UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

AUGUST PENDER POST - 2026 - FOR FALL FAIR

Fall Fair 2026- Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer

Our Fair is just around the corner on Saturday, August 29. We have been celebrating our rural community, and the many talents people have since 1932. This fair means so much to so many, and although it is a lot of work, why do we do it? It is one of the rare times everyone can come together and find something that they enjoy, something they can share with the community, and a good time to get together with family and friends before the nights get cooler and all the young folks are back in school. Our simple slogan through the years has been “Come to the Fair,” and we really hope that you can make it this year. Our guest speakers will be the Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture, and Kelly Leroux of Raven Rock Farm. The Guests of Honour are all the women on Pender Island who have contributed to agriculture, here and beyond our shores.

Fall Fair Catalogues are available at the Farmers’ Market in the Farm Food Hub (Wednesdays and Saturdays), Southridge Country Store, Pender Island Home Hardware, Talisman Books and Truss Farm Foods, as well as online at www.pifi.ca. Tickets for admission can also be purchased in advance from Talisman ($10 each, free admission for ages twelve and under), as well as Fall Fair BBQ Tickets ($22 each). Remember the free registration deadline for exhibits is Sunday, August 23, we suggest entering online- details are in the catalogue and the Pender Island Farmers' Institute web site www.pifi.ca. We encourage your amazing entries! Entry Day is Friday, August 27 between 3p.m.-6p.m. Get your pre-registered Entry tags at the front of the Hall along with any tickets you have purchased online (admission, barbecue). A late entry table ($2 per entry fee) will be nearby with an area to fill out your Entry tags. Registration helpers will help guide you to the Entry Receiving tables located upstairs, at the back of Hall and on the grounds depending on what Section you are entering in. Temporary drop-off parking for your exhibits will be at the back of the Hall and outside the front gate.

Please check out the schedule of events in the Pender Post, our Fair Catalogue, or online at our web site. A brochure with the Fall Fair schedule, map and other information will be mailed out the beginning of August.

During our set up week ( August 24-27), we welcome volunteers to lend a hand with tents, tables, grounds decorations, and sprucing up inside and outside. Contact us at penderislandfallfair@gmail.com to sign up. We are grateful for our awesome community volunteers for coming out to help make our Fall Fair a success.

Conveners can use help setting up their exhibit Sections Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday morning, Community groups can set up their displays. Friday afternoon ( 2:30 p.m. on) the inside of the Community Hall is closed to the public whilst entries are received and later judged. Exhibits may not be removed until 4 p.m. on the Fair day.

Please be aware, although we enjoy our canines, leave them with care at home- no dogs are permitted on the Hall grounds Friday and Saturday, Fair day. Please do not leave pets in your vehicle- heat stroke happens too quickly. We appreciate your cooperation with keeping our pets safe. Pender Island Parks and Recreation have graciously offered to provide a dog-sitting service at Valley Home Farm, along the roadside trail. Watch for signs to locate it.

Fair Day, August 29: Carpool if you can or use our free bus service graciously provided by Lightning Taxi - check the brochure for route schedule. Overflow parking is in the Wein's field next to the Hall, and at Karl Hamson’s behind the Hall parking lot. Parade participants assemble at Fire Hall #1- across from the Community Hall. Please contact Parade Marshall Jaime MacLean to register- 604-505-9144. Parade begins at 10:30a.m. Gate entry is by donation ( $10 suggested, free for twelve and under – purchase online when you enter your exhibits, at Talisman, or at the gate). Water filling stations provided by the Scouts will be onsite- bring your refillable bottle. Come enjoy and have fun at the Pender Island’s 74th Fall Fair- Guest Speakers, Exhibits, Animals, Kids Zone, Bucket Drop, Live Music, Food, Beer Garden, BBQ, and presentations.

The Fall Fair committee greatly appreciates the donations received from local businesses and organizations, the grant received from the Province of British Columbia, the raffle prizes donated for the raffle, the many volunteer hours given to the fair, and the in-kind donations from our community organizations and businesses. We are a volunteer-run fair, and every bit of support helps and brings us all closer together.

