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FEBRUARY 2023
Vol. 108 Issue 2

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7 days 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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2 weeks 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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Organic growers discuss challenges

Anna Helmer

March 4, 2020 byPeter Mitham

Research, policy and farm tours were on the agenda as the Certified Organic Associations of BC gathered in Richmond for its annual conference on February 28-March 1.

A key theme running through the conference, however, was how to explain organic agriculture to a new generation. With the title, “The Future of Organic,” several speakers touched on the challenges facing organic agriculture as it becomes mainstream and production increases.

Keynote speaker Dag Falck, organic program manager with Nature’s Path Foods Inc., warned listeners against carpetbagger corporations lacking a complete picture of what organic production is about.

“These companies are riding on the wave,” he said. “There’s lots of opportunities for greenwashing, or what I call fraud.”

Organic agriculture is about more than not using pesticides or chemicals, he said, but about soil health. While a growing number of initiatives talk about engaging in regenerative agriculture – a term whose popularity peaked in the early 1990s, and found a place in the names of groups such as the BC Association for Regenerative Agriculture – Falck said organic producers need to reclaim the term.

“Stand up for organic and put us on the map in this regenerative conversation,” he urged. “We’re going to lose if we don’t start telling out story.”

Soil health was the focus of Pemberton potato farmer and Country Life in BC columnist Anna Helmer’s presentation on biodynamics. Kickstarted by Austria’s Rudolf Steiner in a lecture 1924, the movement developed a series of practices now certified by Demeter. However, it also has its share of skeptics who question its more esoteric aspects. Helmer was one, but was won over by the effects she saw in her fields.

“The soil gets it, and that’s what matters,” she said.

Practical lessons in organic agriculture were showcased during tours of demonstration farms at UBC and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

A highlight of the conference was a Saturday evening banquet, which extended thanks to former executive director Jen Gamble as well as Carmen Wakeling, who stepped down after five years as president. DeLisa Lewis (right), who farms near Duncan, won the Brad Reid Memorial Award for her service to the industry as both a mentor and an accreditation board member, while Jon and Sher Alcock of Sunshine Farm in Kelowna received the Bedrock Award for their work as seed suppliers to the organic sector in BC and community builders who provide meaningful work to people living with mental health issues and other challenges.

“Sunshine Farm is an invaluable resource to the entire farming community,” said Rebecca Kneen in presenting the Alcocks with their award.

 

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