From Field to Foodgrains Bank, Federal Matching Boosts BMW's ...

The Boissevain-Morton-Whitewater (BMW) CFB Grow project committee was thrilled to bring in the harvest this week on the 300 acres at their Fairfax field northwest of Boissevian.  Moisture levels were tricky with heavy morning dew and fog, and then the threat of rain Thursday night.  The harvest crew was able to get the job done over the course of 2 days with a handful of harvesters.

Field manager and agronomist, Mitch Bohrn says they had to act fast over 2 days to get the peas in the bin and so unfortunately, they weren't able to host the traditional harvest lunch for Canadian Foodgrains supporters as in previous years.

"Growing peas this year made it a little more difficult to pick one day to do the harvest on," he explains. "We needed a pretty good dry day to make it work, and even on the day of harvest someone had to go down and take a sample to make sure they were going to be dry enough to combine."

"We had 4 combines out this year to do it. So, it took a couple of days, but we were very happy with the results. We had 61 bushels an acre which was pretty good for the peas in the area, and they're all hauled away."

Doing the math, Bohrn says the 300 acres of peas brings in approximately $170,000.  "So, we have a pretty good contribution to the Foodgrains Bank this year. Taking off expenses we should be donating about $70,000 by the time it's all done."

The Federal Government matches all contributions 4:1 (with a cap at $25 million) which brings that $70,000 to a hefty donation to the CFB.

The Government of Canada has been an important partner of the Foodgrains Bank since it began in 1983. Today, the Foodgrains Bank is one of two primary channels for the Government of Canada’s funding for food assistance. Through this federal support, the Foodgrains Bank’s 15 member agencies are able to leverage donations from individuals, churches and businesses up to a ratio of 4:1 for food assistance in the developing world—up to $25 million each year.

"These funds go towards some aid projects and then there are some projects where people are learning how to be more efficient farmers," says Bohrn.  "That's one of the things I really like about his project, is that you take a dollar, and you turn it into $5 with the 4:1 matching, and then from there you're using that money to teach people how to feed their communities better.  It keeps extrapolating."

The origins of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank traces back to the mid-1970's when Canadian farmers sought ways to share their surplus harvest with people facing hunger around the world.  Today it is estimated that up to 757 million people are facing hunger worldwide and do not enjoy “food security,” meaning they do not have regular access to enough nutritious food to live healthy and active lives.

Bohrn notes they are still collecting donations to help offset input costs, thus being able to donate more funds to the CFB. Simply contact one of their committee members to submit your donation.

Please listen to more with Mitch Bohrn as he shares on the growing season and harvest!

(photo credit Audrey Pashke, BMW Grow project committee member)