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Originally published:

FEBRUARY 2022
Vol. 108 Issue 2

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Stories In This Edition

Grain prices hit chicken growers

Farmers helping farmers

Groundwater deadline firm

IAFBC takes over environmental programs

Editorial: Spring shadows

Back 40: Old tractors pull loads of memories

Viewpoint: Animal agriculture is in the crosshairs

Dairy farmers assured recovery funding on its way

BC SPCA hits pause

Soaring fertilizer prices add to cost pressures

Higher milk prices, costs raise stakes at retail

Growers face recertification challenges

Ag Briefs: Omicron forces rescheduling of ag shows

Ag Briefs: Sumas Prairie farmers sue government

Ag Briefs: BC Tree sells another property

Weather deals another blow to berry growers

Cherry growers assessing winter damage

Grape growers grapple with cold damage

Sidebar: Grape bud hardiness index

Farmers face delays from lab closures

Forage council sets sights on growth

Farmers step up in emergency operations

The birds come first at B Jack

Ranchers waiting for federal fencing funds

Integrated control strategy keeps predators at bay

Sidebar: By the numbers

Peace producers work to expand meat processing

BC goats to benefit from genetics investment

Robson Valley family realizes its dreams

Creamery builds a taste for local connections

Research: Scientists learn how plants respond to heat stress

Blueberry growers on the hunt for pollination options

Viewpoint: Diversity, equity, inclusion is an ongoing process

Farm Story: Positive results arent always sensational

Sweet

Woodshed: Clay makes his intentions known to Ashley

FCC gives 4-H clubs a financial boost

Jude’s Kitchen: For your sweetie

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4 days 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.

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?

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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Peace producers work to expand meat processing capacity

Peace producers work to expand meat processing capacity Site C fund supports development of a new red meat plant

Christoph Weder is getting ready to launch a slaughter, cut and wrap facility at his ranch in Hudson’s Hope that will benefit not just his own operation but other beef and bison producers in the region. SUBMITTED

February 1, 2022 byKate Ayers

HUDSON’S HOPE – BC farmers and ranchers continue to grapple with meat processing challenges in the province. Despite government efforts to amend licensing and financial supports, livestock and poultry producers struggle to get their meat products to market.

The issue is particularly acute in remote areas of the province. While many can have small-scale plants, larger facilities are more challenging despite the proliferation of small-scale producers.

This is where a $50,000 grant to Christoph Weder of Venator Ranches Ltd. in Hudson’s Hope by the BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund is set to make a difference.

Weder is launching a slaughter, cut and wrap facility on his operation to increase the harvest of beef and bison in the Peace region.

Announced in December, the funding will help finance the construction of a provincially licensed processing facility. The project is one of 19 projects funded during the latest round of awards.

“We will basically be 90% complete by April and hope to have our licence in place by mid-summer and start slaughtering by September,” says Weder.

His goal is to process 30 animals a week, equating to 1,500 animals a year. “I have three full-time staff that we will involve in the slaughtering side of things. We’ll only slaughter one day a week and process four days a week,” Weder says.

The new facility will serve cattle and bison producers from Fort St. John, Chetwynd, Hudson’s Hope and Peace River Valley, but the plant will also have an immediate impact on the viability of Weder’s business.

“I ran a meat company called Heritage Angus Beef for 10 years and sold it, so this is not new to me, how to market meat. There’s a great opportunity in BC with five million consumers and not a whole lot of processing on the beef side of things,” says Weder.

There are 22 provincial plants licensed for cattle but they handled just 22,584 animals last year or about 5% of the BC herd. Other initiatives, like the new BC Beef Producers Inc. plant in Westwold, have yet to become operational, while others have stalled due to challenges securing labour.

Weder has relied to date on the two provincially licensed red meat plants in the Peace River Regional District, Lawrence Meat Packing in Dawson Creek and South Peace Colony Meats in Farmington, but accessing them requires driving at least two and half hours one way – a significant amount of time and expense.

With strong demand for local meat, building his own plant is a move that makes sense.

“We’re doing really well with direct sales,” says Weder. “We wouldn’t be able to expand unless we built this plant because there are only two other plants in Peace Country that can custom process our stuff. [Both] of them are at full capacity and there’s no way we can grow our business based on using their facilities.”

The completion of Weder’s abattoir will “improve the economic bottom line of  beef and bison producers through increased farm gate sales,” Northern Development Initiative Trust said in a statement announcing the grants.

“This funding for Venator Ranches’ slaughter, cut and wrap facility will provide extensive benefits to cattle and bison producers in the area,” says Northern Development’s CEO Joel McKay.

Also funded through Northern Development and BC Hydro is the new Agricultural Impact and Opportunities Initiative.

“This is a proposal-based initiative that provides grant funding for large-scale agriculture projects that will benefit the agriculture and agri-foods economy in the Peace Region. The deadline for applying to the AIOI is February 11,” says McKay.

To further expand access to custom harvesting for small producers, the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association plans to build an on-farm red meat abattoir in Rose Prairie to process beef, pork and sheep. As of September 2021, about $130,000 had been invested in the project.

SSMPA will continue to work on securing funding from the Northern Development Initiative Trust for the  facility. It applied for funding during the latest intake for the BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund but was not successful.

 

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