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Originally published:

August 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 8

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Stories In This Edition

Shaved, showered and shampooed

New regs rolled out for pot growers

Egg farm decommissioned

Richmond cranberry grower honoured

Editorial: Ground for reform

Back Forty: Facing a tenuous future of feeding the world

OpEd: Wildlife federation’s audit request full of holes

Armyworm posing little risk this season

Letters: Dairy feeling price pressures

Abbotsford waits for clarity on ALR guidelines

Chicken quote to increase 20% by 2020

Dairy incentive days this fall

Aquilini seeks exclusion for former nursery

Business risks looms large at national meeting

Maple Ridge denies exclusion bid for dairy

Fire damage won’t delay blueberry shipments

Good weather marks return to normal conditions

Cherries set for near-record crop this season

Laser system has potential for bird control in crops

Hazelnut growers get replant funding

Gulf Islands farmers want rules respected

Young Agrarians push small-scale premium

Value pinned on local ecosystem services

Cash crunch threatens BC berry growers

Hop sector brewing a bright future

IPM for SWD a tall order, says crop consultant

Audit request takes aim at cattle ranchers

Forage action plan nears completion

Site C fund directors get to work

Abattoir recommendations delayed till fall

Research: Smart flowers have the tools to attract clever bees

Science should underpin colony management

Abbotsford tour puts spotlight on innovation

Summer fun at Stock Show

Business smarts needed for farm success

Wannabe: Signs of hope’s fulfilment

New day for Century Growers

Woodshed: Role playing turns up heat for Deborah

Seasonal pastime

Community is key crop for Kelowna farmers

Jude’s Kitchen: Crisp and cool entertaining

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7 days ago

Farmland Advantage is receiving a $445,000 grant from the federal government. The program, the “brainchild” of Invermere cattle rancher Dave Zehnder, provides compensation to farmers for their conservation efforts to protect BC’s grasslands, riparian areas and wildlife habitat. The funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and Priority Places programs, will be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas appeared in our March 2022 edition and you can view it at ... See MoreSee Less

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Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas

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INVERMERE – Farmers and ranchers in the Columbia Valley will continue to see rewards for taking action to conserve and enhance important riparian areas on their farms. The Windermere District Farmer...
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2 weeks ago

A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural Land Commission hosted in Langley Monday night regarding a proposal to include 305 acres controlled by the federal government in the Agricultural Land Reserve. More than 76,000 people have signed an online petition asking municipal and provincial governments to protect the land from development, and for the federal government to grant a long-term lease to the Heppells. Read more in this morning's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. conta.cc/3XYXw6k ... See MoreSee Less

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Your weekly farm news update

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The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 January 25 2023 Surrey ALR inclusion cheered A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural L
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Mike Manion Pitt Meadows City Councillor

2 months ago

Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand this season and prices remain comparable to last year. But the number of tree farms has decreased dramatically over the past five years and the province will increasingly need to look elsewhere if it wants to meet local demand. More in this week's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. ... See MoreSee Less

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Christmas trees in demand

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Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand, with high quality trees making it to market. “The market is good. We’ll probably outdo last year and last year was one of our best years…
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2 months ago

Another four poultry flocks in the Fraser Valley have tested positive for avian influenza over the weekend -- 15 in the last week alone. There are 60 farms currently under quarantine in BC, more than any other province in Canada and three times that of Alberta, which ranks second. Officials maintain the virus is being spread by dust and groundwater and not farm-to-farm transmission. No farms in the Interior have tested positive this fall. ... See MoreSee Less

Another four poultry flocks in the Fraser Valley have tested positive for avian influenza over the weekend -- 15 in the last week alone. There are 60 farms currently under quarantine in BC, more than any other province in Canada and three times that of Alberta, which ranks second. Officials maintain the virus is being spread by dust and groundwater and not farm-to-farm transmission. No farms in the Interior have tested positive this fall.
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Avian influenza virus can be killed by chlorine at no higher a concentration than is present in drinking water, so unless farms are using untreated groundwater in their barns I don't see how it could be a source of transmission. www.researchgate.net/publication/5594208_Chlorine_Inactivation_of_Highly_Pathogenic_Avian_Influen...

2 months ago

In a surprise move, Lana Popham -- hailed at the recent BC Dairy Industry Conference as a key ally of the agriculture sector -- has been replaced by Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis as part of a cabinet overhaul today by new BC premier David Eby. Popham will now oversee Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. The two ministers worked closely together following the atmospheric river events last fall. ... See MoreSee Less

In a surprise move, Lana Popham -- hailed at the recent BC Dairy Industry Conference as a key ally of the agriculture sector -- has been replaced by Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis as part of a cabinet overhaul today by new BC premier David Eby. Popham will now oversee Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. The two ministers worked closely together following the atmospheric river events last fall.Image attachment
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Goes to show how far-removed our current government is from the agricultural sector. To put someone in this position who has no farming background is a slap in the face to all of our hard-working producers.

