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Originally published:

June 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 6

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Stories In This Edition

First Cut

Hog farm won’t face charges

Okanagan drives land values

Where’s the beef?

Minister defends Bill 15 changes

Back Forty: Farmers, not just farmland, need revitalization

Editorial: No peace, no order

ALR restrictions make commuting a fact of life

Johnston’s Packers targeted by activists

Child labour

Sidebar: When is a crime not a crime?

Berry growers get long-awaited funding boost

Proteobiotics reduce poultry, swine infections

Greenhouse growth stymied by gas prices

Bloom

Increase farm productivity with cover crops

Ag Briefs: Water fees not evenly distributed among users

Ag Briefs: BC Tree Fruits prepares to relocate

Farmland trust explored for Island

New owner, same faces

Fruitful experience

Fruit growers cautiously optimistic on bloom set

Honeycrisp key to success for Golden Apple winners

Changes to slaughter rules taking too long

Going! Going! Gone

Local meat deamnd creating opportunities

Sidebar: Compost in 14 days

Ranch takes pasture to plate at face value

Market Musings: Technology has its challenges

Oliver veggie grower prefers wholesale

Grocer offers tips to get a foot in the door

Greenhouse veggie days a hit with school

Haskap research may help berry go mainstream

Grow up!

Research: Bee sensitivity linked to neonic pesticides

Fraser Valley orchardist calling it a day

Rally cry

Worming his way to the top of the heap

Mushrooms a viable crop for small growers

Island 4-H beef show celebrates 25 years

Woodshed: Deborah starts her vacation a golf widow

Brewery’s food program spawns farm project

Jude’s Kitchen: Celebrate dads!

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4 weeks ago

It’s been four years since the last tulip festival was held in Abbotsford, but this year’s event promises to be an even bigger spectacle than ever. Spanning 27 acres along Marion Road, Lakeland Flowers will display more than 70 varieties of the spring blossom, including fringe tulips and double tulips, the first of six months of flower festivals hosted by the farm. Writer Sandra Tretick spoke with Lakeland Flowers owner Nick Warmerdam this spring to find out how the floods on Sumas Prairie in 2021 have had an impact on his business plan as he transitions from wholesale cut flower grower to agri-tourism. We've posted the story to our website this month. It's a good read.

#CLBC #countrylifeinbc #tulipfestival
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Tulip grower makes the shift to agritourism

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ABBOTSFORD – On a bright sunny day in early April, Nick Warmerdam points out his office window at No. 4 and Marion roads to a spot about half a kilometre away across the Trans-Canada Highway.
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Omg 🥹 Jared Huston let’s go pls

1 month ago

Farming, like any other job.. only you punch in at age 5 and never punch out 🚜 ... See MoreSee Less

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Easton Roseboom Levi Roseboom🚜

1 month ago

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges.
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1 month ago

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year. ... See MoreSee Less

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year.
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Any other details for FVN and chillTV please? radiodon11@gmail.com

1 month ago

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agriculture's interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agricultures interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry.
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I sure hope part of that money is to educate the people in charge of the pumps and drainage system! They just relayed on computers and weren’t even physically monitoring the water levels. I’ve lived in the Fraser Valley my whole life and the old guys managing that system know how to do it. The new generation just sit behind computer screens and don’t physically watch the water levels. That system works very well when you do it right. The Fraser river levels are very important. The system is designed to drain the Sumas Canal (the part that runs thru the valley) into the Fraser. When they let it get backed up it put pressure on the dyke and the weak part burst. Simple science. And yes, the dykes need to be worked on too. Abbotsford has not been maintaining properly for years.

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Changes to slaughter rules taking too long

Abattoir operators frustrated by government's lack of action

PROBLEM SOLVING Frustrated by how the lack of meat processing capacity in the province was preventing expansion of direct meat sales to their customers, the Devick family built a Class A abattoir on their ranch near Kamloops. [ANITA DEVICK PHOTO]

May 28, 2019 byTom Walker

CHASE – It’s been a year of waiting for the meat processing industry in BC, which has yet to see any movement on some of its key issues.

