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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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1 day ago

Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #aemcop
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Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today https://bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #AEMCoP
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2 days ago

BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. It's our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. Its our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

https://bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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So much pressure being put on the dairy industry from the US. It’s hard to keep the lobbying at bay. Canadian dairy should supply Canadian tables and the farmers who provide it should be paid what they are worth. There is no such thing as cheap food

Farm Management is key. It can't all be blamed on the government.

Just been watching NZ TV news and the price of food. Most complaining about the price of dairy products due to the fact that domestic prices are high with most production being exported. No supply management.

I really don't understand the concern here. The article literally says 30-40 of 600 BC dairy farms (that's less than 1%) are experiencing financial pressure, likely due to being somewhat overleveraged. Sounds like just some mismanagement rather than a broad policy failure is the cause here.

Whole Food Plant Based eating ...oat milk coconut milk Almond milk soy milk etc

Noooooooo. That’s exactly what this LIB/NDP party wants. They want everyone to cave in to their knees. Don’t do it. It’ll be the end.

A lot of this is government squeeze. Be hungry and compliant!

The government is the eternal enemy of humanity.

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1 week ago

Farmland Advantage is receiving a $445,000 grant from the federal government. The program, the “brainchild” of Invermere cattle rancher Dave Zehnder, provides compensation to farmers for their conservation efforts to protect BC’s grasslands, riparian areas and wildlife habitat. The funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and Priority Places programs, will be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas appeared in our March 2022 edition and you can view it at ... See MoreSee Less

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Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas

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INVERMERE – Farmers and ranchers in the Columbia Valley will continue to see rewards for taking action to conserve and enhance important riparian areas on their farms. The Windermere District Farmer...
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2 weeks ago

A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural Land Commission hosted in Langley Monday night regarding a proposal to include 305 acres controlled by the federal government in the Agricultural Land Reserve. More than 76,000 people have signed an online petition asking municipal and provincial governments to protect the land from development, and for the federal government to grant a long-term lease to the Heppells. Read more in this morning's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. conta.cc/3XYXw6k ... See MoreSee Less

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Your weekly farm news update

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The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 January 25 2023 Surrey ALR inclusion cheered A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural L
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Mike Manion Pitt Meadows City Councillor

2 months ago

Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand this season and prices remain comparable to last year. But the number of tree farms has decreased dramatically over the past five years and the province will increasingly need to look elsewhere if it wants to meet local demand. More in this week's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. ... See MoreSee Less

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Christmas trees in demand

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Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand, with high quality trees making it to market. “The market is good. We’ll probably outdo last year and last year was one of our best years…
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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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