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Current Issue:

JANUARY 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 1

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4 days 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

1 month 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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2 months ago

The scale of this year's avian flu outbreak now rivals the massive outbreak of 2004. An additional 13 commercial farms in the Fraser Valley have tested positive in the last week. To date, 49 commercial farms and 1.2 million birds have been impacted. CFIA is struggling to keep up with depopulation of sick birds. ... See MoreSee Less

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AI outbreak rivals 2004

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The scale of this year’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza now rivals the massive outbreak of 2004 that saw farms throughout the Fraser Valley depopulated. An additional 13 commercial…
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Commercial operations need to reevaluate their stocking densities and overall health and welfare of the animals within their systems if they are ever going to have a fighting chance against this virus.

Yup cause food shortage

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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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