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Originally published:

June 2017
Vol. 103 Issue 6

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Stories In This Edition

Vancouver tops BC in farm growth

Accident claims safety advocate

In Good Hands

Rain’s a pain, farmers say

Editorial: Fresh start

Back Forty: Census offers reality check

Viewpoint: Ranchers work ‘dam’ hard for public’s benefit

Agriculture council pledges to work with parties

Pork industry optimitic despite lean times

Vegetable commission priotizies trust, integrity

Fairs reach out-of-court settlement

Richmond sets large limit on farmhouse size

Drones promise to scare birds for berry growers

Small farm expo postponed

Ranchers resist expanding public roaming rights

Letter: Seasonal farm workers find

Canada a second home

Letter: Right to roam wrong

A national voice for greenhouse growers

Hothouse growers reduce risk with IPM strategies

Sidebar: Biocontrols cut costs

Training pregps advisors for growing demand

Hop growers hepped up about future

Controlling hop-loving pests necessary evil

YA mark five years of support small-scale ag

Wise Earth tracks numbers to plant savvy, sell smart

A wise approach to leases, labour and local

Garlic co-op pitched as supply, appetite expands

BC’s climate makes hardneck garlic a viable route

Northern athlete dives into beef marketing

Abattoirs target food safety, labour shortage

Volatile beef market raises questions, few answers

BC feedlot sector prepares cattle disease emergency plan

Drones ride a sky-high range in search of cattle

Spring fling connects sponsors with classroom outreach

Better management underpins farm improvement

Small farmers make it work in Alberni Valley

BCYF tour highlights fish and dairy management

4-H members on the quest for a future with food

Program delivery underway

Wannabe – All things big and small

Woodshed: How Henderson came to be at the end of his rope

Jude’s Kitchen: Summer patio treats

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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Congratulations!!!

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Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

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Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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1 month ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 months ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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Garlic co-op pitched as supply, appetite expands

June 1, 2017 byRonda Payne

LUMBY – Hardneck garlic grows superbly in BC and is different than the softneck varieties grown in hotter climates that grocery stores traditionally carry. Not only do hardneck varieties taste great, they can also be grown here organically while giving consumers a high-quality local alternative.

Speaking at the Pacific Agriculture Show this past winter, Jim Capellini of Rasa Creek Farm in Lumby suggested forming a garlic co-op to introduce locally grown hardneck garlic into mainstream markets.Jim Capellini

The reason local garlic is found primarily at farmers’ markets and not at large grocers comes down to supply and demand, he says.

“They don’t have the time to create relationships with these small growers,” explains Capellini.

The big retailers want to make one call or send one email to a supplier who can guarantee a large enough supply. They won’t reach out to several small growers.

“It became obvious over the years that the demand for high quality hardneck garlic is growing exponentially,” says Capellini.

Capellini’s awareness of the opportunities grew as one BC multi-store produce market requested 500 pounds of local hardneck garlic from him. Demand grew to 5,000 pounds the first year and now sits at 20,000 pounds.

The challenge is to get garlic from numerous small growers to retailers without involving a middleman taking a significant cut, reducing the profit to farmers. Capellini wants to see farmers sell directly.

“I was trying to maximize profits for the person putting blood, sweat and tears into it because I know what it’s like,” he notes. “If the farmers were able to co-ordinate, that could help.”

Capellini put his first bulbs in the ground in 2009 and now supplies seed garlic to growers across BC along with the information they need to succeed. He also knows what it’s like dealing with corporations and co-operatives that aren’t right for garlic growers.

Instead, he looks to one of his workshop participants, Abdul Majid, as an example of how a BC garlic co-op could work. Majid is the founder of BC Garlic Growers Inc., based in Abbotsford.

“All his life, he’s been involved in helping farmers,” Capellini says of Majid.

Despite being a professional architectural model builder, Majid and his family attended one of Capellini’s garlic workshops in 2015. Majid now has approximately 30 rows planted to hardneck garlic varieties, each row running 300 feet.

Majid also acquires garlic from other local growers and works as a reseller to supply retailers through BC Garlic Growers.

“He will sell directly into that level,” Capellini explains.

It isn’t a traditional co-op because Majid buys other growers’ garlic outright, but Capellini nevertheless sees the venture as an exercise in co-operation.

Growers working with Majid share knowledge, skills and other resources like equipment, “a very big price tag for garlic,” Capellini says. Growers may pay a rental fee for using the equipment.

Besides what Majid is doing, Capellini has another idea.

“I have a kind of very loose vision,” he explains. “Last year, I had this idea that there might even be a use of a nation-wide hub. At the highest level, there could be [Garlic.ca] (a URL Capellini holds) … and on garlic.ca there could be listings of local hubs. And there could be somebody like (Majid) … as an independent agent managing that hub.”

This national-level online hub could make things easier for buyers by creating a portal through which they could easily access the regional hub closest to them and instantly tap into a local garlic supply.

Capellini says other growers have been receptive to his ideas about working together, but he’d ultimately like to see others take them on and run with them. His hands are already full with his own business.

“I see a demand that is completely unsatiated for local garlic in Canada,” he says.

While the demand will eventually reach a ceiling, Capellini believes it’s important to prepare by moving sales beyond farmers’ markets and into mainstream grocery and produce providers.

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