A year ago, optimism abounded when the BC Association of Abattoirs met for its annual general meeting.

The provincial government was wrapping up a survey of class D and E abattoir licensees and the health authorities that regulate them. The legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food had just announced a study of meat processing in BC.

Both the abattoirs association and the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association expected the consultations would begin to resolve the issues of licensing, inspection, processing capacity and staffing that plague the industry.

But so far it has all been for nought. When abattoir operators held their annual general meeting at the end of April, the frustration was palpable.

“These issues have been the focus of our association’s strategic plan for four years,” says the association’s executive director, Nova Woodbury. “We have been in meetings every year. We spent all last spring on the consultations.”

With so much time spent, and so little accomplished, Woodbury says patience is wearing thin.

“There is so much to do,” she says. “There are a lot of angry people out there right now.”

Opposition agriculture critic Ian Paton delivered the meeting’s opening remarks. Paton was a member of the select standing committee, but he didn’t have any good news.

“We did this report but we haven’t heard anything,” he said.

The standing committee heard what Paton calls “some horror stories.”

“We heard from D and E operators who haven’t had a visit from their regional health authority in over a year,” he says. “That is not good enough. If a kid gets sick from some uninspected meat bought at a farmers market, that will bring down the whole industry.”

“I don’t see anything in the new budget for increased inspection,” he adds. “We will be asking the government a lot of questions about meat processing.”

Consultation recapped

Gavin Last, executive director of the food safety and inspection branch at the BC Ministry of Agriculture, recapped the consultation on D and E licences and the select standing committee’s 21 recommendations.

But he didn’t have any specific responses to either report.

“We are trying to deliver improvements that will balance local capacity with competitiveness and enhance food safety and animal welfare, but there has been no formal response from the government as yet,” he said.

Last says his branch is taking action in areas where they don’t need to wait.

“We have developed and are delivering food safety and animal welfare workshops for rural producers and regional health officers, and we are increasing food safety training for food processors,” he notes.

Rules against illegal slaughter facilities continue to be enforced.

“The emphasis has been around preventing unlawful slaughter,” he says. “We have been meeting with industry and community organizations and the BC Muslim Association to promote compliance.”

Muslim demand for halal (ritually clean) meat products is a particular concern at the end of the fasting period known as Ramadan, which ends this year on June 4.

“The halal meat supply in the Lower Mainland becomes quite an issue around the time of Eid,” says Last. “That is when a lot of the unlawful slaughter happens.”

One new E licence is certified halal which will help increase supply, Last notes.

The province is also working with local government to address illegal slaughter.

“We were able to shut down three unlawful slaughter operators as a result of bylaw enforcement,” he reported.

Agricultural oversight

Tristan Banwell of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association asked Last if D and E licences might be brought under the agriculture ministry’s oversight, as are A and B licences.

“There has certainly been lots of discussion,” says Last. “That is definitely one of the biggest questions.”

“Where does the drive to get that done need to come from,” Banwell asked, impatient for change. “Is it the Ministry of Agriculture or does it need to be at a political level?”

“It involves coordination between Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and the regional health authorities,” Last explains. “Agriculture has the legislative authority over slaughter in the province. We delegated that to the health authorities for the class D and Es.”

Richard Yntema of Valley Wide Meats in Enderby asked who was monitoring the compliance of the animal unit allowances for D and E licences.

“It is ultimately the regional health authorities,” says Last, but noted that the process is driven by complaints rather than compliance audits.

“So no complaints, no enforcement,” said Yntema, with audible frustration.

Last said he wasn’t defending the current system, simply explaining it, and said he hoped change would be forthcoming.

“We definitely heard through the select standing committee that more resources need to be directed towards this,” he told the meeting.

 

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