. To address this, the Richmond Food Security Society is hosting an evening talk at Terra Nova Rural Park on Thursday, February 16 at 7 p.m.

Richmond may have an abundance of farmland but it isnt always easy for new farmers to access this land. To address this, the Richmond Food Security Society is hosting an evening talk at Terra Nova Rural Park on Thursday, February 16 at 7 p.m. with local farmer, Bill Zylmans, on how to access land and develop lease agreements that are fair. The event is free and open to the public.

As more people look to food production as a new or second career, many are coming to Richmond from areas like Vancouver or Burnaby where there is little to no farmland available. There seems to be a plethora of land in Richmond either sitting idle or underutilized, says Arzeena Hamir, coordinator of the Richmond Food Security Society. It would be wonderful to see more of that converted into production.

Spurring on the Society is a waitlist of new farmers from Vancouver who are looking for small plots, from about a half to two acres. Many have either been farming at the backyard level or have never farmed before. But before landowners think that this might be a cash cow for them, Bills talk might be an eye opener.

I often get land owners wanting to lease land to cover their mortgage expenses, states Hamir. What they need to understand is that agricultural leases generally go for no more than $300 per acre per year. If they are charging more, there needs to be fencing, irrigation water readily available, and possibly a roadside stand.

The talk is open to the public and is free of charge but participants do need to register on-line at leasingland.eventbrite.com. For more information about the talk interested individuals can refer to the Richmond Food Security Societys website at www.richmondfoodsecurity.org or call (604) 727 9728.