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September 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 9

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4 days ago

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays. ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays.
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Patti 😊

6 days ago

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7 days ago

The top five issues the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity identified in a recent survey were the cost of food, inflation, the cost of energy, keeping healthy food affordable and the Canadian economy. “We are seeing that environmental concerns are not in the top 10,” says Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle Association’s public and stakeholder engagement program. “If you are concerned about being able to afford to feed your family, the environment becomes less important.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Ranchers get the backstory on public perception

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VERNON – Ranchers might be concerned about how the public sees their industry, but a producer-funded team at the Canadian Cattle Association has their back. Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattleâ...
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1 week ago

BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million. ... See MoreSee Less

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Lake Country packing house sold

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BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million.
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Who bought it ffs ?

Ted Nedjelski Karen Turner

One of my first jobs was apple grading in a packing plant in Vernon

Vivian, is this where you worked?

I’d hear the company that owns the big Cannabis company that owns the green houses all around this packing plant was buying up everything around to expand. Wonder if it’s them that got it.

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1 week ago

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Association's preparation for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/ ... See MoreSee Less

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Associations preparation  for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/
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Bredenhofs win national honours

2020 Outstanding Young Farmers Ray and Tracey Bredenhof with sons, from left to right, Kaleb, 5, Evan, 11, Noah, 7, and Jacob, 15. Photo / Ronda Payne

December 8, 2021 byPeter Mitham

The first national championship of the Outstanding Young Farmer competition in two years has named Ray and Tracey Bredenhof of Abbotsford this year’s winners alongside Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz of Little Brown Cow Dairy in Brantford, Ontario.

The Bredenhofs operate R&T Farms in Abbotsford, which has grown to produce 225,000 broilers a year. It produces 21 acres of hops and handles and equal amount from contract growers. Its growth, and the Bredenhofs’ involvement in the industry won them top ranking in last year’s regional Outstanding Young Farmer competition.

But not all regional competitions had completed prior to the pandemic, and last year’s national event was deferred.

This year’s event, which took place online and in person in Saskatoon on December 1-3, saw six other finalists representing the dairy, produce, honey, beef and grain sectors.

Choosing two winners has been common for the competition in recent years. For the Bredenhofs, the win came on the heels of the dramatic November flooding that briefly forced them to evacuate their farm at the edge of Sumas Prairie.

“We did leave for a short period of time, but then I ended up just getting back into the farm,” says Ray Bredenhof. “We had animals in the barn and it was driving me crazy being off the farm.”

Fortunately, the broiler barn was protected by berms and sandbags. The water stopped 30 metres from the buildings before receding. Some of his hopyard was inundated, but it’s too early to tell if the vines will be impacted.

“We won’t know for sure until we start seeing plants pop up in the spring, if we end up having some plant mortality,” he says. “Hopefully the plants are more resilient than we give them credit for, and they pop right back.”

True to the community spirit that figured into his nomination for the award last year, Bredenhof and some of his children pitched in to help others in the community. This included assisting with sandbagging the Barrowtown pump station on November 16, when it was in danger of failure.

“We filled more sandbags than we ever want to see again in our life, that’s for sure,” he says. “The camaraderie of all working together to save the pump was a pretty neat experience.”

 

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