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Originally published:

JULY 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 7

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Stories In This Edition

Breakfast on the Farm

Province blinks on ALR

Berry grower hit with fines

BC hop industry matures despite challenges

Smaller than small

Back 40: The ups (and downs) of sustainable agriculture

Viewpoint: Debate over cannabis underscores challenges

Dry weather ushers in provincewide drought

Giant bee-killing hornet identified in Vancouver

Weather ideal for early start to strawberries

Fresh BC strawberries …

FIRB sides with K&M on annualized production

Pricing remains on ongoing issue for poultry sector

Tree fruit competitiveness funds start to flow

Farmers institute members discuss ALR changes

Dairy association seeks general manager

Sitting down on the job

Online platform gives food a second chance

Armyworm comes back for a second helping

Cannabis genes key to long-term success

Twenty years of ambassadors reunite

Policy shifts top ranchers’ list of concerns

Winner! Winner!

Clifton Ranch aims for better beef, habitat

Sidebar: Ranch operations

Treaties create uncertainty for range users

Market Musings: Summertime slowdown

Do you know a horse …

Grazing targets fire prevention, suppression

Kestrel nestbox project will help control starlings

Sterile moth program heads south of the border

Young farmers served a heaving helping of surf ‘n turf

Research: Welfare, reproduction a complex relationship

Variety trials showcase fresh options

Sweet potato has promise for BC growers

Headway made on organic SWD controls

My turn!

The fine art of raising commercial poultry

Winfield couple banks on organic growth

Woodshed: Plans hatch while Kenneth plays golf

Breakfast on the Farm has lessons for everyone

Jude’s Kitchen: Healthy choices

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4 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 hop industry matures despite challenges

Better practices, varieties moving growers forward

June 30, 2019 byPeter Mitham

ABBOTSFORD—BC’s hop industry faces a bright future as the industry consolidates around growers with long-term plans, but plenty of challenges remain.

Growers harvested approximately 200,000 pounds last year, a crop that was dried and shipped to brewers across Canada, the US and beyond North America.

“We’re getting more interest and we’re also developing a number of export markets,” says Ray Bredenhof, president of the BC Hop Growers Association.

He recently acquired another property that will give Bredenhof Hop Farms 21 acres. He also harvests 19 acres for fellow growers. This has put his business, which includes drying, pelletizing and distributing, at capacity. But growth of demand means there are still opportunities for growers.

“I’m working on international hop deals where I’m going to need hops from more than just my farm,” he says.

But the number of growers has fallen from more than 30 last year to about 20 today. Bredenhof expects a net decrease in BC hop acreage this year as a result.

“It’s an industry that’s consolidating,” he says. “Our quality is improving, our farming practices are improving and the good growers are succeeding, but it’s a challenging industry. It really is.”

Lack of processing capacity

Two key issues are a lack of processing capacity, which meant some acreage couldn’t be harvested last year, and competition from other regions.

Consumers opt for local where possible, as the success of the annual BC Hop Fest in Abbotsford shows. It has grown to more than 1,000 people since the first event in 2015, large enough that the Agricultural Land Commission says it can’t take place on farmland. This prompted its cancellation this year, but organizers Dwayne and Diane Stewart of BC Hop Co. hope to resume the event in fall 2020.

Yet hops are one ingredient that the province’s craft brewers have been slow to source from their own backyard. Oil content and aromatics are key variables among hop varieties, and Lower Mainland brewmasters tend to favour imported hops.

“They’ve been buying US or New Zealand hops for so long that they’re not changing the recipe to fit the BC hops in,” says Bredenhof.

Style is indeed a big factor, say local brewers, including those most committed to supporting local food and farmers.

“It’s not that we don’t want to support local hops, it’s just that we’re looking for a certain flavour profile and it’s just not possible with some of the hops that are grown here,” says Josh Vanderheide of Field House Brewing Co. in Abbotsford. “And that’s okay. It should be okay. … If we could only use local hops, all the craft beers would taste the same.”

Moreover, not all recipes require the same amount of hops. When it challenged the province’s ban on on-farm breweries in the Agricultural Land reserve in 2016, Persephone Brewing Co. Inc. of Gibsons was told that its one-acre hop yard was a minor contributor to its beers. But owner Brian Smith contended that the hops’ contribution far outweighed their economic value.

“Frankly, if all I did was grow hops on that farm and not process it, I couldn’t even afford to pay our mortgage let alone have a viable or profitable business model,” he said at the time. “Beer has a profit margin in it that absorbs the cost of building out the agriculture.”

The lightly hopped honey ale Persephone brewed this year for the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets – whose member markets adhere to a “make it, bake it, grow it” philosophy – did not come from BC, even though the yeast was locally cultured and the honey was sourced from seven BC farms.

Smith says the question of hop content is challenging. The honey ale wasn’t a hop-forward beer, but style is just one of many factors.

“It is a combination of things including varietals, pricing, marketing and farmers being out of touch with their end-user,” he said. “[I] don’t think any of that is something that I want to take on fixing.”

However, the BC Craft Brewers Guild recognizes the issue, and together with the BC Hop Growers Association launched the Lupulin Cup award in 2017 to foster closer relationships between BC hop growers and brewers.

Research to identify and develop new hops, such as Sasquatch, a patented variety that traces its roots to feral hops in Pemberton, or Lumberjack, a trademarked variety developed with imported genetics, will also help.

“That’s innovation, and government and innovative agricultural funding should go towards that,” says Vanderheide, who would like to see government support new variety development as it does for other crops.

“If government was willing to fund going to find the other hops with unique flavour profiles and funding trials of growing unique hops here, that would help build an industry,” he says.

In the meantime, growers are showing there’s a home for top-quality hops.

“The industry is straightening itself out,” says Bredenhof. “The growers that are left are more of the higher-quality, long-term, committed growers.”

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