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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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3 days ago

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production; repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: buff.ly/3sVRF4G
... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production;  repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: https://buff.ly/3sVRF4G
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1 week 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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3 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?

4 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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New waste control rules kick in October 1

Plan now for compliance, consultants say

September 1, 2019 byJackie Pearase

ARMSTRONG—Rules replacing the Agricultural Waste Control Regulation kick in October 1, but producers should take steps now to ensure they’re in compliance.

The province unveiled the Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP) in February. Come October 1, producers need a risk assessment if they plan to apply manure or other nutrients to land located in a high-precipitation area during the shoulder season of February, March or October.

A risk assessment uses factors such as forecasted precipitation, soil type and slope to evaluate the risk of nutrient loss. The assessment will help farmers reduce the risk of contaminated runoff entering surface water.

Agricultural operations with five hectares (12 acres) or more also face deadlines for vulnerable aquifer recharge areas and phosphorus-affected areas coming into effect for different geographical regions. The deadlines trigger a need for some producers to complete a nutrient management plan (NMP) for the next growing season.

NMPs are required if the site has tested high for soil nitrate and phosphorus levels. Fourteen dairy operations in the Hullcar area, north of Armstrong, for example, are required to have NMPs this year.

According to the code, the areas of Cobble Hill, Langley, Abbotsford, Osoyoos, Grand Forks and Spallumcheen must complete an NMP as of July 15, 2020. (Complete details regarding affected regions and deadlines are available at [www.gov.bc.ca/Agricultural-Environmental-Management].

The code also has a list of requirements all producers must follow for treatment of wastewater, setbacks and soil testing for nitrogen and phosphorus.

“I strongly recommend that everybody start doing sampling and see where their results are coming back, and then they’ll know what they have to do down the road when they start having to decide whether they need to do a full nutrient plan themselves or have to bring a QP [qualified professional] in,” certified crop advisor Doug Macfarlane told a group of dairy farmers during a recent farm tour in the North Okanagan. “The sooner everybody sort of gets on and finds out where their fields are, the sooner they can get compliant with everything.”

Macfarlane says getting soil samples prior to October 15 is preferable because before that date the samples only need to be 12 inches whereas the depth goes to 24 inches afterwards because of the risk that fall precipitation may have pushed nutrients deeper.

BC Agriculture Council executive director Reg Ens said implementation of the AEMCoP is going as well as can be expected.

“Given that there’s a long implementation phase, which is what we worked for because we knew it was going to be a lot of change, it’s going pretty good,” he says.

BCAC is working with the province’s agriculture and environment ministries to relay appropriate information to member organizations and commodity groups.

“Agriculture has been tremendous in this process. I really want to give a shout-out to the Ministry of Agriculture,” he notes. “They’ve been working hard to help interpret and implement and put tools in place.”

BCAC’s multifaceted role in the code’s implementation is focused on getting practical information to producers and working with government ministries to ensure nothing is missed.

“There’s little pieces that come out as we dig into the details that people hadn’t thought of or got missed when the regulation was being developed,” says Ens. “We’re making sure those things get tracked and – we don’t decide those things – but making sure the correct people are working on it and getting those questions answered as quickly as possible.”

Macfarlane said having accurate records of farm practices will be key when a problem arises associated with contaminated runoff, even if a producer is not in a high-risk area.

“The Ministry of Environment started saying at the first meetings – and they’re really sticking to it – if something happens somewhere, they’re going to go out and get everybody’s nutrient management plans and find out who’s at fault,” he warns.

Macfarlane does not expect code implementation to be onerous or negatively affect yields.

“There’s been a number of people in the [North Okanagan] area growing crops the last three and four years, and some of them quite a few years longer, that are basically under the same regulations that are coming through now and their crops are really working very nicely,” he says.

Ens says farmers are overwhelmed by regulations but this is one that will benefit the industry.

“Having good environmental regulations is, I think, key for us as an industry,” he says. “We are an industry that relies on clean water, clean air and a healthy environment. That’s what we all want. So having good regulation is critical for us.”

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