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Originally published:

SEPTEMBER 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 9

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Stories In This Edition

Livestock groups ramp up security

Gaurav Maan

EU tightens shipping rules

New waste control rules kick in October 1

Dibs on ribs

Nip the buds

Climate woes are everyone’s responsibility

Viewpoint: Weighing in on the battle of the burgers

Ag counil defendes cannabis sector on odour

Feds announce compensation package for dairy

Potato harvest looks promising for BC growers

Motor Vehicle Act covers tractors

Province urges armyworm precautions

Feast for the eyes

Funding helps cherry growers court new buyers

Oregon hazelnut optimism inspires BC growers

Dairy tour showcases innovative farming

Minimize the risk of corn silage fires

Teachers receive valuable lessons about farming

Climate change concerns grapegrowers

Canada eyes clean vines network

Province extends deadline for meat consultation

Top seller

Winery upstart banks on ranch’s rich history

Sidebar: Room to grow

Market Musings: Rain creates haying challenges

Nechako win

Forage council ready for a changing climate

Armyworm warning

Soda Creek social highlights land-matching

Research: The symbiotic relationship in pregnancy

Sheep farmers have high hopes for cooperative

PNE lamb

AAFC seeks volunteer weather reporters

Land commission orders Gleaners off ALR

Tour highlights adaption

Maan Farms keeps the focus on family

Ceadrow Farm tops Chilliwack sheep show

Island Holstein show and sale reflects quality

4-H sale saves the bacon for ranching student

4-H sale at the PNE is the best part of summer

Success is in the bag for barley entrepreneurs

Simple steps help to overcome gas exposure

Blueberries find a home in wine at Baccata

Woodshed: Henderson backs off while Frank closes in

Volunteers harvest for FV charities

Nutritious autumn eats

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4 days ago

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details. ... See MoreSee Less

A turkey farm in West Abbotsford is the second commercial poultry flock to tested positive for avian influenza since the initial case was reported in Enderby on April 13. CFIA announced the case May 19, but has yet to define the control zone. Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Association says more than 50 farms are in the vicinity of the infected premises, meaning control measures — including movement controls — will have a significant impact on the industry. The supply of birds moving into the country from US hatcheries will also be affected, compounding the host of supply chain issues growers have been dealing with over the past year. A story in our June issue will provide further details.
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2 weeks ago

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the province's deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed. ... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the order requiring regulated commercial poultry operations to keep their birds indoors through June 13. Originally set to expire this Friday, the order was extended after a careful review by the provinces deputy chief veterinarian. Poultry at seven premises, all but one of them backyard flocks, have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza since April 13. The order allows small-scale producers to continue pasturing their birds outdoors provided biosecurity protocols developed by the Small-Scale Meat producers Association are followed.
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Sounds like 2 weeks to flatten the curve turning into 2 years.

USDA doing avian vax research, May 11 bio-docs to UN incl section on H5N8 w/wild bird spread. Found link to apparent pre-release on May 11 Geller Report. Good luck farmers.

3 weeks ago

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.” ... See MoreSee Less

Two more small flocks in BC have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. The latest cases are in Richmond and Kelowna. CFIA is in the process of determining a control zone around the property in Richmond, the first report in the Fraser Valley of the H5N1 strain of the virus among poultry. Speaking to Country Life in BC this week, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said CFIA staff are working diligently to address outbreaks, and she encourages small flock owners to do the same. While commercial farms have tightened biosecurity measures, owners of small flocks have greater freedom. “Some smaller ones don’t necessarily have these measures in place,” Bibeau says. “They should also be extremely careful, because if we have a case in a backyard flock ... it could have an impact on bigger commercial installations.”
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Killing our food chain. How do we know they are actually carrying a virus, look what's taking place with covid, is it real.

Ik kan niet zo goed Engels maar als ik het goed begrijp is bij jullie ook vogelgriep maar nog niet bij jullie

Any idea when this episode or bird flu might be over?

