Hopcotts win OYF Canada

Pitt Meadows farmers Travis and Brad Hopcott of Hopcott Farms have taken top honours in the Outstanding Young Farmers Canada event, held in Laval, Quebec, November 22-26.

“We are so excited to receive this award,” says Brad Hopcott. “The judges had an extremely hard decision to make with all of the fantastic honourees. We would like to thank our families and our team for all of their support because without it we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

“This award, ultimately, recognizes all of the amazing young farmers across all seven regions of this country,” adds Travis. “Each had to overcome trials, maintaining a drive to continue improving and displaying pride in producing a safe high-quality product to feed people. It is truly an honour to be recognized among this class of young farmers.”

The brothers won the OYF BC & Yukon title in March, which allowed them to advance to the national finals.

During the regional event, the brother described how they had transformed the farm started by their grandfather into a 1,000 head beef feedlot with forage production, on-farm abattoir, 72-acre cranberry farm and a 17,000-square-foot retail store and wedding venue.

The family-run operation sees Brad steer the beef side, Travis in charge of the cranberries and their sister Jennifer running the retail and wedding venue.

Sustainability being among the judges’ criteria of excellence, the brothers noted their efforts to renovate 20% of their cranberry acreage with new varieties that make them more efficient while a reservoir allows them to recycle 30 million gallons of water through the cranberry bogs during harvest.

To allow for full integration of the beef operation and reduce the farm’s carbon hoofprint while also addressing animal welfare and quality issues, a $5 million abattoir was added to the operation in 2022.

Utilizing waste tissue composting units has allowed for the integration of animal waste back into the forage fields, further enhancing the farm’s sustainable credentials.

Having receiving support through the management transition, Brad & Travis hope to return the favour and mentor future BC farmers.

The brothers were selected as winners alongside Alberta seed producers Greg & Sarah Stamp, beating out five other finalists from provincial programs across Canada.

Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, OYF competitors must derive the majority of their income from agriculture.

All finalists shared stories throughout the event that exemplified their passion and love for agriculture, a key feature of the 43-year competition that recognizes excellence in farming and promotes agriculture’s tremendous contribution to Canada.

All content on this website is copyrighted, and cannot be republished or reproduced without permission.

3 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

View Comments

Likes: 9
Shares: 1
Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 7
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 17
Shares: 1
Comments: 0

Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 7
Shares: 1
Comments: 3

There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.

The annual potato variety trial in Delta on August 27 attracted more than 300 people from across Canada, with Bill Zylmans of the BC Potato and Vegetable Growers Association declaring it a gathering of "the extended potato family." With the expansion of BCPVGA's mandate to a host of field vegetable growers, the field day was a chance to network, learn and understand issues across the vegetable sector. BC agriculture minister Lana Popham and Delta South MLA Ian Paton were on hand for the event at Lundstrum Farms on Westham Island, with both applauding efforts to restore bridge access to the island earlier this year to ensure production was unimpeded. Results of the trials will be published in the new year once seasonal data has been collated and analyzed.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 25
Shares: 1
Comments: 1

Lana Popham is the hardest working MLA in the province, I don’t agree with the NDP policies, however I do recognize a hard working MLA…thanks for what you do

SEPTEMBER 2026
Vol. 112 Issue 9

Hopcotts win OYF Canada

Related Posts