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Originally published:

JANUARY 2022
Vol. 108 Issue 1

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Stories In This Edition

Flood recovery begins

Outstanding

Insurance under scrutiny

Donations pouring in for flood relief

Editorial: Regenerating agriculture

Back 40: What is normal, anyways?

Op Ed: Looking ahead with a  common purpose

Interior ranches feel forgotten

Hefty fines levied in chicken abuse case

Ag Briefs: Blueberry council chair tenders resignation

Ag Briefs: BC Chicken picks Siemens

Ag Briefs: Outstanding service acknowledged

Ag Briefs: Water quality grants available

BC couple win national OYF competition

High grain prices welcome, but harvest falls flat

Dairy sector looks to the future in virtual meetings

Berry growers face years of lower yields

Ambrosia council takes growers to court over levies

Rising food prices unlikely to benefit farmers

Supply chain disruptions put focus on local food

Preview: Agriculture show returns to Tradex

Water management in focus at short course

Kootenay growers target winter deliveries

Sidebar: Welcome development

New growers bitten by the farming bug

Farmers face new challenges as water recedes

Denman Island initiatives review of farm regulations

Helping load the wagon

Bees shouldn’t become collateral damage

Beekeepers urged to grow their own

Research: BC scientists ready to assess flood-affected soils

BC tech companies give ag waste a new life

Sidebar: Manure recycled into bedding

Milk marketing board chooses new entrants

Drought management requires new strategies

Farm Story: Instagrammable garlic? We’d rather less fuss

New initiative supports local food, business

Woodshed: Ashley’s ready and the party’s about to begin

Self-care can help women focus on their goals

Jude’s Kitchen:

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6 days 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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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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Insurance under scrutiny

Photo | Gary Baars

January 1, 2022 byPeter Mitham

ABBOTSFORD – BC residents suffered significant losses this year as wind, wildfire and floods walloped their farms and properties.

But insurance payouts will cover just a fraction of these losses. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, total insurable losses as of mid-December totalled less than $650 million.

“A brand new farm building should have coverage,” says Rosy Mounce, a commercial risk advisor with insurance broker Capri CMW in Salmon Arm. “But an older one isn’t going to, so it’s a matter of going through and saying, okay, what kinds of coverages are available to you, what do those cost?”

The narrowing of options for farm insurance in recent years, largely as a result of the massive wildfire seasons of 2017 and 2018, have left farmers exposed.

“With farm insurance in general, there’s not nearly as many options for insurance as there is for a house in a subdivision, for example,” she says. “As we see this increase in extreme weather, we have to start looking further ahead and plan how to be smarter about this. How do we prevent claims as much as possible?”

She says this may involve taking steps to mitigate risks to property as well as understanding the value that insurance provides. Self-insuring – setting aside cash to cover potential losses – may make sense in certain circumstances.

“The conversation is, ‘What does my coverage look like, and what can I do to protect my property?’” she says. “We can help people have a better understanding if there’s gaps in their insurance or if there’s certain things that they just need to be prepared to protect on their own because there’s not going to be an insurance policy to help them.”

She advises people to buy insurance understanding both the cost and the support they’ll receive in the event of a loss.

“[This past year] is going to bring to light a lot more demand on farmers and business owners … to really know what they’re covered for and have a good relationship with their broker – that’s what we want,” she says. “Insurance coverage is a portion of risk management. It’s not the whole thing.”

The fine print

BC Grain Producers Association director Ernest Wiebe told producers following the wild windstorm that destroyed grain bins in Prespatou at the end of June that they need to be aware of what their insurance policies cover. Many were surprised that grain bins were not covered by policies for structures, for example.

“When you see out-buildings on your policy, … that’s only something that would be connected to a residence,” he says. “It has to be on the farm policy.”

Some policies will exclude specific perils, and not all will cover the full replacement value in the event of a loss. Deductibles may differ between policies, too, and incur different premiums.

In his case, the $2,000 coverage limit for his greenhouse meant he was on the hook for most of the rebuild cost after it was destroyed. Meanwhile, his shop buildings are only covered for fire and lightning, leaving him on the hook for damage as a result of other perils.

“Go over your policy and have a complete awareness of what you’re paying for and what is covered,” he says.

Assessment values

There is also the question of the impacts recent disasters will have on property values.

BC Assessment Authority notices arrive the first week of January. The statements reflected the value of properties on July 1, 2021, meaning many property owners will see assessed values that don’t reflect current realities.

“BC Assessment is committed to providing fair, accurate and reliable property assessments,” BC Assessment told Country Life in BC, noting that owners can request amendments within the usual  window for appealing assessments. The deadline this year is January 31, 2022.

The authority’s page related to weather-related concerns notes that “property owner self-reporting is critical to ensuring 2022 property assessments are fair and accurate.”

Properties damaged or destroyed between November 1 and December 31, and which were not repaired by December 31, may be eligible to receive an amended assessment. BC Assessment encourages owners to submit details on the damage or loss, including repair costs (if known) and pictures.

 

 

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