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Originally published:

JULY 2024
Vol. 110 Issue 7

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Stories In This Edition

Disaster fund denied

Liquid gold

BC Millk halts deductions

Watering exemptions extended

Editorial: Who stands on guard for thee?

Back 40: Redefining labour as a technological problem

Viewpoint: Extension needs to be a two-way conversation

Stabilization initiative yet to bear fruit

Industry first as mushroom workers unionize

Ag Brief: High cost stall South Okanagan food hub

Ag Brief: Supply management limits food inflation

Orchard industry bids farwell to a staunch leader

Persistent drought conditions have ranchers on edge

Lacklustre season expected for berries

Island Trust turns 50

Land Act, water issues aired at Cattlemen’s AGM

Eye-to-eye

Grasslands tour puts spotlight on common ground

Telkwa producers step up to provide slaughter services

Sidebar: Dieleman family feels feed, labour crunch

Tour showcases sustainability of Abbotsford farms

Agritech company aims for the stars

Embracing regenerative cattle ranching

It’s not what, it’s how you spread it

Farm Story: A rake’s progress has no end

Ranchers follow beavers for water storage solutions

Woodshed: New beginnings for Kenneth, and for Deborah

Mary Forstbauer grant funds new farmer’s dreams

Jude’s Kitchen: Patio food for summer

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20 hours ago

According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

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According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

#BCAg
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2 days ago

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organization's future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in Februa#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organizations future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in February.

#BCAg
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4 days ago

Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this year's Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

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Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this years Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

https://tinyurl.com/45bddtw8

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Wahoo! Congrats Shannon! I love your produce. Can’t wait for the radishes 🫜

Congratulations!

Well done!! 🩷🩷🩷

5 days ago

New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those who've been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and don't let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leader's story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: tinyurl#BCAg2uw53vvm

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New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those whove been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and dont let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leaders story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: https://tinyurl.com/2uw53vvm

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7 days ago

War in the Middle East is delivering a generational shock to BC farm input costs, with nitrogen fertilizer prices already 60% above pre-pandemic levels and rising fast. Okanagan Fertilizer president Ken Clancy says supply shortfalls are expected as Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions tighten global supplies and demand surges. BCAC says it's monitoring the situation and ready to advocate for government relief measur#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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Fertilizer, fuel costs soar amid Iran conflict

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ENDERBY – War in the Middle East has delivered a generational shock to energy prices, meaning BC farmers can expect a prolonged period of higher costs, not just for fuel but also for fertilizer.
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Islands Trust turns 50

Updated policy statement raises questions

Gulf Islands Food Co-op president and grower Roz Kempe says a new draft of the Islands Trust policy statement is more accommodating of agriculture's diversity. | SUBMITTED

July 2, 2024 byKate Ayers And Peter Mitham

SALT SPRING ISLAND – When the Islands Trust governing council met on Salt Spring Island on June 18-20, it took a moment to acknowledge its 50th anniversary as a special-purpose government stewarding more than 450 islands and the waters of what’s now known as the Salish Sea.

Created on June 5, 1974, the Islands Trust was one of a number of progressive initiatives the Dave Barrett government implemented with a view to protecting British Columbia at a time of heightened awareness of its precious natural resources and the wide variety of benefits they provide.

Originally designed to protect the Gulf Islands in the same way the Agricultural Land Reserve protects farmland, many farmers say the Islands Trust has delivered diminishing returns.

“Deep down, their idea of protecting farmland is just to protect it where absolutely nothing gets done on it,” says John Money, whose family farmed on Saturna Island and who served on the Islands Trust council for 21 years until 2010. “I’m all for protecting farmland, but let’s realize what you’re protecting it for.”

The original vision of protecting what made the Gulf Islands unique worked for several years but Money says the trust seems to have lost its way, paying less attention to sustaining complete communities on the islands.

“The Islands Trust has too many people trying to protect this perceived dream of living in utopia, but the fact is, everywhere should try and remain self-sustaining, so if you’re going to have a community, you need a mix of people and you need an economy,” he says, “You’ve got to meet a balance.”