Going to be a heck of a learning curve. Helping the agricultural community recover from the biggest natural disasters in history, handling the avian influenza outbreak that is threatening our poultry industry, dealing with a crisis in meat processing, managing ongoing threats from climate change, supporting producers who are facing unprecedented inflation in an industry with very slim margins to begin with..... to name a few of the challenges our new Minister will have to face all with one of the lowest budgets of any ministry. I wish her the best of luck but I hope she's got a lot of support around her.

Best of wishes in your new position

Congrats to Pam, cool to see a Fraser Valley based ag minister but also so sad to see Lana reassigned . I have no doubt she will do an amazing job in her new role.

Will be missed by #meiernation

Bryce Rashleigh

Nooooooo!

Lana did a shit job and now we have a minister with no farming background at all. Aren’t we lucky..

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Forage action plan nears completion

Wildlife tops list of challenges for producers

July 29, 2018 byTom Walker

SMITHERS – The province is developing a forage action plan for private land, BC Cattlemen’s Association members heard at their annual general meeting in Smithers in June.

“Our goal is to increase and improve the quality and quantity of forage on private land,” BC Ministry of Agriculture livestock specialist Geneve Jasper told ranchers.

Seven regional engagement sessions have been held across BC to date. Agriculture staff have reviewed local data and practices in other jurisdictions. Industry reps and regional agrologists were interviewed and an online survey completed.

“We wanted to establish background and identify challenges, priorities and areas for action,” says Jasper. “Forage is our biggest commodity by area in the province.”

In 2016, 78% of farm acreage in BC was in forage and pasture, including tame pasture and land seeded to alfalfa, corn for silage and forage for seed. BC forage production fed 776,000 livestock animals in the province that year, including beef and dairy cows, sheep, lambs and goats, horses, llamas, alpacas and bison.

Across the province, more than half of producers regularly test their forage for protein, dry matter and minerals the online survey found, while about the same number conduct regular soil testing.

“But we still have a lot of producers who do not regularly test either their forage crop or their soil,” notes Jasper.

Some 70% have adopted new forge management techniques such as grazing systems, but financial costs limit innovation.

Wildlife challenges

Wildlife is the top challenge forage producers across the province face, she says.

“Every region noted this as an issue, whether it was waterfowl, ungulates or bears,” she explains.

Other challenges include the availability of water and suitable, fairly priced land for growing forage, as well as climate and weather changes.

“Drought conditions are becoming more common, as is too much water at certain times, such as we have seen this year,” she says.

The survey highlighted the challenge of controlling invasive plants, pests and diseases on forage land.

“It’s evolving as a significant challenge across BC,” says Jasper. “There is a lack of monitoring, and producers would like to see more of a focus on future invasive outbreaks.”

Most producers also identified a need for more local and relevant research and knowledge transfer.

The engagement sessions identified soil health and forage quality as a particular concern.

“There was a lack of soil and growing conditions to produce alfalfa and higher-protein grasses,” says Jasper. “I know that’s certainly an issue in my region, the Cariboo.”

Meanwhile, the equine sector faces challenges finding low-sugar forage.

The problems stem from long-term neglect of soil health, says Jasper.

“Management techniques, soil testing, and input analysis are not generally adopted and there is not sufficient research and return on investment for dealing with soil health and forage quality issues,” she explains.

The forage strategy is also considering what industry, stakeholders and producer groups can do to improve matters. The top area for attention is wildlife, and the need to balance the public’s love of wildlife and crop production.

“One grower at the coast said we are growing more forage to rear more waterfowl birds,” Jasper says. “He wanted to know how we can fix this.”

Producers called for improving compensation for wildlife damage, as well as managing wildlife numbers through increased hunting and the development of crops unattractive to wildlife.

More land needed

Increasing the availability of land suitable for growing high-protein grasses, with access to water, was the next priority for action. It was suggested that regulations be used to incentivize the productive use of land suitable for forage.

Participants called for more action on invasive plants, pests and diseases. They felt the BC Weed Control Act and its regulations need to be enforced, and increased monitoring of invasive plants was needed.

A number of recommendations focus on research and knowledge transfer, including the development and trial of forage species and varieties specific to individual regions, as well as research into forage management practices and systems. Producers called for research commitments that could outlive government funding cycles.

Government is still needed, however. BC’s agriculture ministry was urged to undertake research as an impartial source of knowledge with the reach needed to disseminate information to individual regions.

A draft plan has just been completed by the Vancouver consulting firm Ference and Co., Jasper notes. It will be submitted to the ministry, which will establish priorities then develop work plans following consultations with stakeholders. There is no schedule for completion.

A second phase of the project will look at forage on Crown land.

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