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Originally published:

April 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 4

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Stories In This Edition

One province, one panel

Groundwater deadline extended

Happy as a pig!

Sidebar: Still waiting

Feds pour millions into tree fruit research

Sidebar: Will local procurement help?>

Editorial: Confined spaces

Back Forty: BC farmers need more than a land bank

Island Good campaign drives local sales

Poultry industry seeks to stop infighting

Good egg!

Egg farmers to receive biggest quota boost ever

New entrant focus

Decision day looms for chicken pricing appeal

Producers look to CanadaGAP for certification

Organic sector undertakes core review

Hopping to it!

Island couple named Outstanding Young Farmers

Turkey consumption continues to decline

BC potato growers enjoy a strong footing

Sudden tree fruit dieback a growing concern

Late season BC cherries in global demand

Farmers’ markets aim to be local food hubs

Field trial hopes to reduce phosphorus levels

Future looking bright for BC dairy producers

BC could benefit from US trade battles

Saputo puts its Courtenay plant out to pasture

The land of milk and salmon

Sidebar: Farming for the future

Out of the hands of BC farmers

Codes of practice need producer input

Preparation essential for wildfire response

Sidebar: Relief announced for drought, fire

Sidebar: Be FireSmart with these tips

New traceability regs to track movement

Agriculture a notable threat to species at risk

Improper pesticide use threatens access

Threat to neonics spurs scare in spud growers

Orchard presses forward with diversification

Climate-smart growing

Staying on top of soil health is key to sound farming

No small potatoes

Farm families need to have affairs in order

Rotary parlours go upscale at two FV dairies

Study compares organic, conventional diets

Advisory service foresees growing demand

Sidebar: Tree fruit cutbacks a concern

Island dairy producers hone first aid skills

Woodshed: And that’s how rumours get their teeth

Research farm showcases small projects

Jude’s Kitchen: Shooting stars of spring

 

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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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Organic sector undertakes core review

COABC seeks higher profile as organics go mainstream

COABC

March 26, 2019 byPeter Mitham

VERNON – Celebrating organics while preparing for the next generation of consumers was a key theme of the annual conference of the Certified Organic Associations of BC in Vernon, February 22-24.

An open discussion on Friday night, a Saturday morning panel and a Sunday roundtable all touched on the challenges the sector faces as organic products become the norm rather than alternatives to conventional offerings.

While last year’s conference in Abbotsford heard from the sector’s pioneers, this year’s meeting looked to build on their foundation to serve the first generation raised in homes where organic products were the norm.

But some noted that forerunners such as Aaran Stephens of Richmond-based organic cereal maker Nature’s Path Foods Inc. were absent.

“He never comes to these conferences anymore,” noted Andrea Gunner during the Saturday morning panel discussion. “People who have been pivotal in growing this industry into much more of the mainstream … should be part of this discussion.”

While the conference attracted close to 200 people, COABC reports 764 producers registered with its certification programs in 2018. Nature’s Path wasn’t the only absence. Some of the province’s largest growers were absent, including some from the Interior.

Krystine McInnes of Athena Farm in Cawston is the largest organic vegetable grower in the Similkameen. She believes COABC is a critical organization for organic growers but as a producer farming 60 acres she would like to see it engage in greater outreach and advocacy on behalf of growers in the face of economic pressures and a variable climate.

“Personally, I don’t feel there is the value for me as a large producer at these events,” she said. “I’d love to see the COABC become a real resource in these times of disaster and crisis, so organic farmers know where they can go and how they can be supported, and to become a leader in – very loudly and relentlessly – educating the public on why supporting BC organic farmers is so important.”

Sessions at this year’s conference addressed some of the issues concerning McInnes, with presentations on business management and climate change, as well as social issues related to Indigenous peoples and seasonal workers.

The challenge of staying relevant isn’t lost on the association, which launched a core review last November to help it become more responsive to the needs of the sector and consumers.

The review coincides with the province’s new organic labelling regulation, which aims to reduce consumer confusion. The regulation kicked in smoothly, but using the word “organic” in business names is still problematic.

The province’s organic specialist, Emma Holmes, says the ministry’s compliance office can’t ticket companies as long as the term isn’t used to describe the company’s products. However, business names are being collected and could be handed over to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for consideration under regulations governing misleading claims.

Rochelle Eisen, a long-time consultant to the sector and president of the Canadian Organic Growers, told the association’s business meeting that COABC membership isn’t growing at the same pace as the rest of the organic sector in BC. She feels it needs to reinvigorate its position in the public square, an element of the five-year strategic plan COABC adopted last year. The core review will assist it in meeting those objectives

Raising the public profile of COABC and the organic sector through greater use of the association’s checkmark logo is something COABC president Carmen Wakeling would like to see.

The logo has accumulated a degree of brand equity that risks being lost if producers don’t exercise it. It provides consumers with a recognizable brand for locally grown organic produce, something Wakeling said supports consumers’ desire to support local growers.

“If we can’t provide that, somebody else will,” she said.

But as farms grow larger, not everyone can use the logo.

Corry Spitters of Oranya Farms in Abbotsford, the province’s largest organic chicken farm, uses the checkmark on his business card. But his meat can’t carry the logo because it’s packaged under the Kirkland brand in a facility not certified through COABC certification bodies.

Such situations are prompting COABC to consider licensing the logo to non-COABC members to identify BC-grown organic products. The idea isn’t popular with everyone, but many endorsed the need to build relationships with other organizations.

“The foundation of it is relationships, and communication,” said Michelle Tsutsumi, who facilitated the round-table discussion. She encouraged more outreach and connections with farmers and the public, and greater engagement with the world beyond the organic sector.

“It’s absolutely essential,” Wakeling said “We’re scary to the world, I think, sometimes.”

She added that growth, even turning a profit, shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing.

“It’s okay to make money,” Wakeling told members. “It’s really important for you to celebrate it.”

She encouraged growers to see the potential to use money for good, rather than act like it’s a bad thing.

“Make sure your company’s making money, make sure you’re paying yourself, and give back,” she said.

 

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