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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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4 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

1 month 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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2 months ago

The scale of this year's avian flu outbreak now rivals the massive outbreak of 2004. An additional 13 commercial farms in the Fraser Valley have tested positive in the last week. To date, 49 commercial farms and 1.2 million birds have been impacted. CFIA is struggling to keep up with depopulation of sick birds. ... See MoreSee Less

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AI outbreak rivals 2004

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The scale of this year’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza now rivals the massive outbreak of 2004 that saw farms throughout the Fraser Valley depopulated. An additional 13 commercial…
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Commercial operations need to reevaluate their stocking densities and overall health and welfare of the animals within their systems if they are ever going to have a fighting chance against this virus.

Yup cause food shortage

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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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