Merritt family ranch receives Century Farm Award

NEWS — A pioneer ranching family in the Nicola Valley is the latest recipient of British Columbia’s Century Farm Award.

Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick presented Pooley Ranch and third generation owner Mark Pooley with the award today at the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual general meeting in Merritt.

Pooley Ranch was first homesteaded in the early 1900s by Jim Pooley. After Jim’s death in 1911, his brother William (Mark’s grandfather) prepared to sail out from England the following year to take over the family ranch.

William had two options – accept a friend’s offer to sail on a ship’s maiden voyage or leave a few weeks earlier on a different ship. William chose the earlier departure and left England on March 22, 1912. His friend on the subsequent sailing was Captain Edward John Smith and his ship RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912.

For the first 40 years, sheep were the primary commodity at Pooley Ranch, supplying mutton and wool especially during the war effort. The operation grew to nearly 1,000 Suffolk/Hampshire ewes grazing on the property. The last of the ewes were sold in the 1970s.

In 1935, William passed the ownership of the ranch to his three youngest children, including Mark’s father Harold. After the Second World War, the Pooleys began cattle ranching. Eventually, the ranch grew to a peak of 500 mother cows. Today, Pooley Ranch operates a cow-calf and yearling grazing operation that encompasses more than 6,070 hectares (15,000 acres) of private and Crown land.
Like his grandfather and father before him, Mark Pooley and his children continue the proud family tradition at Pooley Ranch.

“This year marks the 130th anniversary of the arrival of my great uncle James Pooley to the township of Nicola,” said Mark Pooley.

“Answering the call of the land, he was young and eager to face the challenges that soon lay ahead, and was focused on forging a fine sheep and cattle ranch out of sheer, rugged mountain wilderness. As a result of this spirit and the overall achievements of my ancestral pioneers, my family and I feel very fortunate and grateful to be enjoying this way of life and we are proud to accept the Century Farm Award.”

Letnick added, “The Pooley Ranch story is incredible. It is a story of family and a commitment to the local community.”

Century Farm Awards honour agricultural organizations that have been active for 100 years. Each Century Farm Award celebrates the rich heritage of farming and ranching families and organizations in B.C. The Century Farm award program was created in 1994 to mark the centennial of the Ministry of Agriculture.