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Originally published:

MARCH 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 3

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Stories In This Edition

Going solo

Perfect sleeper

Province pares ag budget

Government slow to act on trespass legislation

Seeing is bee-lieving

Editorial – The old normal

Back Forty – Biosecurity no stranger to Canadian farmers

Viewpoint – Food trends challenge farmers to keep pace

Fruit growers grapple with third year of losses

Sidebar: Ambrosia and the future

Provincial task force charts a path forward

Cutting edge

Second health authority signs on to FeedBC

Sold-out gala honours the best of agriculture

Island farm takes long view on climate change

Broader mandate boosts hort memberships

Islands show puts emphasis on small-lot farming

Ag initiatives lack support across regions

Got her goat

Strong dairy demand underpins bright future

Farm groups weigh in on climate change

Wine grape council charts R&D priorities

Institute forms action plan

New round of traceability funding available

Island farmers briefed on new ag waste regs

Robotic milkers make life easier for dairy farmers

Selective grazing provides options to fertilizers

Cariboo cattlemen take steps with 20-year plan

Wildfire risk increases need for preparation

Small-lot ranchers can benefit from certification

Celebration

New toolkit aids with farm flood preparation

Hazelnut research focuses on water use

Sheep at risk next to popular island trail

Good nutrition makes for a good future

Cater to chefs

Sidebar: Sage advice

Research: Bumblees prefer low-fat, low-sugar diet

Agroforestry entrepreneurs need to plan ahead

Where milk really comes from

Value-added marketing critical to success

Growing degree days not just for tree fruits

Farm Story: Duck antics provide late winter amusement

Good ditches are critical for good drainage

Accounting, entrepreneurship for small farms

Land to Table forum focuses on food access

New location for Langley’s spring break Farm Camp

You are the farm’s most important asset

Woodshed: The jig is up for Junkyard Frank’s love scheme

Jude’s Kitchen: Spring for greens

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6 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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Fruit growers grapple with third year of losses

Annual convention passes resolutions seeking relief

Grape and tree fruit specialist Carl Withler, centre, was given the BC Fruit Growers Association’s Award of Merit by general manager Glen Lucas, left, and BCFGA president Pinder Dhaliwal. TOM WALKER PHOTO

March 4, 2020 byTom Walker

KELOWNA – Poor apple prices were the focus of the 131st annual BC Fruit Growers Association convention in Kelowna, February 11-12.

“This is the third consecutive year of declining grower returns,” says BCFGA president Pinder Dhaliwal. “Returns are now below the cash cost of production.”

Payouts as low as nine and 10 cents a pound for Gala apples were reported by top growers on their first pool advance from BC Tree Fruits Co-op. These figures are being called the lowest ever in real terms and compare with the 30 cents a pound it costs to produce apples in BC.

“BCFGA is hearing that apple growers do not have resources to pay for the upcoming season’s agriculture activities such as pruning, thinning, fertilizer and harvesting,” says Dhaliwal. “The provincial government needs to recognize the complex economics of our industry.”

BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas said growing conditions during the 2019 season were not ideal, declining soon after fruit set.

“Though pollination and fruit set were satisfactory, things went downhill from there,” he says, with near-weekly rain events and extreme heat in August creating problems.

“The rains split cherries and increased culls and the rains and heat caused poor colour, weakened fruit and storage issues for apples,” he explains.

Grower costs continue to rise, with BC’s minimum wage rising to $13.85 an hour last summer and increasing to $14.60 an hour on June 1, 2020. Crop protection, fertilizer, fuel and equipment are also more expensive.

Delegates shared their frustration with increasing food safety and environmental demands.

“There are too many regulations we have to pay for,” says Denise MacDonald, an apple grower from Summerland. “It’s too costly for young growers, especially with land over $100,000 an acre, to get 20 cents a pound for top Ambrosia apples.”

Many of the convention’s resolutions called for the association to approach government to seek relief from costs and improve farm income, including funding food safety equipment, exemption from the provincial sales tax and allowing value-added enterprises within the Agricultural Land Reserve.

A late resolution directed the association’s board to seek a special provincial per-pound payment to apple growers in respect of market losses in 2019. The resolution suggested a cash payment and/or other proposals such as an increase in AgriStability coverage, a PST exemption, a rebate on irrigation fees, provincial guarantees and interest-free grower operating loans, and a duty against US apples being dumped into Canada at prices below the cost of production.

“This industry is in dire need of help right now,” says Amarjit Lalli, a Kelowna grower who supported the late resolution. “We just need short-term help and we will turn the ship around.”

Talk between members on the convention floor focused on the role of the BC Tree Fruits Co-op in the current financial difficulties. The co-op is the largest sorting, storage, packing and marketing group in BC.

“We are at a pivotal time,” acknowledges BCTF board chair Steve Brown. “These low returns are not sustainable.”

Conceding that there have been similar promises before, Brown outlined four areas for change: marketing and sales, governance, infrastructure planning and government support.

“The difference now is qualified leadership,” he says. “But we have to act fast or we are in trouble.”

Brown promised information on new strategies in the near future and urged BCFGA members to attend the co-op’s upcoming meetings, as they’ll be the proper place to discuss strategies addressing the co-op’s four focus areas.

“We need to vote to survive and thrive,” he says. “We can be better together, but the biggest hurdle is staying united.”

The co-op’s new CEO, Warren Sarafinchan, did not deliver his report in person, but sent a video as he was in Asia exploring new market opportunities.

“The co-op definitely has a future,” he says. “But it is abundantly clear we need to change things. The status quo is not an option.”

Sarafinchan alluded to the lack of transparency that has dogged the co-op in the past.

“I think in the past we have been perhaps less collaborative, our communication has been less frequent,” he says. “We need to be working with all stakeholders in an open and transparent way to make sure we are positioning the industry for success.”

Sarafinchan outlined some of the work that has gone on over the last several months.

“If we have trust, collaboration and innovation, I think we can do amazing things with the business and the industry,” he says.

Opposition agriculture critic Ian Paton addressed the convention and noted that there was no mention of agriculture in the February 11 throne speech.

“Many of the issues that I have discussed with your board affect farmers all over the province,” says Paton.

“You can appreciate what we are going through,” says Amarjit Lalli. “We have individuals who are on the verge of losing their properties. Consecutive governments have failed farmers.”

Vernon grower Dave Dobernigg thanked Paton for showing up, something the province’s current agriculture minister, Lana Popham, has not done.

“I assure you that it has not gone unnoticed that you have made the trip to our AGM twice now and the ag minister has not,” he says.

Lucas says that concerned growers met and discussed their individual financial situations following the formal convention proceedings. Their personal stories will give the executive more information to share during their next meeting with Popham.

“We have been in dialogue with the ministry over the last three years now,” says Lucas. “It began with concerns over the 2017 crop.”

BCFGA met with Popham on November 5, 2018, April 3, 2019 and, most recently, on February 6. A meeting was scheduled for February18, but government staff were ill and the meeting was cancelled. A new date has not been set.

“We now have specific proposals to bring forward from the late resolution and clear examples of the desperate situation that many growers are in,” says Lucas. “The board will push as hard as it can for a brighter future for the industry.”

 

 

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