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Originally published:

September 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 9

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Stories In This Edition

BC faces another summer of fire

Heather takes the cake

ALR report confirms agenda

Organic labelling regulations kick in September 1

Editorial: Inside information

Back Forty: Quantum change in the barn and kitchen

OpEd: Civic elections important for agriculture

Armyworm infestation hits North Okanagan

New entrants face scrutiny, but no waitlist

Surprise quota increase for dairies

Carrot field day

National apple programs focus of OK meeting

Okanagan tree fruits grab international spotlight

Farmers put food hub on wish list

Farming matters

Potato trials reflect change in consumer tastes

Veterinary partnership aimrs to improve service

Ag Brief: New public trust manager planning workshops

Ag Brief: BCAC hires new environmental programs mgr

Ag Brief: Poultry specialist joins IAF

Ag Brief: Salmon farmers hire new executive director

Ag Brief: New island agrologist

Automation good investment for nursery

Hort show offering more educational opportunities

Grant harnesses opportunities for farming

Flood management requires collaboration

Rancher goes wireless to manage irrigation

Wildfire lessons learned, but still work to be done

National park reserve consultations to resume

BC youth prevail at Western Canadian Classic

Land trust for Metro Vancouver floated again

Cawston market garden looks to future

Summer Institute plants seeds of knowledge

Cariboo farm thrives with mentorship

Research: Genetic editing stops deadline pig virus

Ploughing championship in sight

Coop rentals connect urbanites with farming

Maple Ridge consults on backyard chickens

Organic pioneers reflect on growth, changes in sector

Hooked on 4-H

Fair time

Woodshed: Sweet-talkin’ Henderson makes vacation plans

Wannabe: Here’s to the ordinary

Feast of Fields

Jude’s Kitchen: September and birthday celebrations

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7 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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National park reserve consultations to resume

Opponents stand firm against new protections for grasslands in south Okanagan

September 5, 2018 byPeter Mitham

OLIVER – Plans for a national park reserve continue to advance despite the concerns of ranchers and conservation groups alike.

BC Ministry of Environment staff told Country Life in BC last month that “tripartite discussions are ongoing between [the] feds, province and the Okanagan Nation.”

The comment came after Parks Canada officials told media in a conference call that it hopes to initiate consultations this fall in the hopes of finalizing a concept for the a national park reserve, including boundaries, by mid-2019. It followed the province’s announcement last October 27 of a “renewed commitment” to work towards creating a national park reserve from three protected areas in the South Okanagan. The area includes  84,140 acres of grasslands in the South Okanagan west of Okanagan Falls and south to the US border between Oliver and Cawston.

A national park reserve is a step below a national park, and aims to respect Indigenous land rights in the area. Ranchers and conservation groups both say that their own property rights and activities will be impacted by the move, and oppose the proposal.

Linda Allison of the Southern Interior Stockmen’s Association met with federal environment minister Catherine McKenna on August 17, a day after a tour with Parks Canada project manager Sarah Boyle.

“We are disappointed that the minister and her staff were firm that the creation of a park reserve will be proceeding,” says Allison, who has been fighting park proposals since plans were put forward in 2003.

A dilemma for ranchers is that provisions regarding activities allowed in the park won’t be determined till after contractual agreements granting access to ranchers’ lands are signed.

“We as an association are not in favour of a national park,” says Dave Casorso of the Okanagan Simlikameen Stock Association.

Ranchers have been told that an agreement between Parks Canada and the province will allow grazing in the proposed reserve, something not allowed in a full-fledged national park save as a management tool. However, it requires an amendment to relevant legislation.

“It may sound pretty good if you trust the process, but there are many players,” notes Casorso, who says tenure costs may be expensive. “If grazing is allowed, it may not be affordable for ranchers to manage in-park.”

Unlikely ally

Ranchers may have an unlikely ally in the fight against the reserve: the BC Wildlife Federation, which recently asked the BC auditor general’s office to perform “an audit and examination of cattle grazing leases on Crown land, and related issues.”

But if BCWF has issues with cattle on Crown land, it also has equal concerns regarding a national park reserve because lands owned by conservation organizations could be subject to expropriation and mismanagement.

These include nine properties acquired with funds from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Nature Trust of BC to conserve the area’s grassland habitat and associated ecosystems.

“The goal of the south Okanagan land purchases was to conserve and enhance sensitive ecosystems while allowing traditional uses such as hunting, fishing and enjoying outdoor recreation in a sustainable manner,” the BCWF says in a statement.

However, it cites a BC auditor general’s report to underscore that the province has fallen short in managing protected areas and directs even sharper criticism at Parks Canada.

“Parks Canada’s has a history of commercialization, and privatization within wilderness areas,” it claims.

BCWF also points out that Parks Canada doesn’t protect “traditional activities” – in its case, hunting, but from ranchers’ perspective, cattle grazing.

“The province’s framework states existing users are protected,” states BCWF. “[But] there is no evidence that traditional activities are protected in national parks.”

Rather than assume management of sensitive areas, BCWF asks for a collaborative approach that recognizes the value other stakeholders offer.

A consultation this fall would give stakeholders yet another chance to weigh in. Victoria previously sought public opinion on the future of the area in 2015. The process garnered 3,460 responses, and acknowledged the importance of hunting, fishing, tourism, ranching and recreation in the area.

“The supposed economic benefits of a park in terms of employment and tourism are at the top of the list,” Allison says.

The one ray of hope for ranchers is the stated desire of Ottawa to find common ground with stakeholders.

“She gave her personal commitment to those at the meeting, that she would listen and hope to bring people together while saying that a proposed park reserve is proceeding,” says Allison.

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