Schedule - 2026 Fair - August 29th "Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer"

Aug 23-27: Set up week, we will need volunteers to help set up the fair grounds.

Friday, August 28: Entries are brought to the Hall to be dropped off for judging 3-6 pm.

Saturday, August 29:

9:30 am - Farmers’ Market opens and will run until 1 pm (some vendors may stay longer) - Free for the public to attend the Farmers’ Market, it will be just outside the Fairgrounds.

10:00 am - Gates open. Admission will be by donation, suggested donation $10 per person, free for age 12 and under. Door prizes! Many thanks to the Pender Island Lions Club for their help with the gate this year. Tickets are available at the Farmers’ Market, Talisman Books, or Assist Expo for exhibitors – or at the gate.

Fall Fair BBQ Tickets on sale at the Information Booth on Fair day, or in advance at the Farmers’ Market, Talisman Books, and Assist Expo for exhibitors. BBQ is Slow-roasted baron of beef (or vegetarian option), roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, coleslaw, buns. $22 per plate. Dinner is served at 5 pm. There will be live music by L J Mounteney.

Raffle Tickets available for the Student Bursaries Fundraiser near the Information Booth . The Neptune Navy Grimmer - Ashton Ross-Smith Bursary is for graduating students who are entering a field related to agriculture, and the Ellen Willingham - Tekla Deverell Bursary for graduating students who have volunteered in our community - Tickets are available at the Fair with tickets drawn for prizes after the Fall Fair trophies are awarded in the afternoon. Thank you to the Nu-To-You for all of your help this year and being a sponsor and thank you to those individuals and businesses who donated prizes as well.

Games for Young and Old! Face Painting, games, corn hole and other fun courtesy of Liis and Judy Graham and Three on the Tree. Cool off at the Bucket Challenge next to the beer garden.

Food area with hamburgers, hot dogs, vegetarian options, ice cream. The Pender Island Royal Canadian Legion Branch 239, Pender Pirates baseball team, and Tom and Jerry’s food truck will be there to serve you. New food vendors will be Daniel Scott’s “Round Things in Small Boxes” Pizzas, and Hamilton Cove Farms’ “Salty Dog” sausages all from Pender Island grown meat. Free water on site helped by the Scouts, bring your own reusable water containers. The Recycling Society will be helping you sort your discards as we strive for a Zero-Waste fair.

10:30 am - The Parade is free to enter and open to all! (Jaime MacLean, Parade Marshall). Trophies for best decorated children’s bicycle, best float, and best individual parade entry (details in catalogue, in Assist Expo as Section Q, class 7). Parade starts at the Fire Hall.

11:00 am - Opening Ceremony. Stage. MC Josephine Spaxman.

Guests of Honour – Women of Pender Island who have contributed to agriculture

Guest Speakers – The Honourable Lana Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture and Food, and Kelly Leroux of Raven Rock Farm

Exhibit Hall opens after Opening Ceremonies. Enjoy our outside exhibits, displays and games while you wait for the Hall to open.

Bucket drop in the “Farm Yard” 11 - 1pm Proceeds to Pender Parrots T-Ball.

Beer garden opens – Richard Piskor, Organizer. Proceeds from the beer garden go to the Fall Fair.

11:10 am - Pender Highlanders, in front of the Stage.

11:30 am - Denny Goertz and Pender Young Violins, on Stage.

12:15 pm - Livestock Showcase - Show Ring in the “Farmyard” with announcer Tony Legault. Come and see Murphy the kissing pony with hear his story. Poultry and small animals for everyone to see. Donkeys. Horses. Sheep. Goats. Poultry. Rabbits. Petting Zoo.

1:00 pm - Sheep Shearing and Wool Spinning Demonstration – international award-winning sheep shearer Pieter DeMooy of Last Side Shearing and local spinners - Show Ring in the “Farmyard”.

