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FEBRUARY 2023
Vol. 108 Issue 2

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24 hours ago

Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #aemcop
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Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today https://bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #AEMCoP
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2 days ago

BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. It's our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. Its our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

https://bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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So much pressure being put on the dairy industry from the US. It’s hard to keep the lobbying at bay. Canadian dairy should supply Canadian tables and the farmers who provide it should be paid what they are worth. There is no such thing as cheap food

Farm Management is key. It can't all be blamed on the government.

Just been watching NZ TV news and the price of food. Most complaining about the price of dairy products due to the fact that domestic prices are high with most production being exported. No supply management.

I really don't understand the concern here. The article literally says 30-40 of 600 BC dairy farms (that's less than 1%) are experiencing financial pressure, likely due to being somewhat overleveraged. Sounds like just some mismanagement rather than a broad policy failure is the cause here.

Whole Food Plant Based eating ...oat milk coconut milk Almond milk soy milk etc

Noooooooo. That’s exactly what this LIB/NDP party wants. They want everyone to cave in to their knees. Don’t do it. It’ll be the end.

A lot of this is government squeeze. Be hungry and compliant!

The government is the eternal enemy of humanity.

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1 week ago

Farmland Advantage is receiving a $445,000 grant from the federal government. The program, the “brainchild” of Invermere cattle rancher Dave Zehnder, provides compensation to farmers for their conservation efforts to protect BC’s grasslands, riparian areas and wildlife habitat. The funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and Priority Places programs, will be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas appeared in our March 2022 edition and you can view it at ... See MoreSee Less

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Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas

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INVERMERE – Farmers and ranchers in the Columbia Valley will continue to see rewards for taking action to conserve and enhance important riparian areas on their farms. The Windermere District Farmer...
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2 weeks 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

2 months 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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Historic relief package delivered

Chelsea Meier navigated a drone from the back porch of her family’s home as floodwaters continued to rise and they waited for rescue on Sumas Prairie, November 16. They were eventually picked up by good Samaritans and ferried to the Whatcom Road overpass, and then again to higher ground on the other side of Marshall Creek. CHELSEA MEIER PHOTO

February 9, 2022 byPeter Mitham

Tough negotiations have delivered BC farmers a landmark recovery package that promises to help farmers recover from catastrophic flooding and landslides last November.

The provincial and federal agriculture ministers have combined two relief programs to secure $228 million in funding under what’s billed as the “2021 Flood Recovery Program for Food Security.” Delivered through AgriRecovery, it taps some of the $5 billion in federal disaster financial assistance to increase the scope beyond past programs, such as the 2021 wildfire and drought recovery program valued at $20 million.

“This program will be … leveraging the federal government’s AgriRecovery framework and Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements,” said federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.

She also encouraged farmers to sign up for AgriStability and take advantage of expanded advance payment provisions. Growers with late season crops may also be able to tap crop insurance.

“I encourage producers to make full use of all the tools available,” she said.

AgriRecovery funding will cover extraordinary costs – pegged at $285 million by government, in consultation with industry – not covered by other government programs, private insurers or recovery programs delivered by industry associations and charitable organizations such as Red Cross.

The funding promises to benefit a greater number of small producers as well as the large livestock producers whose gross revenues typically prevent them from accessing disaster assistance.

“They’re able to cast the net a bit wider to the people who were really impacted. A lot of them were really being cut out,” says BC Agriculture Council executive director Danielle Synotte. “The benefit of this approach is that they’re reducing eligibility barriers. There’s a higher compensation rate, and they’ve really alleviated some of the administrative burden.”

But not all small producers agree, noting that provincial staff still haven’t been in touch with them

“We haven’t had direct contact with anyone from government,” says Julia Smith, a rancher and community organizer in Merritt  who heads the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. “Is it too much to ask for a little communication?”

Spences Bridge cattle rancher TJ Walkem says AgriRecovery funding is a drop in the bucket after the Nicola River washed away land, water pump installations, out buildings and a ranch house.

Walkem has spent $100,000 to stabilize the riverbank to prevent further erosion in advance of the spring freshet, and an initial request for funding through the Thompson Nicola Regional District Emergency Operations Center hasn’t been acknowledged.

“It’s been a very slow, numbing process, like pulling teeth,” he says. “Others that I talk to say it’s the same.”

BC agriculture minister Lana Popham says any BC producer who suffered losses as a result of the November rains will be eligible for funding, but Walkem is skeptical.

“I’m really, really worried the Fraser Valley is going to overshadow anybody up here,” he says. “[AgriRecovery is] focused on those huge food producers and not someone with 100 head of cows. I’m worried that the Nicola Valley will fall through the cracks.”

With files from Tom Walker

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