Agriculture Modernizes

From the earliest settlements, agriculture was the main economic activity in the Peace River country. This began to change after the Second World War with the development of the forestry and petroleum industries.

Through the 1920s and the 1930s, settlers who arrived in the Peace country worked small farms that were only one quarter section. Steam tractors and later gas tractors were slowly introduced, but these were the exception as many could not afford them. Work continued to be carried out by horse and was labour intensive through the 1920s and 1930s.

After the Second World War agriculture became more mechanized allowing for larger farms to be operated. Farmers bought the land around them and earned more.

The arrival in the Peace country of the large-scale forest industry and the petroleum companies after the Second World meant that there were more opportunities for young men to get paying work. With this new trend larger urban centres in the Peace River country began to develop.

There has been increasing diversification of agriculture in the Peace country. Canola has become more widely harvested than wheat and barley. Crops like fescue seed, peas, and Saskatoon berries are export crops that are increasing in importance. Bee keeping and honey production was already established in the Peace River country in the 1930s and continues to play an important role.

A newer trend in the Peace River country is the raising of elk, bison, ostriches, emus, and other exotic animals like wild turkey. The membership of the Peace River Bison Association includes around 150 producers, reporting a combined herd of about 35,000.

Agriculture in the Peace River country is changing as rapidly as in any other region of Canada. The agricultural industry in the Peace is modern and adaptable, competing with the best in the world.

[Back] [Top]