1:30 pm - Matty Mingles Magic, Magician. Fun for all ages!

2:15 pm - Corn Shucking, field behind the BBQ “The Farm Yard” - children are welcome to join in!

2:30pm - Live music – Maya Cook

3:15 pm - Berry Pie Contest and Auction - Main stage area, next to the Hall

3:30 pm - Nep Grimmer and Ashton Ross-Smith Bursary and the Ellen Willingham - Tekla Deverell Bursary award announcements . Fall Fair Trophy Presentations, followed by the Raffle and Door Prize draw, on Stage.

4:00 pm - The 2026 Fair Exhibits may now be removed from the Hall and Tents.

5:00 pm - Fall Fair Barbecue is served and music continues. Barbecue organizer Linda Deen assisted by barbecue master Aaron Grimmer and volunteers. Servers from Gulf Excavating and Dockside Realty. Proceeds go towards the Fall Fair.

5:00 pm – Free Live music – L J Mounteney – Everyone Welcome!

6:30 pm - Beer garden - Last call!

Lightning Taxi will be graciously providing free transportation to and from Magic Lake throughout the Fair. For more information see www.pifi.ca

Sunday: Take-down 9:00 am on – free breakfast and coffee for volunteers.

APRIL PENDER POST - FOR FARMERS’ MARKET AND FALL FAIR

Fall Fair meeting will be April 7th at 4:15 in the hall lounge

The Pender Island Farmers' Market is gearing up for next month's opening of the summer market during May long weekend - if you are interested in selling at the market, check out our website at pifi.ca, or contact our market manager Tony Legault at penderislandmarket@gmail.com. We are a member of BC Farmers' Markets where everything is "made, baked, or grown" by the vendor on Pender Island. The Pender Island Farmers' Institute started the farmers' market in 1978 to support local farmers, and we have expanded to include our wonderful artisans and other food producers, and community groups who are interested in community outreach. We also have a food-only food hub behind the hall, open on Saturdays year-round and on Wednesday afternoons from June to the end of the year. We welcome farmers and food producers who would like to join the farm food hub - contact Tony to find out more.

The Pender Island Fall Fair will be August 29th, and our theme this year will be "Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer". Our guests of honour will be all of the Pender Island women who have contributed to agriculture, and we are planning a day to highlight these contributions, since the Gulf Islands have more women farmers than anywhere else in Canada. Our next fall fair meeting will be April 7th at 4:15 in the hall lounge. We are looking for some more volunteers to convene the various sections of the fair, and we would like to see more food vendors. If you would like to volunteer, or have a great idea for the fair, please let us know at penderislandfallfair@gmail.com or come to our meeting. We are also at the market every Saturday behind the hall, so come by and say hello.

One of our members, Charlene Thompson, has been busy making a farm stand map. It looks really great so far, so please contact Charlene or the Farmers' Institute if you would like to be added.

The Farmers' Institute welcomes people to join or renew their memberships. Please go to pifi.ca to learn more and join us.

MARCH PENDER POST - FOR FARMERS’ INSTITUTE AND FALL FAIR

March 3 - Fall Fair meeting, Hall lounge, 4:15-5:15 pm

March 9 - GISS Scholarship and Bursary deadline for graduating students

March 28- Farmers' Market Vendor's Meeting and Farmers' Institute AGM 2 pm (please note date change from earlier report)

Report:

We held our second Fall Fair meeting of the year in February and decided on a theme and guests of honour. Our 2026 Fair theme will be based on the UN designated International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognize and empower women who are a major part of the global agricultural labour force. In fact, the Gulf Islands have the greatest percentage of woman farmers in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. Our guests of honour will be all the Pender Island women who have contributed to agriculture. Our next Fall Fair meeting will be held at the Hall in the lounge on March 3rd at 4:15 pm. We would love to have more volunteers, and everyone is welcome.

