• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Country Life In BC Logo

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915

  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search

Primary Sidebar

Originally published:

January 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 1

Subscribe Now!

Sign up for free weekly FARM NEWS UPDATES

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Country Life in BC, 36 Dale Road, Enderby, BC, V0E1V4. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Your information will not be
shared or sold ever

Stories In This Edition

Victoria tweaks ALR rules

Ranch must allow anglers

Grappling with challenges

Editorial: Learning from leopards

Back forty: Livestock protection is a grey matter

Viewpoint: One zone shows foresight as BC ag evolves

Popham pursues ambitious agenda as 2019 arrives

Milk stocks rebuild but skimmed milk an issue

Holstein spring show grows, moves to Chilliwack

Dairy producers withhold national levies

Wave of retirements sweeps through dairy associations

Fund aims to give BC fruit growers a competitive edge

Ag Brief: New chair for Farm Industry Review Board

Ag Brief: BC Tree Fruits shake-up

Ag Brief: Thompson retires from dairy centre

New trap set to reduce Okanagan starling flocks

Consumer prices could buoy farm cash receipts

BC potatoes yield increase in 2018

‘Green rush’ overwhelms OK planning staff

Show, gala showcases BC agriculture

Hort show covers buds to spuds

Sidebar: Budding interest

Spotlight on dairy, innovation

Popular dairy tour showcases diversity

Overseas markets demand top quality

Sidebar: Gerbrandt coordinates berry research

Local seed initiative shifts focus to economics

Big dreams for small pepper growers

Cattle feeders bullish on packing plant

Research: Increasing green fodder could decrease allergies

Beekeepers learn to defend against wildlife

Online platform connects producers, consumers

Public trust programming to expand in 2019

Farmers institutes meet to forge connections

The rock road of water buffalo in BC

Wannabe: Pulling together

Woodshed: Deborah finds it’s better to give than receive

Jude’s Kitchen: Start healthy

More Headlines

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

1 day ago

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details. ... See MoreSee Less

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details.
View Comments
  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 2
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

2 weeks ago

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the province's deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed. ... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the provinces deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed.
View Comments
  • Likes: 6
  • Shares: 9
  • Comments: 2

Comment on Facebook

Sounds like 2 weeks to flatten the curve turning into 2 years.

USDA doing avian vax research, May 11 bio-docs to UN incl section on H5N8 w/wild bird spread. Found link to apparent pre-release on May 11 Geller Report. Good luck farmers.

2 weeks ago

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.” ... See MoreSee Less

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.”
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 38
  • Comments: 3

Comment on Facebook

Killing our food chain. How do we know they are actually carrying a virus, look what's taking place with covid, is it real.

Ik kan niet zo goed Engels maar als ik het goed begrijp is bij jullie ook vogelgriep maar nog niet bij jullie

Any idea when this episode or bird flu might be over?

3 weeks ago

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions. ... See MoreSee Less

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions.
View Comments
  • Likes: 3
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
View Comments
  • Likes: 6
  • Shares: 15
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

drive.google.com/file/d/1F7SC3xgs4YD-cgK3eoZemHaTdYe3cUj6/view?usp=sharing

Subscribe | Advertise

‘Green rush’ overwhelms OK planning staff

Local governments waiting for the smoke to clear on cannabis

December 31, 2018 byJackie Pearase

LUMBY – Some local governments in the Okanagan are facing a “green rush” as proposals blossom to meet the demand for recreational cannabis.

Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) planning and building general manager Rob Smailes said changes made to its zoning bylaw to address the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations in 2016 are now being adjusted to deal with the legalization of recreational cannabis this past October.

“What we’ve said from our perspective is growing cannabis is cannabis; whether it’s for medical or recreational purposes, it ought to be regulated,” Smailes says.

RDNO’s zoning bylaw allows for cannabis production facilities in industrial zones. Cannabis production is an acceptable use within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), though a new regulation introduced July 13 requires that all production systems now be soil-based.

RDNO is currently dealing with about six proposals for cannabis production facilities within the ALR. Two propose concrete foundations, contrary to the new regulation, and RDNO has requested they submit an application for a non-farm use to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).

“There’s some frustration, certainly, on some of these people’s behalf,” says Smailes. “A couple of them made it past the post; a couple of them didn’t. One’s trying to do something, trying to get [ALC] approval; the other’s trying to find a way around it by using a different type of building.”

The proposal with a soil floor is basically using large steel screws to anchor the greenhouse frame to the ground, Smailes explains.

