Please help us reach our fundraising goals by volunteering at the Abattoir BBQ Fundraiser at the Fall Fair, September 7th & 8th.
A huge thank you to Thistledown Farm, Swallow Farm, Byron Farm and Redwing Farm for their donations.
Use this SignUp Genius link or contact annemacey@shaw.ca
The Composter Project
| Finally! Community composting is coming to Salt Spring. Back in 2021 the Abattoir Society purchased an Ecodrum composter. Originally designed to handle livestock mortalities, we will use The Ecodrum to compost waste from the Abattoir. We partnered with the SSI Farmland Trust and the CRD, located the drum at the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm and now, after overcoming the various installation challenges, we are ready to begin operations. The intention is to be able compost organic waste from the Abattoir, stores, restaurants and institutions, but initially we’ll start with the abattoir waste and material from Burgoyne Valley Community Farm and mix it with wood shavings. The composter is off-grid, powered by innovative vertical solar panels in the field behind thanks to Kjell Liem and the Salt Spring Community Energy Society. Funding for this community composter project came from the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation, Salt Spring’s Community Works Fund (thanks Gary), Clean BC, the Salt Spring Island Foundation, The Berman Foundation and individuals. Past abattoir board member Kevin Chipperfield has managed the construction project together with current board members Georg Janssen and Anne Macey.This month we will start taking all inedible offal to theEcodrum. This new service will save the time and cost of a second trip to the abattoir for those who value not having to deal with disposal themselves. A small fee will be added to the processing bill to cover our handling costs. This year the charge will be $5/lamb, $25/beef, 30c/chicken, 50c/turkey. We will review at the end of the year and welcome your feedback to refine the program.Producers who want to take back their own inedible offal can do so but you will need to provideyour own labelled buckets and pick up by the end of the kill-day. |
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Bookings
Poultry Bookings
Still room for chickens on Sept 3 & Sept 17. Thanksgiving week is full. If your numbers change significantly from the number booked, please email ssiabattoir@gmail.com
Water Storage Field Days
Here is some information on some great free workshops to learn more about water storage, led by Bruce Naka of the Irrigation Industry Association of B.C. These will include; key design and operational components, costs and benefits, storage capacity and sizing, site selection, maintenance, and regulatory considerations.
Bruce Naka has been involved in irrigation design and implementation for over 30 years. His experience covers all facets of irrigation systems from sports fields and golf courses to large-scale agricultural systems. Bruce is certified by the Irrigation Industry Association of BC (IIABC) in Commercial Turf Sprinkler & Agriculture Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation, and he is also a certified Irrigation Scheduler. Bruce was also on the North Okanagan Drought Response Committee. Bruce also served as president of the IIABC for the 2017-18 term. Since 2015 Bruce established an irrigation consulting company, Sound Water Advice, focused on efficiency in irrigation design & system planning.
Register for 3 different free workshop opportunities:
Salt Spring Island (Aug 13th)https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/agriculture-water-storage-field-day-tickets-971442690237 9:00am- 12 pm Night Owl Farm- 2100 Fulford-Ganges RdDugout pond for livestock and forage and restored wetland pond12 pm lunch1 pm Burgoyne Community Farm- 2232 Fulford-Ganges RdDugout pond for row crops and greenhouses3 pm Apple Luscious Organic Orchard- 110 Heidi PlaceRainwater storage in cisterns for apple orchard
Duncan (Aug 14th)https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/agriculture-water-storage-field-day-cowichan-tickets-972379020827 9:00am- 12 pm Unsworth Vineyard New site- 5889 Menzies RdDugout pond for grapes
Merville (Aug 15th)https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/agriculture-water-storage-field-day-comox-tickets-972384667717 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm Fireweed Farmstand- 6669 N Island HwyDugout pond for row crops and greenhouse