February 21st, 2026

This is a link to the final report from the roundup

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Shuswap Community Farm Coop Farmers’ Roundup. We were pleased to see such a strong turnout and to hear so many thoughtful, honest ideas from farmers, producers, and community members who care deeply about local food in the Shuswap. We had hoped to get this newsletter out a little sooner, but as many of you know, spring has a way of keeping life busy.

The Roundup gave us something very valuable: clearer direction on where people see the biggest needs, the biggest opportunities, and the places where the Coop may be able to make a practical difference. A few themes came through strongly across the discussions. Farmers and producers are facing high costs, labour and time pressures, market access challenges, and a need for more practical support and coordination. At the same time, there was real interest in working together on simple, useful solutions that can help in the short term while building toward something stronger over time.

Based on what we heard, our next steps are beginning to take shape. We are looking at a bulk purchasing pilot, likely focused on feed or seed, to see whether combining orders can help lower costs for local producers. We are also working toward a simple “Listings Lite” and Producer Directory approach to help local producers buy, sell, and connect more easily without building a complicated platform. As well, we plan to bring local food groups together to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in our local food system, while also exploring education and training opportunities with partners such as the local school district and Okanagan College Salmon Arm.

At the same time, we are continuing to build the Coop through our four pillars: Farmers Exchange; Collaborate / Cooperate / Advocate / Educate; Infrastructure; and Productive Land.

This is where volunteers will make a real difference. We are looking for people who would like to help with planning, organizing, outreach, research, communications, and project support within any of the four pillars. We are also exploring some small vegetable plots and will be looking for volunteers who want to help with hands-on growing, learning, and supporting practical food production on the ground.

Not everyone has time for a major commitment, and that is perfectly okay. Even helping in a small way can move good ideas forward. This is community work, and it will grow step by step with the help of people who care enough to lend a hand.

For those who would like a fuller breakdown of the Roundup results, including the themes that emerged from each pillar, we have posted that information on our website.

Thank you again for being part of this. The Roundup showed that there is real energy, real need, and real potential here. Now it is time to start turning that into practical action, together.

The Board of the Shuswap Community Farm Coop.