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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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1 day 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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2 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.

2 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?

3 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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4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
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Oregon hazelnut optimism inspires BC growers

New varieties put a damper on EFB angst

September 3, 2019 byBarbara Johnstone Grimmer

ALBANY, OR—Close to 900 hazelnut growers attended the annual Nut Growers Society of Oregon, Washington & BC (NGS) summer tour in Albany, Oregon on July 31. The event included a bus tour, seminars and a trade show that attracted growers from all three jurisdictions, including members of the BC Hazelnut Growers Association (BCHGA).

The highlight was a tour of Wayne Chambers’ orchard, which has the oldest field-grown examples of the Eastern Filbert Blight-resistant varieties developed at Oregon State University.

Chambers has worked closely with OSU since graduating in 1963, the same year that he married his wife Joann and started his hazelnut orchard. Early on, Chambers and OSU worked together on field-testing the results of the hazelnut breeding programs at OSU, starting with scion grafting.

“Wayne’s willingness to provide test plots for OSU has paved the way for us,” says NGS president Christy Cook.

Some EFB-resistant varieties in his orchard are 14 years old. Chambers’ farm has tested 150 varieties in on-farm trials, growing them to maturity. This allows for long-term study and extends the research capacity of OSU, which removes trees after 10 years of evaluation.

“OSU has been saving our bacon; we wouldn’t be able to stay in business if it wasn’t for Oregon State,” says Chambers.

Attention to detail

OSU orchard crops extension specialist Nik Wiman and senior faculty research assistant of the OSU hazelnut breeding program, David Smith, described the various research plots and trees at Chambers’ orchard. Although some varieties in this orchard are susceptible to EFB, diligent pruning and spraying has kept the disease at bay.

“Freedom from disease due to attention to detail,” explains Smith.

The tour also included Paul Kuehne’s new 170-acre orchard, drip-irrigated and drained by soil type. Yamhill, Wepster, York and McDonald varieties were planted using a GPS grid in a 20×10 diamond using an auger. Tree covers are used initially to protect trees from herbicides and sun scald, but after the first year they are removed and the trunks painted with white latex paint.

“Mice were a problem, and suckers are hard to control with covers,” says Kuehne, “Covers help and hurt, so we use them for a bit when they are most useful.”

Bacterial blight has been observed in the new orchard, with York and McDonald most affected at 25% and 10%, respectively. Wepster and Yamhill are more resistant to blight, with only 1% to 2% of trees affected. As a result, Kuehne had the main trees infected cut out and allowed the suckers to grow back. These were treated with two applications of copper spray in the fall.

Tour

The tour drove through Cascade Foods, a hazelnut processing facility in Albany, just down the road from the 100-year-old Groshong orchards with Hall’s Giant hazelnuts, some on Turkish rootstock.

Education sessions included an organic growers roundtable on pest management, pesticide management, water rights and a demonstration of soil erosion prevention through cover cropping and residue management.

The event included a trade show with over 100 exhibitors, including equipment distributors, processors, extension resources, irrigation companies, plant suppliers and more.

Manager at Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board and NGS director Polly Owen, namesake for the new “Polly-O” hazelnut variety, says EFB resistance breeding will continue, as well as working on other challenges and opportunities for the industry.

“We are seeing more people in hazelnuts, more leading-edge technology and sophistication,” says Owen, who is not alone in her optimism.

Hazelnut growers from BC who attended included both new and established growers and processors. The maturity of the hazelnut industry in Oregon and the opportunities for growth were apparent to BC growers.

“BC hazelnuts are in demand,” says Cornel Van Maren of Chilliwack, who has a new 20-acre orchard.

“It is great to see how much extension support there is in the US,” says Niels Jorgensen of Campbell River, who is preparing his land for planting.

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