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Originally published:

NOVEMBER 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 11

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Stories In This Edition

Apple returns raise alarm

Ottawa urged to fulfil promises

Snow job

New government faces old issues in next term

Caught in the act

Editorial: Time for action

Back 40: Finding the perks in a pandemic world

Viewpoint: Changing times require a flexible vision

Invasive hornet nest destroyed south of Langley

Country Life in BC wins a record eight national awards

US launches investigation into blueberries

Hog producers face changes to code of practice

Growers, wineries welcome sustainability launch

Sustainability program delivers value to industry

Ag Briefs: Ag sector claims $8.5 billion economic impact

Ag Briefs: Farm worker protection funded

Ag Briefs: Autumn calf prices down

Grant programs encourage Indigenous ag projects

Range issues dominate NOLA meeting

Sidebar: BCV Cattlemen critique water intentions

BC Beef plant in Falkland ready to process this month

Winter warning

Corn trial results help make better planting decisions

Sidebar: Sweet results

New barn promises better egg production

ALR co-founder, defender embraces retirement

Seed sppliers seeing sustained demand as 2021 orders begin

Research: Breeding crops for the future means looking backwards

Straight ahead

Potatoes head for record-breaking harvest

Weather posed challenges for garlic growers

Garlic groewrs employ mixed marketing strategies

Association aims to foster collaboration

Demand boosts interest in older cider apples

Evans Farms marks a century of ranching

Farm Story: Nominees announced for seasonal awards

Bursary winner plants roots in Cawston

Provincial Winter Fair hosts live 4-H events

Woodshed: Janice Newberry bids farewell to love-sick Henderson

Where there’s a will, there’s gotta be a way

Jude’s Kitchen: Autumn Eats

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9 hours 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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5 days 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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New barn promises better egg production

Multimillion-dollar facility puts emphasis on comfort, automation

Andrew Penner has taken over his parents’ layer operation, investing in a new aviary setup that’s the largest of its kind in the world. PHOTO / RONDA PAYNE

November 1, 2020 byRonda Payne

ABBOTSFORD – Many young farmers face necessary upgrades to facilities when they take on the family business. Sometimes, maintaining the status quo isn’t always an option.

Andrew and Stephanie Penner went big when they took over their layer operation from Andrew’s parents two years ago. The barns were already at capacity and they knew the timing was right to build for the future, not just for now.

Nest Egg Poultry is now the largest aviary facility of its kind in the world according to Tyler de Boer with AgPro West Supply. The multi-million dollar operation is outfitted with a Big Dutchman Natura Step XL Aviary system, which de Boer describes as the big brother of other aviary systems.

“The main [difference] is its width,” he says. “It allows for more birds while complying [with] any regulations.”

As a third-generation egg farmer, 34-year-old Andrew Penner watched his family farm grow to slightly more than 20,000 birds, all of them in conventional cage housing.

“We knew we had to move out of cage systems. It was the time to decide,” he says. “I decided I wanted to be in specialty, so went with the aviary, free run.”

Building new also allowed him to build for expansion. The new facility, developed over the course of a year, effectively doubles the farm’s capacity to 40,000 birds. It’s laid out as two barn units under a single roof. Each barn has a capacity of 20,000 birds. Penner plans to sit at 11,000 per barn (22,000 total) for a while by adding quota credits to his current quota level that allows for slightly more than 20,000 birds. He may consider expanding to as many as 35,000 in the future.

While currently built for free-run production, with a few minor modifications, the new barns will accommodate free range or organic. Free range would require installation of a fence and windows would need to be installed in pre-framed spaces to qualify for organic certification. (A change to feed is also required.)

The barns are designed for maximum bird comfort. Computer controls and sensors monitor and allow the Penners to control temperature, carbon dioxide and ammonia in addition to the custom ventilation system.

“Andrew is being progressive in wanting the best quality of life for the birds,” says de Boer.

In conventional barns, manure piles up but the aviary system’s conveyors ensure manure is removed.

“Barns used to live for a cycle and now we’re moving the manure regularly,” says de Boer. “It’s better for the birds.”

Specialty production

Penner isn’t the only one seeing the benefits of specialty egg production. BC Egg reports that more than 44% of BC eggs are a specialty product, with 14.5% produced in enriched environments, 8.6% free run, 9.2% free range and 11.9% organic.

Scott Janzen, who ships to Island Gold, also has layers in the Fraser Valley.

“We have farmed with an aviary system – both free range and free run. The Penners came to see ours and to decide which way to go. I call it a jungle gym for chickens,” he says of the aviary system. “You have to farm it a bit differently. You have to see them, smell what they’re smelling, hear what they’re saying.”

He feels that more Grade A eggs come out of a system like the Penners, helping meet rising demand for cage-free production. The Penners’ ship their eggs to Island Gold, which distributes them across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

The Penners’ first batch of birds, Novogen pullets, came to the barns at 15 to 18 weeks old and have been specifically reared to an aviary system environment by Abbotsford-based Pacific Pride Chicks.

Attached to the barn is the automated Damtech egg packer which de Boer says has the smallest footprint of anything on the market. It moves eggs from the barns’ conveyors into flats. Flats stack up at the end of the packing line where they’re transferred to a cooler to await pickup.

Having strong family relationships is “huge” to making such a large undertaking work, says Penner. He says the family talks a lot about the operation. While it’s his now, he also values the wisdom and experience his parents bring.

 

 

 

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