Central Saanich farm marks hundred-year milestone as family-run business

As the agriculture industry copes with climate change and inflationary costs, a farm on southern Vancouver Island is celebrating a century in business.

Silver Rill Corn in Central Saanich was founded by the Fox family in 1926. It started as a dairy operation.

“We are basically celebrating the generations before and making it this far within the family,” said Clayton Fox, the farm’s owner.

“My great-grandpa and grandma were the original creators of the name Silver Rill.”

It was their son, Stanley Fox, who saw the potential in sweet corn, giving the crop a go in the 1960s. A newspaper article published in the Victoria Daily Times in 1966 crowned him the Corn King.

“Around that time is when the corn started getting around and getting famous,” Clayton said.

The corn’s popularity persists. On Thursday, corn sales begin at Silver Rill’s market.

Farm co-owner and market manager Rachelle Fox anticipates they’ll sell out, doling out roughly 10,000 cobs.

“The lineup will be all the way around the back of the market, so it’s pretty insane,” said Rachelle, who is married to Clayton.

Back in the day, a cob cost a quarter. Rachelle said she strives to maintain reasonable prices at the market, which can be challenging in the face of inflationary pressures.

“The rising cost of things is definitely, I would say, the main challenge that we’re facing,” she said.

“Every farmer is feeling that.”

Clayton estimates this year’s input costs have risen between 10 and 20 per cent. That’s largely due to the price of fuel and fertilizer, which skyrocketed due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite that challenge — paired with unpredictable weather and land limitations — the Fox family is confident they have another hundred years in the tank.

“For us to maybe get to carry it on for our kids, it keeps us going every day,” Rachelle said.

Corn sales will continue throughout the summer. Clayton is encouraging people to stagger their market visits or call ahead, as the corn is expected to sell out.