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Originally published:

July 2017
Vol. 103 Issue 7

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Stories In This Edition

4-H Gator draw

Poultry Abuse underscores need to measure up

Political uncertainty creates angst

Water tops list of ranchers’ concerns at AGM

Editorial: Trust is an active verb

Back Forty: Time to celebrate our home and rural land

Greenhouse growers propose infrastructure project

Letter: Seat belts must be worn at all times

Ag Brief: Blueberry growers pack meeting

Ag Brief: Blueberry growers pack meeting

Barn fires spark focus on prevention

Emergency plan critical for livestock owners

BCAC hires new communications director

Abbotsford seeks exclusion to boost industrial land base

Otter Co-op posts another record-breaking year

Food report card gives BC passing grade

Agriculture’s success testifies to investment funding

Ag Brief: Hullcar abatement order shut down

Mission investigation inconclusive

Abbotsford tickets thousands

Price set as growers eye ambitious growth target

High prices, change coming for nurseries

BC tree fruit outlooks is a bowl of cherries

BC greenhouses are family-friendly operations

Sidebar: Why greenhouses aren’t organic

Greenhouse showcases production systems

BC agricultual history depicted in museum murals

BC agriculture vital part of Canada’s 150 years

Research: Grazing time for cows

Deep roots give Shannon Farm bright future

Fraser Lake ranchers honoured for excellence

Cattlemen invest in research to boost productivity

New livestock industry co-ordinator embraces dream job

Researchers study sheep diseases to understand potential risks

Blueberry processors focus on fruit quality

Sidebar: SWD can make timing harvest tricky

Urban growing, libations and greenhouses

Municipalities committing to urban farming

Young farmers hear production, packing trips

Pencil Patch offers hands-on experience

Summer camps foster farm focus for kids

New group of 4-H Ambassadors engage BC

Woodshed:

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse

Jude’s Kitchen: Summertime

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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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Emergency plan critical for livestock owners

July 1, 2017 byTamara Leigh

OLIVER – When wildfires get out of control, the consequences for people, livestock and property can be devastating. Having a livestock evacuation plan is critical to saving time and possibly lives.

The Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) Society is a volunteer organization based in the South Okanagan that’s ready to respond and animals need to be evacuated in an emergency. Formerly known as C-DART Central, the group provides emergency training and works with emergency response agencies to evacuate or care for animals that get left behind.Fire

“It started with the Oliver Riding Club after 2003. We live in a high fire area here, and a bunch of us saw the need to set up a system for evacuating animals,” says Theresa Tompkins, a volunteer with ALERT. “We prepared a pamphlet and gave it out to anybody who had horses. A couple of the people went on and formed C-DART (now ALERT); it was a real evolution of the idea.”

Two years ago, when fire swept through Rock Creek, Tompkins’ husband Jim was called in as a C-DART volunteer to help evacuate pets and horses. A few hours after he left, a fire started behind Tompkins’ property near Oliver and she was ordered to evacuate.

“There was a bit of panic because Jim had the truck and trailer. We had four neighbours come in with a truck and trailer, and within an hour and a half, it was done,” she says.

By the time Jim returned, fire had flared up near Osoyoos and he went to pick up horses and llamas. That fire season, they faced mandatory evacuation twice and voluntarily left a third time.

Tompkins is the first to say that having a plan in place is what made it possible to get out in time, even under duress. She says without ALERT and the training they provided, the whole process would have been much less efficient and effective.

Shari McDowell is president of ALERT. She is proud of the service her group provides but says livestock and pet owners need to be as self-sufficient as possible because an emergency response can take time.

“There can be quite a delay between when a fire starts and when we get the call,” says McDowell. “If you’re in an area that is being evacuated and it’s a fast-moving fire, we’re not going to be able to go into get you until the Emergency Operations Centre gives permission.”

Once in the evacuation zone, ALERT volunteers can only respond to specific requests for assistance. They cannot seize an animal or enter private property without an owner’s permission. Requests can be made by contacting ALERT or completing the request form on their website at [www.alertcanada.org].

In order to work in evacuation zones, ALERT volunteers complete a half-day training session that covers emergency response protocols as well as how to stay safe, keep the animals safe, and stay within the limits of what ALERT is allowed to do. The organization has about 80 trained volunteers and is looking for new recruits.

“Realistically, if we have multiple fires, we don’t have enough people. We need to grow our membership to 200 or 300 people to be comfortable,” says McDowell. “We have active teams in Oliver, Penticton, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lumby and Shuswap. We may respond to any community between the US border, Shuswap and Kamloops, but only if we have the resources.”

ALERT will be running a volunteer training session in July.

Commercial livestock

While ALERT responds to the needs of domesticated animals from cats and guinea pigs to horses and llamas, it doesn’t typically handle commercial livestock.

Duncan Barnett, a director with the BC Cattlemen’s Association and chairs the Livestock Industry Protection Committee, which is responsible for emergency planning whether it’s fire, floods, transportation or animal diseases.

“In the past, ranchers often dealt with fire on their own and were unofficial first responders,” says Barnett. “The firefighting game has changed a lot. Now, you have to be trained, have your equipment insured, and work within the ministry command structure.”

Regional cattle groups like the Cariboo Cattlemen’s Association work with local governments and fire response groups to make sure that farmers and ranchers are part of regional fire response plans. If ranchers plan to stay behind to protect property and livestock, Barnett recommends they take the two-day S-100 Basic Fire Suppression and Safety training.

“If our members have taken that course, it provides some assurance to emergency officials that the person has an understanding of what they are doing,” he says.

Barnett encourages ranchers to have their own plans in place, particularly for dealing with evacuating cattle, or bringing them in off the range. Mapping the ranch and pastures and thinking through what would be needed to gather, load and transport cattle will pay off with faster, safer, more efficient response times.

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