The trust operates under the oversight of the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, and its wide-ranging responsibilities mean that agriculture is one of many interests it’s trying to balance. While the Agricultural Land Commission Act regulates 264 acres of farmland within the entire Islands Trust area (about 14% of the land base), agriculture itself is subject to the Islands Trust’s policy statement, now under revision as part of the Islands 2050 initiative launched in 2019.

The update is the first since 1994, and the draft statement addresses concerns that have come to the forefront since then, including reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, climate change and affordable housing.

A draft proposed in 2021 was shelved due to resident opposition. Many farm groups, including the Pender Island Farmers Institute, criticized a lack of transparency and consultation regarding the wording and policies around agriculture.

“We had some pushback around some of the regulations and thinking that was going on, and that communities and people are not necessarily ready for some more restrictive legislation,” says Islands Trust council chair Peter Luckham.

The first iteration of the statement was too prescriptive, says Gulf Islands Food Co-op president and grower Roz Kempe.

“If they were saying it should be sustainable, regenerative agriculture, that’s good, but then who are they to say what that is? How would they define that?” she says. “They’re getting a bit too far down into an area they shouldn’t be.”

On May 30, the trust council considered a second draft of the policy statement outlining five policies for local farmland: identify and protect agricultural lands for current and future use consistent with the Agricultural Land Commission Act; minimize any adverse impacts of land uses from adjacent properties on agricultural lands; ensure roads and utility corridors are appropriately situated to minimize agricultural land fragmentation; strive to preserve, protect and encourage sustainable farming and sustainability of farming; and strive to address land uses and activities that support the economic viability of farms without comprising the land’s integrity.

The new draft does not define “agriculture” or “regenerative,” and provides a generic definition for sustainable – “capable of being maintained indefinitely.”

Kempe is pleased that the new draft addresses housing and water, two issues that directly impact island producers.

“Housing is a massive issue,” Kempe says.

Agricultural Land Commission rules govern what happens within the ALR, and Islands Trust council members regularly correspond with the ALC to address issues related to farmland and food production.

But the Islands Trust has no published guidelines regarding what kinds of agritourism it deems acceptable and aligned with its own mandate to steward the Gulf Islands.

This includes units for vacation rentals, which the province has allowed so that farmers can diversify their revenue but which could also be addressing the shortage of Gulf Islands farm workers.

“It’s very much a gray area for the Islands Trust, and whether to allow buildings to be constructed for agritourism,” Kempe says. “The short-term vacation rental is such a problem area. Is that providing housing for temporary farm workers?”

Luckham says farm worker housing is important, but the jurisdiction of the ALC.

“Farm worker housing is an important element, and the Agricultural Land Commission has been restricting in the kinds and types and shapes of housing on agricultural land, and rightfully so. They don’t want any kind of housing to impact the agriculture there,” says Luckham. “We certainly look towards a future of more equitability there associated with housing and farmworker housing, particularly seasonal types of housing.”

Support for infrastructure including farmers markets, roads, composting facilities, abattoirs and water are embodied in the policy statement, Luckham says, but once again points to the ALC as the ultimate regulator.

“There will definitely be some impacts. Ultimately, however, the Agricultural Land Commission has the authority to allow or disallow certain kinds of activities or exemptions,” he says.

Water is the one issue where the Islands Trust has greater authority, Kempe says. While it doesn’t regulate groundwater, it has the power to regulate the forestry companies operating within its area.

By engaging with forest managers, the Islands Trust could significantly benefit local aquifers.

“A lot of people don’t understand the physiological connection between forests and groundwater,” Kempe says. “I think if the Islands Trust could be successful in truly preserving and protecting [our forests], then agriculture would be better off.”

Following further council meetings this summer and a six-month public consultation period this fall, the new policy statement could be implemented as early as next year, setting the stage for the trust’s next 50 years.

“We’re committed to taking as much time as is necessary for everyone to understand what this means,” Luckham says. “We are interested in looking at how to alleviate hurdles … to support those in our community that are struggling to farm. We will be working with those communities rather than against them.”

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