The Pender Island Farmers' Institute were at the Seedy Saturday on February 28. We were especially happy to support the Seedy Saturday by sponsoring Bob and Vera Duncan of Fruit Trees and More Nursery and Demonstration Orchard in North Saanich. Their nursery specializes in citrus, figs, warm temperate and Mediterranean and subtropical fruit trees. Thank you to the Gulf Islands Food Co-op for organizing Seedy Saturday this year.

We would like to invite graduating students and lifelong learners to apply for our bursaries. The deadline through the high school is March 9th. The Neptune Navy Grimmer - Ashton Ross-Smith Bursary was established in the 1980's for students intending to study in a field related to agriculture and is valued at $500. Both Nep and Ashton were active members of the Farmers' Institute, supporting farming in our community. The Ellen Willingham - Tekla Deverell Bursary for Volunteerism was established in 2025 to recognize students who volunteer in our community and plan to continue their studies in any field after graduation, and is also valued at $500. Both Ellen and Tekla were active volunteers for the Farmers' Institute, participating in and organizing the Fall Fair and the Farmers' Market for many years.

There is a new, additional separate award linked to these bursaries. It is the Judy Williams-Corbett Education Award for someone who is going to study in a field related to nature and agriculture. It is valued at $5,000 per year for up to four years, with a possible total value of $20,000. The funding for the award is being generously provided by an anonymous donor. A committee has been established to administer this award. The mission statement is to honour the legacy of Judy Williams-Corbett, a noted naturalist, farmer, and educator by providing funding and mentorship for education in these fields. The vision is to achieve long-term food security within the community.

We are also extremely fortunate that the same individual who is generously providing the funds for this award has also matched the Farmers' Institute Fall Fair raffle proceeds towards our bursaries, and has pledged to do so again this year.

Please mark your calendar for the Pender Island Farmers' Market Vendor's Meeting and Pender Island Farmers' Institute AGM. These will be held following the market at the Hall on March 28th starting at 2 pm. Our guest speaker will be Tony Legault, who has been an active volunteer at our Farmers' Market and will be our new Market Manager. Tony will be presenting at the BC Association of Farmers' Markets Conference on March 6th in North Vancouver on the Nutrition Coupon Program and our experience with the electronic Tomat system, and he will be presenting the highlights of his talk at our AGM. Tony and his wife Karen are recent residents of Pender, and have become a welcome addition to the community. They have visited family on Pender (Gordon and Barb Souter) since 1998, so they aren't complete newcomers. They have both become involved with the Fall Fair, and we are so fortunate for them to bring their fair and Calgary Stampede experience to our island. They farmed for many years in Alberta with a large sheep flock, cattle herd, market garden, and commercial greenhouse business. They operated an on-farm store and also sold at Farmers' Markets, and to grocery stores. Tony has served on various farm organizations such as the Alberta Lamb Producers, and we hope to learn a lot from Tony and Karen.

FEBRUARY PENDER POST - FOR FARMERS’ INSTITUTE AND FALL FAIR

Feb 10 - Fall Fair Meeting, 4 pm, Hall lounge

March 10 - GISS Scholarship and Bursary deadline for graduating students

March 14 - Farmers' Market Vendor's Meeting and Farmers' Institute AGM 2PM LOUNGE

We held our first Fall Fair meeting of the year in January, and our next Fall Fair meeting will be held at the Hall in the lounge on February 10th at 4 pm. We would love to have more volunteers, and everyone is welcome.

The Pender Island Farmers' Institute will be at the Seedy Saturday on February 28 - Learn about how to be a Farmers' Market Vendor or sign up to help with the Fall Fair. We welcome new and returning members as well to stop by and say hello.

