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Originally published:

DECEMBER 2021
Vol. 107 Issue 12

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Stories In This Edition

Catastrophic flooding

Wash out

Editorial: Rebuilding food security

Back 40: A farmer’s journey doesn’t always pay for itself

Viewpoint:

Dairy industry takes swift action on animal abuse

Producers urged to make emergency plans

Province sets agenda for tree fruit future

Ag Briefs: Province moves to shut down mink farms

Ag Briefs: Interior Opportunities

Ag Briefs: BCAC meetings bear fruit

Ag Briefs: Trade focus

North Okanagan ranchers brief on key issues

Sidebar: Strong retail, disappointing feeder prices

Frustration over ‘timber-centric’ range bill

Livestock protection program up for review

Honey producers get technology transfer program

Chicken squadron

Quality over quantity for blueberry pollination

New slaughter regs helpful but not enough

Sidebar: Changes welcome

Sheep producers have tough year

The old heave-ho

Grant revives Pacific field corn trials

Cannabis grower eyes mushroom production

New poinsettia varieties trialed in Abbotsford

Nursery sales stay brisk through pandemic

Job satisfaction has deep roots

Newcomers revitalize Lake Country orchard

Cariboo research looks to extend growing season

Full circle operation upcycles food waste

BC company specializes in bio control

Farm Story: Idyllic worlds have very little idleness in them

Blueberry farming is stress-busting for new chair

Research: To till or not to till? That’s actually not the question

Christmas tree growers face a grim future

Woodshed: An awkward encounter; a clever diversion

A century of dairy farming in Pitt Meadows

Jude’s Kitchen: Celebrate! Celebrate

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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Congratulations!!!

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Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

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Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

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Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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2 weeks ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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A century of dairy farming in Pitt Meadows

The Severinski family has milked cows every single day for over 100 years

Louise and Harry Severinski sit surrounded by family, including son Kevin, far right, and grandson Brandon, the fourth-generation Severinski to work on the family’s Pitt Meadows dairy farm. Severinski Farms received a Century Farm award from the province in September. SUBMITTED

December 1, 2021 byKate Ayers

PITT MEADOWS – Severinski Farms reached a golden milestone this fall, one recognized with the province’s Century Farm and Ranch Award.

The celebration in September was attended by nearly 200 people, including friends, family and local politicians. It was a special moment for the entire family, but especially Harry and Louise Severinski, who have been a part of the operation for the lion’s share of its 100 years.

“I told my parents, so they knew (the barbeque) was happening, but we hadn’t told them we’d applied for the BC Century Farm Award and we didn’t tell them we’d invited all the local politicians,” says Kevin Severinski, Harry and Louise’s son and a third-generation farmer. “So, they were pretty shocked when they saw the mayor, councillors, the MLA and MP show up. They were pretty proud.”

The Severinski family traces its farming roots back to 1910 when Steven Severinski, Kevin’s grandfather, immigrated from what is today Croatia. Upon landing in Cloverdale, Steven bought a five-acre parcel and invited his fiancé Manda to join him. The couple married on

September 12, 1921, just a day after she arrived. They milked about a dozen cows and established Severinski Farms.

When a neighbour’s farm caught on fire in early 1922, the Severinskis joined a bucket brigade to put out the fire and save the neighbour’s house. But the strain caused Manda, who was expecting the couple’s first child, to miscarry and she wound up in hospital.

During Manda’s week-long hospital stay, Steven swapped the Cloverdale property for 40 acres in Pitt Meadows. When he picked Manda up following her treatment, they drove to their new farm just north of the Fraser River, along with all their cattle and one horse. The couple bought two more draft horses upon their arrival.

As Steven and Manda settled into their new home, they grew their land base to 80 acres and their family by 10 children.

Harry, the couple’s youngest son, bought the farm in 1965. He and his wife Louise expanded the operation to 120 acres and 60 milking cows.

In 2000, Kevin and his wife Audra took over the farm. They have since grown the operation to 145 acres of owned land and 100 acres of leased land. Kevin has worked on the farm all his life. He took an off-farm job for a year after high school, but quickly came back home because he “really enjoyed the lifestyle.”

“With dairy, it’s a lot because you have to milk every day,” he says. “(But) it’s nice to have variety – you have field work, mechanic work, a lot of construction and there’s other types of maintenance.”

The farm also provided a rich environment in which to raise their four children. So much so, that two of their children are interested in carrying the farm into its fourth generation.

Their son Brandon is the family’s full-time herdsman. Their daughter Amanda is a herd manager and works off the farm in sales.

As the family navigates the challenges of succession planning with four children, they hope the operation’s legacy will continue long into the future.

The family now milks 160 cows three times a day with a herringbone double-eight parlour.

“I always wanted to milk three times a day. I worked with my dad forever and over the last four or five years we worked together, I told him I wanted to milk three times a day,” Kevin says. “He said the day I bought the farm, I could milk as many times as I wanted. Purposefully, the day we bought the farm, we started milking three times a day and have ever since.”

The Severinskis grow grass crops for the cattle, producing silage and small square bales.

Throughout the years, the family has integrated innovative and technological advancements into their operation, such as cattle pedometers and milk meters.

“We have a computer system that keeps track of milk weights and cow activity three times a day and breeding (information) is all in there,” Kevin says.

In addition to innovation, collaboration and understanding between the generations contribute to the farm’s long-term success.

“It’s very special, the fact that I get to work with my dad every day. I think it’s even more special that my dad gets to work with his grandson,” Kevin says. Harry and Brandon clean the heifer and calf barns together three or four times a week.

“My dad drives the tractor and my son moves gates. I always think about how lucky Brandon is to have those experiences. My dad shows Brandon a lot of mechanics stuff, too, and shows him how to fix equipment. My grandfather was 90 when I was 12. He was retired by then.”

Through the family’s 100 years of farming, other operations came and went, but the Severinskis stayed true to their passion – cows – and their community.

“We’ve never switched to blueberries or cranberries,” says Kevin. “A lot of people moved around or did chickens. We’ve always just stuck with dairy for 100 years. And we love Pitt Meadows. We’re very involved in the community in a lot of local events.”

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