3 weeks ago

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions. ... See MoreSee Less

Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC welcomed its first new members in 20 years at its AGM on April 27. The BC Blueberry Council, BC Cherry Association, BC Cranberry Marketing Commission, BC Food & Beverage Association, BC Meats and Organic BC were approved as members, bringing the IAFBC’s membership to 15 farm and food organizations. IAFBC is also growing in responsibility, managing a record $8.3 million in funding from six funding agencies and developing new programs to support the agriculture sector including Farmland Advantage and Agricultural Climate Solutions.
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4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
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Maan Farms keeps the focus on family

Berries at the heart of diversified East Abbotsford farm

September 1, 2019 byRonda Payne

ABBOTSFORD—It’s a familiar story in Abbotsford: an immigrant family needed to find jobs and became berry growers. Gradually, the next generation got involved, then the next.

While all this is true for Maan Farms, the way the Maan family is going about growing their business to encourage the next generation to farm is anything but familiar.

Kris Maan emigrated from India with his parents in the early 1970s. He married his wife Devinder in 1982 and the couple had four children: Preena, Gurleen, Amir and Gaurav. His parents’ farm originally grew cole crops, then expanded to include strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Gradually Kris and Devinder took the business over and began seeing their berry farm as a place for the community to have fun and celebrate farming.

“About 2006, my mom had the idea to open up a petting zoo,” says Gurleen Maan, operations manager for the business.

Prior to 2006, the farm was best known for a couple of roadside stands where Maan, her sister and their friends sold berries all summer long. When Mama Maan (as Devinder is better known) started to think about new farm experiences with input from Dorothy Anderson of Aldor Acres, things started to happen on the family’s 80-acre home farm.

First it was a pumpkin patch, corn maze and u-pick berries; then in 2007, a play area and petting zoo. In 2012, a barn was built that housed a kitchen, market and event space. A fruit winery followed a year later.

But in 2014 tragedy struck.

“We had this beautiful building and in 2014, it burned down,” says Maan. “It was gone. Arson. In a heartbeat.”

But the family persisted and stayed focused on their berry and family roots. Kris and Devinder wanted their kids to be involved and continue moving the business forward. Their sons came in – Amir working on the berries with his dad and Gaurav managing the fruit winery. The boys had their own ideas and added to the farm, bringing in an adventure play zone. A new building went up and Gurleen could begin to see the vision her parents had. There was a natural progression and a place for everyone to work on the farm.

Maan Farms is now a multi-faceted business with berry growing, berry sales (wholesale, u-pick, farmgate), petting zoo, wine, family activities including a bouncy pillow, zipline, tire-crawl and others. A market with food service, preserves, pies and other prepared food products is thriving. The activities are by admission, with special events having their own pricing.

But the berries remain at the core of the family business.

Heart and soul

“The heart and soul of our business is the berries,” says Maan. “The experience part of our farm activities as well as the fruit accounts for the majority of our revenue.”

Twenty acres of the farm is planted to Bluecrop blueberries, Malahat and a numbered raspberry variety as well as everbearing and June-bearing strawberries.

“There are always more berries than you can sell,” Mama Maan says, and the winery puts them to good use. Maan Farms produces 12 kinds of wine, totaling about 24,000 litres a year.

In the kitchen, Devinder focuses on “east-meets-west” flavours, offering butter chicken samosas, butter chicken poutine, chicken fingers, ice cream and a wide range of other Indian and traditional North American items.

“We ended up embracing our culture,” says Gurleen.

One of her favourite on-site events is goat yoga, with her biggest session on June 22. Close to 50 goats joined 415 people.

“I attempted to break the world record; I believe I got it,” she says, though she has yet to receive official word.

The previous record, set in February, saw 84 goats join 355 people.

The farm has also hosted Bunnies and Booze, an adult Easter egg hunt featuring the farm’s wines.

“Many people that come here still remember me from selling the baskets at the stands,” says Gurleen. “That’s the beauty for me. It’s full circle.”

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