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JUNE 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 6

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1 month 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

1 month 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🚜

1 month 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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1 month 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

1 month 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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Heatwave stresses livestock

June 30, 2021 byKate Ayers

BC became the hottest place in Canada ever on Sunday, and again Monday and Tuesday as temperatures in the Fraser Canyon and elsewhere kept breaking records.

Lytton soared to an all-time high for Canada of 49.5° Celsius. New records were also set in the eastern Fraser Valley as temperatures hit 42.9° C in Abbotsford on Monday and crested 45° C across the southern Interior.

While farmers faced sweat-soaked chores and heat exhaustion, animals also struggled to cope with the record-breaking temperatures.

TJ Walkem of 60 Ranch in Spences Bridge, 35 km from Lytton, has lost half his chickens since the heat set in last week. The fourth-generation farmer raises free-range poultry and grass-fed beef.

While the birds were hit hard, his 265 head of cattle have been able to find cool spots during the day. He has also avoided working any animals to reduce stress.

The herd relies on lakes, springs and creeks for water. Since this year has been so dry, if temperatures continue to rise with minimal precipitation, “we will be in trouble,” Walkem says.

Agassiz dairy farmer Julaine Treur of Creekside Dairy shared her management strategies on Facebook.

“We’ve got fans going in the coop, outdoor access to shade, and lots of fresh water, but we still lost two hens to the heat yesterday,” she posted. “We pride ourselves on our stellar animal care and welfare, but we’re no match for this heat. That’s a tough pill for a farmer to swallow.”

Similar to Walkem, the cattle have fared better in the extreme temperatures.

“Their milk production has dropped significantly but they’re not off feed, and they’re still chewing their cud while relaxing under the huge barn fans,” she said. “They spend their nights on pasture where it’s slightly cooler.”

BC Sheep Federation president Barbara Ydenberg of Wind’s Reach Farm in Langley’s Glen Valley says sheep also seem to be coping with the heat. Her flock is seeking shade and eating less than usual.

But shade is often next to forested areas, where coyotes hide. Ydenberg says some farmers have reported predator problems over the last few days. As a result, producers have to be out with the herd to keep an eye on the sheep, which can be dangerous in this heat.

Sheep that did not get shorn earlier are particularly susceptible to the heat, but Ydenburg warns against compounding heat stress with the stress of shearing. But in one case, a black sheep in distress was hand-shorn on Monday night that helped cool it off.

The extreme temperatures have triggered flood watches on the Lillooet, Upper Columbia and Chilcotin rivers. High streamflow advisories have also been issued in several regions.

Snow weather stations that still have snowpack report melting at a rate between 80 and 100 millimetres of snow water equivalent per day, says the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

One sheep producer in Prince George lost an entire field’s hay crop as a result of the flooded river. The hay was cut and the drying windrows were washed away.

 

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