One of the concrete-based proposals is a 52,718-square-foot production facility and 10,000-square-foot processing facility Kosha Projects Inc. is proposing for Pleasant Valley Road in Spallumcheen. RDNO handles planning and building services for Spallumcheen, and decided to forward the plans to the ALC for consideration.

RDNO’s regional agricultural advisory committee (RAAC) recently considered the other proposal using concrete, from Green Amber (Canada) Corp., to create a facility of approximately 100,000 square feet on Shafer Road in Electoral Area D near Lumby, and recommended that it be forward to the ALC with a vote of six to five.

Committee members expressed a number of concerns about the proposal, including its overall benefit to agriculture, the size of the concrete footprint, and why the non-farm use covers the entire acreage rather than just the building footprint.

The Electoral Area Advisory Committee opted to defer consideration of the proposal on December 6 until there was “more info on water and a public meeting.”

ALR rules curbing proposals

Kelowna’s community planning department manager Ryan Smith said a number of cannabis production facilities have been approved on industrial land within the city but it has no such proposals within the ALR. He says the province’s new regulation likely curbed such plans.

“It’s made it more difficult, and that’s probably a good thing,” Smith says.

With the value of agricultural land much lower than industrial land, Smith has concerns that any loopholes for establishing these facilities in the ALR would be destructive for the local tree fruit industry.

“I think there’s room to work together if cannabis is on industrial land,” he adds.

Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) planning supervisor Christopher Garrish says one of the two proposed production facilities in the ALR within his regional district has a building permit for a foundation while the other has yet to get a building permit.

“They are aware of the ALC’s requirements and one of them has amended their plans accordingly,” he said. “The other one has not yet submitted for a building permit so I am not sure how they are going to address the requirement for the soil floor.”

ALC director of policy and planning Martin Collins said the commission has yet to consider an application for a recreational cannabis production facility but sees them going into two streams: those with concrete bases requiring a non-farm use and those with soil bases.

He has concerns about proposals that veer away from a greenhouse concept.

“I would think the commission would be fairly sympathetic to a greenhouse type, concrete base facility and less sympathetic to a dark facility…a facility with no translucent roof or walls,” he explains. “I don’t think they’d be supportive of just maintaining properties for agricultural use in the long term because inevitably many will fail. And when they fail, what will happen to those buildings? One hundred thousand to a million square feet? Nothing agricultural is ever going to happen in them.”

Collins also questions the viability of growing cannabis with a soil base when mould, mildew and bugs are a constant concern with such a crop.

“This idea to try and design their way out of the regulations may be a bit of a problem. I’m not sure if they can realistically grow in the kind of facility the regulation demands,” he notes.

Greenhouse conversions

While the ALC does have a few such applications in the queue from more rural regions like the RDNO, Collins sees the majority of such facilities being established in already-licensed medical cannabis operations and crop greenhouses converted to grow marijuana in areas like the Fraser Valley where it won’t result in too much conflict (the use of pre-existing crop structures does not require ALC approval).

“That’s probably where most of the actual real production is going to take place,” he says. “But if you’re in an area that’s all forested and somebody clears 40 acres and puts up 250,000 square feet of industrial building, that would get people pretty excited.”

Smailes expects to hear from neighbouring property owners when these proposals arise but, as a farm use, cannabis facilities do not require a public hearing, only ALC approval. However, the regulations has raised questions.

“As a result, that creates uncertainty and it certainly means conflict,” he says.

In fact, neighbours upset with the Green Amber proposal attended the RAAC meeting and an online petition to quash the project started soon after the meeting. It has attracted more than 350 signatures.

Cannabis legislation has not demanded excessive staff time at the RDOS, Garrish says, but West Kelowna has a ‘go-to’ person in the planning department for such information. RDNO employs a planning staff member full-time on cannabis inquiries and applications.

“We’ve spent an inordinate amount of time and money and resources on this,” adds Smailes. “There’s a lot of activity around us. We’re calling it the new green rush.”

Smailes expects greater clarity once the initial proposals are processed and proponents better understand the requirements.

“We’ll see if the [RDNO] board decides to send the proposals on to the [ALC] for their decision or not and, if they do, what the commission does,” he says. “That first one wil

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

BC farm cash receipts up

Neighbours raise stink over cannabis farms

Raising a stink

BCAC defends pot growers

Greenhouse vegetables rebound from cannabis

Cannabis growers see the light

Weed will be an ag product unlike any other

Previous Post: « Cattle feeders bullish on packing plant
Next Post: Wave of retirements sweeps through dairy associations »

Reader Interactions

Copyright © 2022 Country Life in BC · All Rights Reserved