Another B.C. farm hit by NDP government, says Delta South MLA

Sep 10, 2019

It’s yet another blow for B.C. farmers trying make a living on their land, says Delta South MLA Ian Paton.

The owners of the Rusted Rake Farm Eatery in Nanoose Bay announced that they have been forced to shut their doors for good after the Agricultural Land Commission denied their non-farm use application, said Paton, the Liberal co-agriculture critic.

“I have had the opportunity to visit the Rusted Rake in the past and was greatly disappointed to hear today’s news,” said Paton last Friday.

“It is an excellent little roadside eatery making use of their own farm produce and meat. They were told to build alcohol sales into the operation to meet ALR regulations. Now, with construction of their new brewery already underway, they have been turned down on their reconsideration application. The family is devastated,” he said.

The closure of the Rusted Rake Farm Eatery is another example of agricultural businesses struggling under the rigid ALR regulations set out by the NDP government, Paton added.

Rather than simply closing down any business that doesn’t follow their strict rules to the letter, the ALC needs to take into account the unique context of applications and work with owners and farmers to reach a resolution that best serves the local community, said Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell.

Delta council this year, meanwhile, expressed concern about the regulations they said could impact local agri-tourism and special events on local farms. They pointed out the annual B.C. Hop Fest in Abbotsford, a beer festival that was to have taken place this September on agricultural land, had to be canceled because it no longer met the ALC requirements to be considered an agri-tourism event.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.