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Originally published:

NOVEMBER 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 11

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Stories In This Edition

Apple returns raise alarm

Ottawa urged to fulfil promises

Snow job

New government faces old issues in next term

Caught in the act

Editorial: Time for action

Back 40: Finding the perks in a pandemic world

Viewpoint: Changing times require a flexible vision

Invasive hornet nest destroyed south of Langley

Country Life in BC wins a record eight national awards

US launches investigation into blueberries

Hog producers face changes to code of practice

Growers, wineries welcome sustainability launch

Sustainability program delivers value to industry

Ag Briefs: Ag sector claims $8.5 billion economic impact

Ag Briefs: Farm worker protection funded

Ag Briefs: Autumn calf prices down

Grant programs encourage Indigenous ag projects

Range issues dominate NOLA meeting

Sidebar: BCV Cattlemen critique water intentions

BC Beef plant in Falkland ready to process this month

Winter warning

Corn trial results help make better planting decisions

Sidebar: Sweet results

New barn promises better egg production

ALR co-founder, defender embraces retirement

Seed sppliers seeing sustained demand as 2021 orders begin

Research: Breeding crops for the future means looking backwards

Straight ahead

Potatoes head for record-breaking harvest

Weather posed challenges for garlic growers

Garlic groewrs employ mixed marketing strategies

Association aims to foster collaboration

Demand boosts interest in older cider apples

Evans Farms marks a century of ranching

Farm Story: Nominees announced for seasonal awards

Bursary winner plants roots in Cawston

Provincial Winter Fair hosts live 4-H events

Woodshed: Janice Newberry bids farewell to love-sick Henderson

Where there’s a will, there’s gotta be a way

Jude’s Kitchen: Autumn Eats

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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

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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1 month 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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2 months ago

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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Apple returns raise alarm

Growers threaten to quit

November 1, 2020 bySarbmeet Singh & Peter Mitham

KELOWNA – Okanagan apple growers say ongoing low returns and rising input costs have pushed them to the verge of quitting the industry.

“The financial returns of apple growers have been steadily declining for the past three years,” says Pinder Dhaliwal, an apple grower in Oliver and president of the BC Fruit Growers Association. “On average, apple growers are getting 12 cents per pound for their produce. However, it cost growers 30 cents per pound. Under such a scenario, it is very difficult for the farmers to survive.”

The data shows that Ambrosia apples have been hit hardest. Returns dropped from 34 cents a pound in 2016 to only 13 cents a pound in 2019. Similarly, Spartans returned 15 cents a pound in 2016 but farmers received just 2 cents a pound in 2019.

Growers say the main reasons for declining returns are competition from Washington growers and a lack of support from retailers.

“The common practice of retailers buying apples from other countries is a major reason for the drop in prices in BC,” said Amarjit Singh Lalli, a Kelowna grower with 20 acres.

Lalli backed a late resolution at the BCFGA annual convention last winter seeking immediate, short-term financial support from the province for losses in 2019, and urging anti-dumping duties against US apples among other measures.

Competition from Washington, the largest producer of apples in North America, remains an ongoing issue.

“Apple production in British Columbia reduced to 70,300 tons in 2019 from 155,000 tons in 1964. In contrast, apple production in Washington increased to 2,746,000 [tons] in comparison to 465,000 in 1964,” says BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas

He says the Columbia River Treaty, ratified in 1964 and now being renegotiated by Canada and the US, delivered a stable supply of irrigation water to Washington State, allowing production there to expand significantly at the expense of BC growers.

Growers would like to see a renegotiated treaty compensate them for benefits that Washington growers have received under the treaty. BCFGA has asked government to consider an annual allocation in the range of $9.25 million.

Apple dumping

Dumping of apples is also a concern. Growers won an anti-dumping case against Red Delicious apples in 1995. The decision resulted in five years of duties, but those ended in 2000. However, some would like to see ongoing monitoring of imports.

“There should be proper checking at the border to avoid any dumping of apples,” says Lalli.

The low cost of imports has helped boost retailers’ margins on apples, which have increased more than 75% since 2016 to $1.48 a pound.

“It is only the producers that are facing the heat. If we look at the figures, retail returns continuously increased while growers continue to face the losses,” says Lucas.

Packing houses also have a role to play, says Lalli, one of the more than 350 growers who ship to the BC Tree Fruits Co-operative.

“Another reason behind the low returns are the expenses of packing,” he says.

BC Tree Fruits has been working to cut packing costs this year. A governance report the co-op received in February urged it to improve fruit quality, setting minimum standards rather than accepting whatever growers delivered. By accepting better fruit, it could cut handling and disposal costs, improving its margins and the returns growers receive.

This year, an incentive program reduced the volume of low-value fruit the co-op received, benefitting growers.

Better returns will improve farmers’ livelihoods, but also make farming more rewarding. This hasn’t been the case for apple growers in recent years.

Nirmal Singh, who has 14 acres of apples, says persistent low returns over the past several years have been frustrating.

“Survival is very difficult. Leave aside the profit – we are not even getting the input costs,” he says.

To raise awareness of the issue, growers have taken several steps to make their concerns heard. They’ve met with the province’s agriculture minister, most recently this past February, and on October 10 the BCFGA sold apples at 12 cents a pound at the Kelowna Farmers and Crafters Market to raise public awareness. The association called it the “BC Apples Farewell Tour,” indicating that apple growers are being forced to quit apple growing.

Apple growers believe the BC government’s contribution to agricultural support programs is the lowest in Canada, and Canada’s support level is below any other developed nation.

Talwinder Singh Bassi, a grower in Oliver, says it’s high time government made policies that put food security first.

“As farmers are facing losses, they will be forced to quit agriculture. Emphasis should be laid on selling of local food first,” he says.

A statement from the BCFGA says that producers are squeezing every penny they can to increase efficiency, and the packing industry is also seeking to improve returns to growers, but government also has a role to play. While the province has devoted significant effort to strengthening farmland protection, it also needs to protect farmers.

“On one hand, efforts and announcements are being made to save the Agriculture Land Reserve, but on the other hand, nothing substantial has been done for the growers,” says Dhaliwal. “A cash subsidy of seven cents per pound was given to [Washington] apple growers during August this year. This kind of support should also be provided to BC apple growers.”

While some growers will give up growing altogether as a result of low returns, others are looking at new crops.

“Many farmers have shifted from apples to cherries in the Okanagan Valley,” says Lalli, who is sticking with apples but replacing Red Delicious with Honeycrisp. “I am working on changing the varieties to survive and get better returns.”

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