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Originally published:

April 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 4

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Stories In This Edition

Labour trouble

OYF winners from Kootenays

Loan program will focus on female farm entrepreneurs

Editorial: Telling the story

Back Forty: Political succession has its perks and pitfalls

Op Ed: Research is a focus of BC’s grape and wine sector

Lack of processor capacity limits quota increases

Raw milk advocates take case to Victoria

Pig Trace identifies over 900 BC hog producers

Organic growers provide feedback on ALR

COABC changes governance structure

Organic growers prep for new labelling regs

Above-normal snowpacks cause for concern

Senate hearing highlights climate change concerns

BC egg producers ramp up production

Sidebar: Call for collaboration

Ag spending up, but don’t say “fire”

Trump wrong on NAFTA

Chicken growers demand pricing parity

Allocations clawed back as demand dwindles

Sidebar: Supply management debate

Ag Brief: Fruit industry mourns leader Greg Norton

Ag Brief: ALR draws feedback

Ag Brief: BC rancher to head Canadian Cattlemen’s

Ag Brief: Provincial lab vindicated

Farmers’ markets aiming for greater share

Cannabis smoke screen

Cherry growers eye Korea

Market champions

Making the right call in a horrible situation

Optimistic outlook for beef sector

Bull buyers on a mission

Soil, cover crop management highlights workshop

Fibresheds give local movement new meaning

Compensation available for sheep losses

Research: Study considers optimism & pessimism in calves

Weeds a big challenge for forage producers

Cranberry growers wrestle with low yields

Sidebar: Election postponed

Sanding and cranberry plant health

US consumers buy up non-browning apples

Foodgrains tour to Nepal makes a difference

Sidebar: Career options

Sale benefits those in need

4-H BC: The grand prize

Wannabe Farmer: Patience is a virtue embraced by farmers

Woodshed Chronicles: The Massey takes Henderson for a spin

Jude’s Kitchen: Spring greens

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1 day 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.

2 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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Chicken growers demand pricing parity

March 27, 2018 byDavid Schmidt

VANCOUVER – The new chicken pricing formula, which took effect last June, is an improvement over the previous formula but still does not put farmers in the black, says BC Chicken Growers Association president Dale Krahn.

“Growers are still farming their depreciation,” he told producers at the well-attended BC Chicken Growers Association annual meeting held during the BC Poultry Conference in Vancouver, March 1.

While still linked to the Ontario live price, the new formula recognizes BC’s higher chick and feed costs and includes catching costs for the first time. While not rich enough for growers, it is too rich for processors, who have appealed it to the BC Farm Industry Review Board.

BC Chicken Marketing Board chair Robin Smith told growers the board will review the first year of the formula with a view to revising it for period A-151, beginning July 8.

In the meantime, growers can content themselves with an extra cheque in April. After posting another surplus in 2017, the BCCMB has decided to refund $948,000 to growers in good standing as of April 15.

Another way growers can increase their revenue is to produce more chicken. Smith pointed out BC only produced 98% of its 2017 quota allocation.

To encourage more production, the board has liberalized its overproduction sleeve and is allowing greater quota leasing.

“We are now producing 102% of our allocation and we expect that to continue,” Smith said.

That was not good enough for Chad Martin of Armstrong. His fellow North Okanagan growers sent him to the meeting to deliver a strong message.

“I don’t think anyone is confident of pricing off Ontario,” Martin said, pointing out Manitoba has “the guts” to set their live price at 7 cents/kg over Ontario.

“We have to have courage like them,” Martin told the board, saying “our live price and COP recovery is ridiculous. We are first (in Canada) in biosecurity and last in pricing.”

Smith said the board recognizes BC’s margin is lower than in the rest of the country but insisted pricing is a “balancing act.

“If we get too far out of line, it’s hard on processors,” he stated.

However, Martin did not buy that. He notes the board is supposed to represent the entire industry but cannot do that if it only knows grower margins and not processors’ margins.

Avian influenza update

While pricing dominated the discussion, the meeting also addressed a number of other issues. Most positive was the report on avian influenza. In the past year, growers conducted mock trials in the Fraser Valley, Interior and on Vancouver Island and are now better prepared to quickly quell any outbreaks. Fortunately, the training was not needed this year as no AI outbreaks occurred in the province this winter. That is not the case elsewhere. Krahn noted 120 million birds have been killed in 68 countries due to AI.

Growers are also gearing up for coming reductions in anti-microbial use. It is not something they are looking forward to, Krahn said.

“It will cause more hardship on poultry farms,” he stated. “Major tools have been removed from our toolbox and we don’t have access to the alternatives we need.”

On a more positive note, Chicken Farmers of Canada chair Benoît Lafontaine reported that the Canadian chicken industry has been reunited.

“As of October, all 10 provinces are back in the system bringing eight years of negotiation to a close,” he said, telling growers the new federal-provincial agreement commits the industry to a “dynamic and evolving” system.

Dynamic is certainly the word for chicken these days. Production has grown by 12% over the past four years, including 5% in 2017 alone.

“We are the No. 1 meat in Canada,” Lafontaine said proudly.

To maintain that position, the industry needs to step up efforts to counteract activists’ anti-chicken messaging.

“We have to get louder and will not stand by while (the activists) make misleading claims and undermine our animal welfare standards,” Lafontaine said. “We are always willing to adapt but not willing to do it when it is driven by vegan activists.”

CFC’s “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” branding program is crucial to that effort, says BC’s national director Derek Janzen, who was re-elected to the BCCMB.

“Eighty-seven percent of Canadians want to buy Canadian and our program provides them with assurances on animal welfare and

on-farm food safety,” he said.

Both he and Smith credited Canada’s supply management system for making the program possible, Smith noting supply management “allows for sustainable family farms.

“It’s our job to explain supply management with pride and conviction.”

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