We would like to invite graduating students and lifelong learners to apply for our bursaries. The deadline through the high school is March 10th. The Neptune Navy Grimmer - Ashton Ross-Smith Bursary was established in the 1980's for students intending to study in a field related to agriculture and is valued at $500. Both Nep and Ashton were active members of the Farmers' Institute, supporting farming in our community. The Ellen Willingham - Tekla Deverell Bursary for Volunteerism was established in 2025 to recognize students who volunteer in our community and plan to continue their studies in any field after graduation, and is also valued at $500. Both Ellen and Tekla were active volunteers for the Farmers' Institute, participating in and organizing the Fall Fair and the Farmers' Market for many years. There is a new, additional separate award link to these bursaries. It is the Judy Williams-Corbett Education Award for someone who is going to study in a field related to nature and agriculture. It is valued at $5,000 per year for up to four years, with a possible total value of $20,000. The funding for the award is being generously provided by an anonymous donor. A committee has been established to administer this award. The mission statement is to honour the legacy of Judy Williams-Corbett, a noted naturalist, farmer, and educator by providing funding and mentorship for education in these fields. The vision is to achieve long-term food security within the community.

JANUARY PENDER POST - FOR FARMERS’ INSTITUTE AND FALL FAIR

FARMERS' INSTITUTE

The Pender Island Farmers' Institute is very happy to announce that we are now on the Tru Value Spirit Board at #3, and we would like to thank Tru Value for this opportunity! We are one of many community groups on the Spirit Board and we will put the funds raised towards additions to our programs, and improvements to our Farmers' Market and Farm Food Hub.

We have been invited to the South Island Farmers' Institute Farmer to Farmer Week from January 26 to January 30. This will include farm tours - Glanford Greenhouses in Saanich, a walking tour of the compost facility at Farm to Garden Organics in Saanich, Northbrook Farm blueberry production and wash/pack station tour on Mt. Newton, a masterclass in fencing and a seed production operation in Sooke, and a tour of a large scale irrigation set up, as well as a conference on January 29 at Saanich Fairgrounds. Topics to be covered include winter vegetables, IPM, flower crops, greenhouse vegetables, drought and dry farming, livestock biosecurity, carpentry, equipment, and more.

Farmer to Farmer Week is followed by the Islands Agriculture Show at Cowichan Exhibition on January 30-31. District A Farmers' Institutes will have a booth there.

We have a link to these events and information at pifi.ca. All our members are invited; you can apply at pifi.ca. Pender Island Farmers' Institute memberships are due December 31 and are still only $5.00 each. Our AGM will be held in March and if you are interested in being on the board, volunteering, or being on our email list please contact us at penderislandmarket@gmail.com.

A Food Safe course is being planned, please let us know if you are interested in joining us. The summer Farmers’ Market is May long weekend to September Labour Day weekend. If you are thinking of becoming a vendor this year, there is information on our website. We are also looking for a Market Manager so if you are interested, please send us your application.

FALL FAIR

We are excited to announce that we are now also on the Tru Value Spirit Board at #35! This would be an easy way for you to donate to the Fall Fair, and we are grateful to Mike and the team at Tru Value for making this happen for so many community groups.

The Fall Fair has also received a Gaming Grant this year from the BC government, and we are putting this funding towards fair activities and improvements.

The 2026 Pender Island Fall Fair will be August 29th (the weekend before Labour Day).

Our first Fall Fair meeting of the year will be January 4th from 4 pm to 5 pm. If you are interested in joining our team, please meet with us at the Community Hall Lounge. You can also contact us at penderislandfallfair@gmail.com

NEW EDUCATIONAL AWARD BEING DEVELOPED

We are extremely grateful to an anonymous donor who matched our Fall Fair Raffle funds raised this year, and is contributing to a third educational award that is being developed with the help of a committee of dedicated volunteers. The Judy Williams Corbett Award recipient will be selected from the applicants to the Neptune Navy Grimmer - Ashton Ross-Smith Bursary and Ellen Willingham - Tekla Deverell Bursary.

2026 FALL FAIR - AUGUST 29, 2026 - WE ARE WELCOMING NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS. CONTACT penderislandfallfair@gmail.com to learn more. Our first meeting of the year is January 4 from 4-5 pm at the Community Hall lounge.

