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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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New entrants face scrutiny, but no waitlist

Dairy applicants must have basic dairy training, experience to receive quota

September 5, 2018 byDavid Schmidt

ABBOTSFORD – Are you genuinely interested in becoming a dairy farmer?

Having finally cleared its waitlist, the BC Milk Marketing Board has released details of its revised New Entrant Program (NEP). Unlike previous iterations, the new NEP will not include a waitlist.

“Waiting 10 or 15 years to get started is not workable,” says BCMMB chair Ben Janzen.

Under the new program, new entrants will receive 15 kgs of Continuous Daily Quota. At today’s quota price, that represents a value of $577,500. The board will also provide a matching grant of up to eight kgs of CDQ if the new entrant purchases additional quota, and give new entrants priority status on the quota exchange.

If a new entrant receives the maximum available grant of 23 kgs of quota by purchasing eight kgs of CDQ, the total holding of 31 kgs will still only be enough for about 22 to 25 cows.

Janzen admits that may not be enough to create a viable dairy farm but says the NEP’s objective is to assist new farmers get into the industry.

“The objective has never been to give someone a farm. Dairy farming is not a cheap business to get into,” he says.

The amount of quota new entrants will receive was the subject of considerable discussion, he adds.

“We have quite a few farms with less than 50 kgs of CDQ and it wouldn’t be appropriate to give a new entrant a quota holding that would be larger than a significant number of existing farmers,” he explains.

The BCMMB will accept applications for the first round from November 2018 through January 2019. The board intends to bring in three applicants the first year and six every other year thereafter. Applicants who are unsuccessful in one round may apply in future rounds. There will be a $250 non-refundable fee for all applications.

To be eligible, applicants must be at least 19 years of age and permanent residents of BC. Spouses may submit only one application, and neither the applicant nor spouse should have had any prior interest in any supply-managed quota in Canada. While those criteria are common to all BC supply-managed NEPs, the BCMMB has added a significant additional requirement: applicants must have at least two years on-farm dairy experience or have completed a DairyPro apprenticeship or similar program.

“We want people who have some basic experience or training in dairying,” Janzen explains.

All eligible applicants will go into a random draw in which eight (16 in subsequent draws) applicants will be chosen. Those applications will then go to a selection committee consisting of a board-appointed chair, two agri-business representatives, a financial services representative, one current producer chosen by the BC Dairy Association, one existing NEP producer and one BCMMB staff member. The selection committee will not include any BCMMB directors.

Applicants chosen in the draw will then have to submit a proposed farm location, five-year specific business plan, 10-year general business plan, two letters of reference and a brief essay describing why they want to become a dairy farmer and how the program will assist them.

The selection committee will review and score each application. Applicants can improve their score by proposing to serve a needed niche market. The top three applicants will be invited to become new entrants and given a year to come into production.

That is still not the end of the process, however. New entrants will be prohibited from merging their NEP quota with an exempt family transfer for 10 years. If they accept an exempt transfer during that time, the NEP quota they have been granted will be clawed back. They will also be required to personally carry out the proAction on-farm validation and attend at least one regional producer meeting each year for the first five years and provide a written update of their progress and/or challenges as new farmers.

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