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Originally published:

APRIL 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 4

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Stories In This Edition

Sheep labour

Growers scramble for workers

Province implements Bill 15

Farmers’ markets help communities recover

Looking ahead

Back 40: Food security demands out-of-box thinking

Viewpoint: Government needs to step up farm support

Groundwater bill causes confusion for Island farmer

Cannabis expansion goes up in smoke

Dairy producers surveyed on regulation impact

Institute keeps ALR changes on the front burner

Organic growers face mainstream competition

Egg producers reflect on productive year

Better together: Broilers, hating eggs collaborate

A job well done

Turkey growers see slow demand for birds

Dairy driving increase in semen sales

Beef conference BC-bound

Dairy producers rail against new transport rules

Beef industry looks beyond pandemic

Abattoirs required to cut back overtime

Tax credit review

Cattlemen take their concerns to Ottawa

Cattle sales an essential service

Funding will help farmers address nutrient runoff

Manure management guide updated for small-lot farmers

Potato growers optimistic

Hazelnut growers survey indsutry

Cherry growers focus on export opportunities

Weather woes drive cranberry yields lower

NFU highlights role for ag in climate crisis

Research: Reducing dairy production’s carbon footprint

Independent corn trials a priority for group

Silage management must be taken seriously

Brewing a local future

Orchardists urged to work smarter, not harder

Breakout sessions take growers deeper

Farm News: With spring comes a field of dreams

BCAFM considers Alberta vendors in border markets

Woodshed: Kenneth reaches a new low in the Bahamas

Authentic stories will resonate with consumers

Jude’s Kitchen: Food for holy days

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3 weeks 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

4 weeks 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🚜

4 weeks 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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4 weeks 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

4 weeks 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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Government needs to step up farm support

COVID-19 puts BC agriculture and its leaders to the test

April 1, 2020 byIan Paton

As a former dairy farmer and livestock auctioneer who still lives on the family farm where I was born and raised, I thought I understood farming in British Columbia. However, touring all corners of this amazing province over the last three years has taught me that there is so much more to agriculture than what I have experienced living in the Fraser Valley.

Farming in BC encompasses tree fruit growers and the wine industry in the Okanagan; canola, grain and grass seed in the Peace; beef cattle and bison throughout BC, not to mention abattoirs, wild seafood, bees, farmed salmon, and poultry – and that’s barely scratching the surface.

With a province larger in size than most countries, there is no shortage of hardworking farmers from across the spectrum of agricultural sectors in British Columbia.

Yet despite our incredible diversity, I am concerned about the state of agriculture in this province.

Farmers are not immune to the provincial housing shortage. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the next generation of farmers and their families to have opportunities to live on the family farm.

As schools and community halls continue to close due to population decline in our rural areas, having multiple families living together on the family farm provides opportunities for farm help, child care, and other social supports.

Rather than restricting opportunities for families to live together on the farm, government needs to make it easier to build secondary homes through new incentive programs.

On the issue of value-added goods and services, the new clampdowns from the Agricultural Land Commission don’t respect the reality of farming in British Columbia. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my time as agriculture critic, it’s that a one-size-fits-all solution will never work in a province like ours. Unlike our neighbours in the southern United States and Mexico who can farm all year long, farmers in many parts of the province are lucky to be growing and harvesting for six months out of the year.

We need to allow our farm families to be creative and entrepreneurial in order to come up with supplemental income to support their farm operations. I get concerned when out-of-the-box ideas like festivals, processing facilities, eateries, roadside stands and cafes are shut down by the Agricultural Land Commission. Agri-tourism is essential in this province. These activities should be encouraged, not regulated into oblivion.

COVID-19 effect

More recently, as British Columbia continues to deal with the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, I am increasingly concerned about the ripple effect of containment measures on BC farmers.

To be clear, I believe the interventions taken by the province and our federal government are prudent and necessary. However, we need to consider the economic consequences for our farming families and take necessary steps to mitigate and reverse damage to agriculture where possible.

The federal government’s travel ban on foreign nationals, for example, has raised questions regarding the essential role temporary foreign workers play in Canadian agriculture.

It took a week for the federal government to provide growers with clarity as to their ability to bring in seasonal and temporary foreign workers. Significant uncertainty remains for many farmers and greenhouse operators who depend on these vital programs in order to plant and harvest their crops. The assurances of our government need to be agreed to by partner governments such as Mexico, and then there’s the question of actually getting the workers here in the face of reduced airline capacity. The ability of farmers to get their products to market still faces major obstacles.

A shortage of container vessels coming into BC ports from Asia will also mean fewer containers available to load with Canadian agricultural products for export. The world needs BC food products, now more than ever. The province must work with the federal government and our port authorities to get BC agricultural goods to the global marketplace.

A contingency plan must also be put in place in order to ensure the safe processing of meat, fruits, and vegetables. As the global pandemic continues to grow, it is also crucial that our food suppliers and processing plants have priority for the delivery of food safety apparel, including personal safety equipment.

In the coming weeks and months, we will learn more about the greater impact of COVID-19 on our provincial and national economy. These are emerging and pressing issues. In my capacity as critic, I will continue to ask these important questions to ensure government is doing everything it can to work in the best interests of farmers, ranchers and greenhouse operators across our province.

I truly believe in opportunity for all of BC. Whether you come from a town of 800 or 80,000, you matter. Your contributions to our economy and food security are greatly appreciated in all corners of our province.

Farming is one of the critical industries that keeps British Columbia’s economy moving. British Columbians are tough. We are used to dealing with the unexpected. I’m confident that by working together, we will emerge from these unprecedented challenges stronger than ever.

Ian Paton is the MLA for Delta South and agriculture critic for the BC Liberals.

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