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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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1 month ago

It’s been four years since the last tulip festival was held in Abbotsford, but this year’s event promises to be an even bigger spectacle than ever. Spanning 27 acres along Marion Road, Lakeland Flowers will display more than 70 varieties of the spring blossom, including fringe tulips and double tulips, the first of six months of flower festivals hosted by the farm. Writer Sandra Tretick spoke with Lakeland Flowers owner Nick Warmerdam this spring to find out how the floods on Sumas Prairie in 2021 have had an impact on his business plan as he transitions from wholesale cut flower grower to agri-tourism. We've posted the story to our website this month. It's a good read.

#CLBC #countrylifeinbc #tulipfestival
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Tulip grower makes the shift to agritourism

www.countrylifeinbc.com

ABBOTSFORD – On a bright sunny day in early April, Nick Warmerdam points out his office window at No. 4 and Marion roads to a spot about half a kilometre away across the Trans-Canada Highway.
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Omg 🥹 Jared Huston let’s go pls

1 month ago

Farming, like any other job.. only you punch in at age 5 and never punch out 🚜 ... See MoreSee Less

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Easton Roseboom Levi Roseboom🚜

1 month ago

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges.
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1 month ago

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year. ... See MoreSee Less

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year.
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Any other details for FVN and chillTV please? radiodon11@gmail.com

1 month ago

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agriculture's interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agricultures interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry.
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I sure hope part of that money is to educate the people in charge of the pumps and drainage system! They just relayed on computers and weren’t even physically monitoring the water levels. I’ve lived in the Fraser Valley my whole life and the old guys managing that system know how to do it. The new generation just sit behind computer screens and don’t physically watch the water levels. That system works very well when you do it right. The Fraser river levels are very important. The system is designed to drain the Sumas Canal (the part that runs thru the valley) into the Fraser. When they let it get backed up it put pressure on the dyke and the weak part burst. Simple science. And yes, the dykes need to be worked on too. Abbotsford has not been maintaining properly for years.

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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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