2025 FALL FAIR NEWS: More than 2000 people came to enjoy this year's Fall Fair! Over 100 hardworking volunteers helped set up, worked on Fair Day and assisted with taking it down after. We so appreciate the amazing support from the Pender Island community coming together and making this event a success with donating time, goods, services and sponsorships. There was great music, fun activities, exhibits, animals, food and with the hot day, record ice cream and beer garden sales. Photos from the Fair can be found on our Pender Island Farmers' Institute website at pifi.ca

And now we begin planning again for next year's Fall Fair- August 29, 2026. Please consider joining the team and lending a hand. It's easy to get involved in small or larger roles and be a part of this long-standing Island tradition to showcase our community’s agriculture, abilities in art, crafts, baking, sewing, preserving and youngsters creations.

The 2025 Fair received approximately 650 entries for exhibit, (up from last year). The fall and winter are a perfect time to work on your next year's entries and we encourage more, more, more. Thankyou to all exhibitors who used the online AssistExpo platform and the paper form in the printed version of the Fair Catalogue to register your entries by the deadline (which is usually the weekend before Fair Day). We had a much better idea on space considerations and it made entry afternoon go the smoothest I've ever seen.

Please see our Trophy winners in this issue. Special thanks to all our sponsors- local businesses and organizations, CRD and Province of BC grants, raffle and anonymous donors. A complete list will be in the November issue of Pender Post.

Next Fall Fair meeting is Tuesday, October 14, at the Hall lounge at 7 pm and is open to all.

-Michelle Marsden,

Fall Fair Committee

PAST EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

FALL FAIR - AUGUST 23, 2025

SEEDY SATURDAY - MARCH 22 10 AM TO 1 PM, HALL.

FARMERS’ INSTITUTE AGM - MARCH 29 1:30 PM AT THE HALL - SPECIAL SPEAKER FROM YOUNG AGRARIANS TO TALK ABOUT THE LAND MATCHING PROGRAM, BUSINESS PLANNING AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS. LEARN ABOUT WHAT THE FARMERS’ INSTITUTE IS UP TO AND BECOME INVOLVED! WE ARE LOOKING FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS.

FARM FOOD HUB - OPEN MOST SATURDAYS FROM 9:30-1 BEHIND THE HALL. Contact us at penderislandmarket@gmail.com if you would like to sell your products there or to find out more about it. Everything is made, baked, grown on Pender Island - member of BC Farmers Markets

WORKSHOPS - CONTACT ROZ rozkempe@shaw.ca IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND MARCH 12 AT RAVEN ROCK. GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR NETWORKING AND LEARNING FROM OTHER FARMERS WITH MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE SUPPORT.

FALL FAIR COMMITTEE MEETINGS - EVERYONE WELCOME. NEXT MEETING IS APRIL 8 TH, 7 PM AT THE COMMUNITY HALL.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY : FARMERS’ MARKET MANAGER - For Farmers’ Market during the summer. For more information please email penderislandmarket@gmail.com Open to all ages.

Farmers’ Market - May long weekend to Labour Day weekend 9:30 to 1 pm - check out our market pages

Fall Fair - August 23, 2025.

FOOD SAFE, FEB 25TH. Laura Cullen, instructor. $70 including lunch, workbook and exam.

Field days at Braeloch Farm and Avondale Farm.

November 8th - Free Water Workshop at Raven Rock Farm. November 7th on Galiano - Drought workshop and field day, Galiano Island and Pender Island. With BC Ministry of Agriculture. To learn how do deal with less water in the growing season - drip irrigation, dryland farming, improving soil conditions to hold water - will be among the topics to be discussed. Visit to local farm for demonstration. Brought to you by the Gulf Islands Food CoOp, the Pender Island Farmers’ Institute, the Galiano Farmers’ Institute, and the BC Ministry of Agriculture. Refreshments to be provided, registration is free but required. Contact rozkempe@shaw.ca to register.

