Fifty kilograms of sweet and tasty snap peas grown at the research farm near Whitehorse by Government of Yukon Agriculture branch staff have been donated to the Whitehorse Food Bank. “This is the third consecutive year that market garden vegetables grown at the research farm have been donated to the food bank,” Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Scott Kent said. “The food bank’s Plant a Row, Grow a Row campaign is a natural outlet for these vegetables that were grown as part of a larger effort to support the agriculture industry.”

The peas are part of a market garden soil project investigating the use of compost, biochar and humic acid rather than commonly used organic and synthetic fertilizers. The project provides recommendations on best management practices for northern growers.

The Agriculture branch has been conducting research and demonstration projects at the research farm for 25 years. The farm is within the Gunnar Nilsson and Mickey Lammers Forest Reserve and near the confluence of the Takhini and Yukon rivers.

Past harvests have been donated to food banks but with a plot now dedicated to market garden research, the Agriculture branch has been able to donate more vegetables in recent years, including carrots in 2011 and kale and potatoes in 2012.

“Fresh, healthy foods are enjoyed by the majority of our families but as a non-profit organization, we are not in a financial position to provide fresh foods on a consistent basis,” Whitehorse Food Bank executive director Stephen Dunbar-Edge said. “While it can sometimes be a challenge for the food bank to source fresh foods, it feels great to be able to offer fresh, locally grown vegetables to the community.”

For more information about agriculture in Yukon and activities at the research farm, visit www.agriculture.gov.yk.ca or call 867-667-5838.