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Originally published:

OCTOBER 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 10

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Stories In This Edition

BC Beef set to launch

All in the Family

Peace leads farmland sales

Second residences allowed in ALR until July 2021

Ready for the season

Editorial: Turkey run

Back 40: Some things about farming never change

Viewpoint: Growing craft beer sector built on community connections

BC Tree Fruits prepares to sell assets, apples

Sidebar: No quick fix

Cherry growers slammed by record losses

Pickers – and choosers

Animal rights activists land in court

Meat producers frustrated by consultations

A2 milk launch aimed at lactose-intolerant

Ag Briefs: Northern Health signs on with FeedBC

Ag Briefs: Cranberry outlook brightens

Ag Briefs: Agriculture nabs recovery funding

Ag Briefs: North Okanagan reaches farmers

Pandemic delays review of anti-dumping order

Potato field day showcases new varieties

Province tightens rules for employers

Peace grain growers gather bitter harvest

Learning to do

Vancouver Island grain harvest looks promising

Slaughter waste receives fresh funding

Ranchers threaten litigation over treaty negotiations

Sweet sale

Sidebar: Rancers seek compensation for Chilcotin land losses

Ardill Ranch receives Century Farm award

Sidebar: The long haul

Research: Regenerative ranching counters climate change

A new generation keeps the family greenhouse growing

Hazelnut growers on the lookout for invasive stink bug

New president for BC Hazelnut

First-gen farmers plot a vision for success

New research director puts people first

Reflective tarps piloted in FV blubeberries

Speciality mushroom growers come into their own

Seeking insights

Dairy success is about attention to detail

Woodshed: To Rocky’s end, and flirting with danger

Green bean trials target large grower needs

Farm Story: There’s plenty to put the dynamite in the family dynamic

AITC rolls out virtual options for teachers

Jude’s Kitchen: Brunch for a bunch

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3 days ago

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details. ... See MoreSee Less

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details.
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2 weeks ago

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the province's deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed. ... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the provinces deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed.
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Sounds like 2 weeks to flatten the curve turning into 2 years.

USDA doing avian vax research, May 11 bio-docs to UN incl section on H5N8 w/wild bird spread. Found link to apparent pre-release on May 11 Geller Report. Good luck farmers.

3 weeks ago

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.” ... See MoreSee Less

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.”
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Killing our food chain. How do we know they are actually carrying a virus, look what's taking place with covid, is it real.

Ik kan niet zo goed Engels maar als ik het goed begrijp is bij jullie ook vogelgriep maar nog niet bij jullie

Any idea when this episode or bird flu might be over?

3 weeks ago

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions. ... See MoreSee Less

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions.
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4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
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BC Beef set to launch

Project aims to boost returns to cattle producers

FILE PHOTO / LIZ TWAN

October 1, 2020 byTom Walker

WESTWOLD – A made-in-BC beef brand is finally within sight after five years of work on the part of ranchers.

“We will be signing a lease for October 1 with the KML federal processing plant just west of Falkland, and at that point we will have control of the plant to go in and start processing,” says Kevin Boon, general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association.

Boon is a key member of the industry steering committee that has been working on the project, which aims to put more cash in the pockets of BC producers by processing and selling beef locally.

But the project also promised to cost a lot of cash. Building a plant from scratch was pegged up to $8 million, and extensive operating funds would have been required for the first several years before it ever turned a profit.

Studies indicated that a new plant would also require about 500 animals a week to be viable. While there are a number of backgrounding operations in the province, a full-scale finishing industry capable of supplying that number of animals would also need to be developed, not to mention a supply chain to feed those cattle. Workers would need to be hired and trained and an extensive marketing program would be required to move the end product.

The steering committee determined that leasing an existing plant, starting small and sourcing animals at hand was the preferred way to begin building a BC Beef brand. It also allows everyone in the cattle sector – dairy operators as well as ranchers – to contribute to its development.

“We will be sourcing cull cows and processing them into hamburger,” he says. “That will allow everyone in the industry to participate.”

While BC Cattlemen’s has facilitated the development of the program, it was never the intention that the association would own the plant.

“A new company has been formed called the BC Beef Producers,” Boon explains. “This will be a producer-owned corporation and they will give direction to the chief operating officer who will develop the expertise for the operation.”

Mark Ishoy, a retired plant manager who served as president of Eastern Meat Solutions Inc. in Ontario, will manage the plant.

“[He] will help us get rolling,” says Boon. “He is very interested and very supportive of the concept we are doing because it is so new and unique. His experience will be a huge asset.”

The corporation will be run under the BC Securities Act and have a new and unique structure, Boon explains. Each share purchased in the corporation will come with the requirement to deliver one animal a year and if the shareholder does not deliver the animal, they could have their share revoked. Producers will be paid market price based on both quality and delivery season, as the plant will need animals year-round. Shares will entitle the producer to a portion of any profits from the corporation in the form of a dividend.

The lack of a consistent supply of animals is a common source of failure of producer-owned meat processing co-ops, Boon says, and the structure of BC Beef Producers aims to overcome that.

“If you think you are going to get a better price somewhere else and you jump there you will lose your hooks,” he says. “Because a lot of plant failures are caused by not being able to get supply.”

Interest from producers has been strong, Boon says, and the steering committee is keen to get the details of share ownership out to ranchers.

KML will retain the right to process and market a percentage of cattle under its own brand.

“KML has been really good to work with,” says Boon. “They will be able to process and market their own cattle so it is a win-win for all.”

The rural location of the plant, approximately half-way between Vernon and Kamloops, could  be a bonus for hiring workers, adds Boon.

“COVID … has made workers look for work outside of the main centres, so there is an attraction in that,” he says.

Boon is happy to see it all come together.

“I’m very excited about the prospects of it for BC producers,” he says. “I think this is a huge opportunity for them. We will never get a better chance at a more reasonable buy-in than we are getting right now.”

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