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Originally published:

AUGUST 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 8

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Stories In This Edition

Province allows family on farms

Teamwork!

Rain hammers cherry crop

Sidebar: A brief history

Chilcotin ranchers’ hope for hay crop washed away

Editorial: Dog days

Back Forty: Keeping the kids safe down on the farm

Viewpoint: Top-down governance no way to help caribou

Egg board set to get cracking on quota distribution

Get ’em while you can

Feds address labour shortages

Bee healthy!

Marketing board names new entrant winners

BC berry research gets big funding boost

BC hosts International Blueberry Organization

Tour showcases innovation, marketing savvy

Governments agree to national park reserve

BC’s oldest farm seeks new management

Apple dieback investigation underway

Bumper crop for raspberries fails to materialize

Balance key to restoring fire-affected range

Global demand set to buoy cattle prices

A good start helps calves finish in top shape

Ranchers collaborate to preserve grasslands

Rotational grazing pays off year-round

Sidebar: Track costs, see profits

Stock show kicks off summer for 4-H members

Finding new potential for a lost native berry

Sidebar: Others see same benefits

Shuswap tour showcases local producers

Research: Do honeybees spread viruses to wild bees?

Volken Academy breaks ground on new farm

Woodshed: Romance is in the air, for all but the Hendersons

Fourth-generation farmers chart ambitious course

Jude’s Kitchen: In-season produce is king

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1 month 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

www.countrylifeinbc.com

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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Finding new potential for a lost native berry

Rich in nutrients, aronia is “the berry of the future”

August 1, 2019 byMyrna Stark Leader

KELOWNA—Two years ago, Jane and Michael Johnston traded life in White Rock for a farm in southeast Kelowna.

She’s a registered nurse who’d risen to be executive director of a chain of high-end seniors residences. He’s the former CEO of an engineering firm. Both were looking for a new business opportunity. What they found was an orchard established in 1953, and the foundation for a venture they call Avoca Farms & Vineyards.

“This is a sector we didn’t know anything about, but that’s good because you’re not locked into traditions and status quo. Everything we look at, we tear it down and figure out how we can do it better,” says Michael.

Together, they’re converting their 18-acre property into an aronia and garlic operation. They’re retaining five acres of table grapes – Coronation, Bath, Skookum and Einset – for good measure.

Jane, whose Indigenous roots trace back to the Tahltan in Telegraph Creek, first heard of aronia from a friend. It sounded unfamiliar but she soon realized she recognized the plant by another name: chokeberry. Although native to North America and used as an ornamental in landscaping, the edible variety had been lost here but is grown in Russia and Ukraine on a commercial scale for its high antioxidant content and nutritional value.

“The First Nations people here told early settlers from those places to eat it to combat colds with its high vitamin C content and high anti-viral benefit, and it worked. So, they took it home to their foreign countries and planted it where it’s used for eating, chutneys and wine, but it’s just been reintroduced back into North America,” says Jane.

Containing zinc, magnesium, iron and vitamins C, B and K, studies have linked aronia to improving immune function and insulin production, reducing symptoms related to stomach disorders, combating the growth of certain cancer cells, reducing blood pressure and also promoting weight loss. It has the highest antioxidant capacity of all fruits.

“In Europe, they’re using aronia after chemotherapy to help rebuild a person’s immune system,” says Jane, adding that in Korea it’s used for anti-aging properties and health benefits.

The berries, which resemble a tiny, deep-purple apple, can be eaten fresh but with their mouth-drying effect are better blended with other foods. Freezing them reduces the effect, leading the Johnstons to envision a market for a freeze-dried, more easily transportable powder.

“We’ve already bought a freeze-drier,” Michael says.

Starting from scratch

To bring aronia back to Western Canada as a viable and marketable crop, Avoca Farms and Vineyards is producing aronia from cuttings and seeds.

“The issue is that it’s new, so you need the right cultivars and we’ve done a ton of research, including visiting the World Agricultural Expo in California. We got our original plants from Oregon, touched base with Kansas City growers, been in touch with a company in Poland and bought seed from Ukraine,” says Michael. “Our four varieties are bred to make bigger, juicier, tastier berries.”

They have 4,200 plants plus 20,000 seedlings. In 2016, they purchased about 1,200 plants of the variety Viking and 800 of Autumn Magic. The plants came in one-gallon pots, and were planted in the farm’s sandy, irrigated soil last July. This year, they added 400 to 500 plants of McKenzie, Elliott and Galicjanka. They think McKenzie is the most suitable for the Okanagan climate.

Aronia is also insect, disease and drought-resistant, an important consideration given climate change predictions. It’s astringent, so birds avoid it, a huge challenge Okanagan haskap growers face. They net their crops at considerable expense.

“This isn’t about lifestyle. Everything has to be profitable. So, although the property came with the grapes, and we want aronia, we’ve also introduced garlic,” says Michael.

They’ve grown 5,000 bulbs into 50,000 plants of different varieties. In October, they’ll plant 150,000 cloves of garlic, with varieties including Red Russian, Majestic, Persian Star and super-sized elephant garlic. While not yet certified organic, they’re moving the farm towards certification.

Speaking of numbers, Michael is all about running highly successful businesses where cash is king. He says newer farm businesses or farms looking for a new crop must have a business plan with quick, near-term cash flow.

Aronia and garlic were chosen for Avoca after extensive research determined they would be complementary, having similar nutrient needs, soil and irrigation requirements. Garlic sales will provide revenue until the aronia comes onstream.

They feel fortunate to have funds from prior businesses support their agricultural venture when they know getting through the first years can be a real challenge for farmers.

“Jane comes up with the ideas and I’m the one who figures out a way to implement [them],” says Michael.

She loves reading, research and learning. He’s more into spreadsheets and building.

To reduce overhead of labour costs, Michael combined two machines to create a plastic plant pot-filling machine. This year, they’ll try growing garlic in pots to avoid the three-year crop rotation cycle. With 36,000 pots in the yard and more on order, they plan to make garlic-growing portable.

“We can actually take the plants and sell them. Michael is originally from Ireland where everyone grows things on their patios,” explains Jane. “No one has land but everyone has gardens so that’s when we realized that maybe this is what we should look at.”

Their business plan also envisions contracting others within the Agricultural Land Reserve who want to grow something to gain tax exemption but want less work. Garlic in pots is a portable option that could fill a niche.

For now, their garlic will be sold at the farm gate and the BC Tree Fruits store in Kelowna. BC Tree Fruits has also approached them to sell the aronia, which will be sold fresh in two-pound clamshells as well as in powdered form.

Seedlings will be sold to others within BC. A potential market also exists in Ontario and Quebec, where they claim there’s a waiting list for the plants. A one-year-old plant sells for about $10 to $12.

“Part of our success in growing seedlings will be helping to ensure that those that buy our plants are successful because if they’re not successful, we’re not,” says Michael.

To that end, they are spearheading a new non-profit Western Canadian Aronia Association with a new website to share information about the plants and crop viability.

Now in their 50s, and having had a fair share of health concerns, they’re enjoying their new life and say farming is making them healthier than ever.

 

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