Summer is almost done and we have a busy fall season ahead. Many thanks to all our regular staff and those who have stepped in to help us keep up with the demand.
Some important booking information:
- Poultry: Now taking bookings for November & December.
- Red Meat: Now taking bookings for lambs & pigs in November and December.
- Please let us know in advance if you won’t be bringing as many birds as you booked. We usually have people on the wait list but cannot fill the spots if it’s last minute.
- Some of you have wondered why we don’t just add more birds or animals on days of high demand. Time is the limiting factor- the inspectors can not stay beyond their allotted hours.
- If you want an earlier date and don’t see any availability, send in the request anyway and you will be placed on a wait list in the event of cancellation. There is sometimes an opportunity to add another processing day if we can get staff & inspectors.
Composter at Burgoyne Valley Community Farm
The big news this month is that the Abattoir has signed an agreement with the Salt Spring Farmland Trust to rent land at the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm to install an in-vessel composter for processing abattoir waste. We hope to have it set up by the end of September. We are also working with the Community Energy Society with the intention of using solar as the power source. Some funding is provided by the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation and there are other funding applications pending but matching funds are still needed. Can you help? All contributions welcome from $20 to $1000 or more! We are also looking for a second-hand tractor with bucket – in working condition. Let us know if you can help in any way. Contact: annemacey@shaw.ca
Future Planning
Are you already thinking about your plans for next year? Has the drought made you rethink how many animals you are keeping over winter? Was the demand for your birds higher or lower than expected? Maybe you were frustrated because there was no booking space when you wanted it? The last couple of years have seen lots of you changing your plans whether it’s the number of batches of birds raised or the number of lambs being marketed on island versus sold at auction. We have thrown out our business plan a few times now! If you know you are planning to do more, or less, in 2022 – please give us a heads up to help us plan. We hope you’ll participate in a survey we’ll send out later in the year. In the meantime feedback is always welcome. Send us an email at ssiabattoir@gmail.com