Farmers’ Market - Saturdays, 9:30-1 at the Community Hall from May long weekend to Labour Day weekend, after that the Hall runs the market inside, the Farmers’ Market is behind the Hall until winter. Member of BC Farmers’ Markets.

Wednesday Food-Only Market - Wednesdays 3-5 behind the Community Hall in the Farmers’ Institute barn until October 30. Member of BC Farmers’ Markets. Barn will be open on Saturdays as well from 9:30-1 nearly year round.

Fall Fair “THEN AND NOW” - Saturday, August 24th, 2024!

Fall Fair Wrap Up Meeting - October 15th, 7 pm, Hall

- Employment Opportunity : Farmers’ Market Assistant Manager - to assist with set up and running of Saturday and Wednesday Markets during the summer. For more information please email penderislandmarket@gmail.com or check this link for full description. Any age can apply, but it is also suitable for Canada Summer Job Program - age 15 to 30. 35 hours/week, $20.00 per hour, 8-16 weeks.

CLOSED - please apply: Employment Opportunity: Fall Fair Event Coordinator Assistant - to assist with organizing and managing the Fall Fair on August 24. For more information please email penderislandmarket@gmail.com or check this link for full description. Also suitable for Canada Summer Job Program - age 15 to 30. 35 hours/week, $20.00 per hour, 8-16 weeks.

Seed Planting at the School, May 16th

Farmers’ Market Vendor Meeting - April 6th at 1:30 pm- Pender Island Community Hall

Seedy Saturday March 30th, 2024. Saturday, 10-1 at the Community Hall.

October 27, 2018: Sheep Shearing Class

A group of sixteen sheep producers and wool enthusiasts came to Karl Hamson’s barn on Pender Island for the first Wool Classification course in BC, taught by wool education coordinator for the American Sheep Industry Association, Dr. Lisa Surber.

The course was to improve wool education for producers and fibre enthusiasts and to assist in improving the overall quality and economic value of the Canadian wool clip.

The participants came from around BC and the US for the course held October 25-27, joined by two local farmers, Jodi Schamberger and Austin Davies, who provided the sheep for the shearing demonstration and hands-on wool classification.

The course was organized by Charlene Thompson, a wool enthusiast who saw a need and a way to support the growing interest in local fibre and the new mill in the Saanich Peninsula.

Lisa McKinley Surber, PhD, a certified wool classing instructor, has been offering this curriculum across the US. The potential for increasing the value of BC and Canadian wool, diversifying products from wool, including non-textile products, were emphasized.

Dr. Surber was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta and went to Montana State University, receiving a BS in Animal Science, a MS in ruminant nutrition, and a PhD in forage genetics. She worked in the wool lab at MSU for 7 years. She took every opportunity “to see more wool”, becoming a level 4 wool classer by visiting ranches and farms in her spare time to practice her classifying skills.

“A wool classer is a professional who provides expertise to growers, shearers, and wool marketing agencies, following an industry-accepted code of practice in the preparation of wool and sorting by quality,” says Surber.

Pieter Demooy was the shearer for the course, adding his own expertise as a professional shearer. Peter was trained in New Zealand and Australia and has sheared sheep for 40 years. He shears most sheep on the Pender Islands and is a regular attraction at the Pender Island Fall Fair.

One market to explore is non-textile wool products, including felting around new trees, roadside reclamation and prevention of erosion, pelleted wool as a garden amendment, insulation, and wool booms to clean up oil spills.

Dr. Surber added that sheep should be promoted more as part of a multi-species improvement enterprise, given their role in controlling noxious weeds and reducing forest fire risk through grazing.

The course was supported by the BC Sheep Federation Sheep Industry Development Fund, Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers, Canadian Sheep Federation, Inter Island Sheep Breeders Association, the Southern Gulf Islands Community Resource Centre, and the Pender Island Farmers’ Institute.

Many thanks to Charlene Thompson for organizing this event, to Karl for providing the venue, to Jodi and Austin for providing sheep, Karl, Jodi and Barb for set up and take down, and the sponsors who made this event possible.

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