Cranberry Blossom Festival

Where: Yellow Point Cranberries, 4532 Yellow Point Road, Ladysmith BC
When: Saturday June 21, 2008
More Information: www.yellowpointcranberries.com
Contact info: Toll Free 1-888-YPC-FARM or 1-250-245-5283
Email: info@yellowpointcranberries.com
Special Note: Proceeds from ticket sales go to the BC Cancer Foundation

What's Happening:

A day of the beautiful cranberry blossoms, tours, bee demonstrations, music and food. An Old Fashioned Farmer’s Market will be on site featuring the freshest local produce. We’ll have guest chefs in the kitchen showcasing local produce in delicious summer salads with samples and recipes for everyone to try. Admission to the Cranberry Blossom Festival, including the self-guided tour is by donation to the BC Cancer Foundation. 

About Yellow Point Cranberries:

Justine and Grant Keefer, both have educational and recreational degrees from the University of British Columbia. In 2001, they changed their career paths when they bought their farm near Ladysmith, BC.  This isn't as crazy as it sounds! Grant comes from two generations of farmers.

In 2001, they began restoring their 43 acre farm, because the land had been left fallow for over 30 years, the two of them, with some help from their family and neighbours, spent months clearing the land, brush cutting, levelling and finally planting in May 2002. The first year they planted 8 acres of cranberries, and in October 2005, they had their first harvest.

They now have over 15 acres of cranberries, with eight in production. And more to come!

Justine Keefer left her teaching practice in order to help support the farm, but she hasn't lost her interest in education. In particular, she is passionate about teaching children about where their food comes from and how things are grown. As an advocate for small environmentally responsible family farms, Grant and Justine Keefer believe that we all need to know how our food is grown.

Cranberry Field Day Attracts Crowd

August 9, 2007 – Abbotsford, B.C.   The sun was shining on the first Cranberry Field Day held on August 3rd at Eagle View Farms in Delta. Approximately 150 attendees made up of growers, as well as industry and government partners lined up to register for this day dedicated to cranberry farming in BC.  This event offered a unique opportunity to view the on-site cranberry bogs and new plantings grown in various mediums.

The day was opened with remarks from the Honourable John van Dongen, MLA Val Roddick and George Hawksworth, Acting Mayor for Delta, all of whom recognized the contributions the cranberry industry makes to the province BC. Special guest speaker was 6th generation cranberry farmer, Abbott Lee from Chatsworth, New Jersey. Abbott shared his expertise in cranberry propagation and plug planting, in particular his experiences with the new cranberry variety releases Crimson Queen, Mullica Queen and DeMoranville.

The cranberry industry undertakes various research projects every year to target industry challenges and updates were provided on: Cranberry Dieback by Dr. Siva Sabaratnam, Plant Pathologist with BCMAL; Dearness Scale by Dr. Jasbir Mann of DM Crop Consulting and Diagnostics Ltd.; and Tipworm by Shannon Buckshaw of ES Cropconsult Ltd.  Paul van Westendorp, Apiculture Specialist with BCMAL spoke about the concerns over the declining bee population and what that could mean to the cranberry industry and indeed all of agriculture in BC.

Also on hand were suppliers demonstrating new and innovative equipment such as a Ride on Beater, Ride on Sprayer, Ruby Slipper, In-Bog Fruit Pump with Boom Puller, Pruner Head and Self-Propelled Wiper and Vine Setter. A demonstration of various spray applicators was made by Kim Patten of Washington State University.

Reflecting on the day, “This was the first time we have undertaken an event like this” said Jack Wessel, Manager of the BCCMC. “We are very pleased with the presentations and the turn-out. The support for the day by growers and industry partners was tremendous.”