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Originally published:

January 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 1

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Stories In This Edition

Province signals ALR changes

Winter wonderland

Growers support piece rates

High-priced harvest heading for sweet success

Editorial: A new start

Back Forty: The service economy steps away from the land

Viewpoint: Subsistence farming is a thing of the past, isn’t it?

Cherry growers see record crop losses in 2019

Agricultural impacts from new rail trail sought

Small farmers raise concerns about CanadaGap

BC food costs set to rise

Farmers’ institutes gather for second annual meeting

Foodlands trust initiative inches forward

Sidebar: Two proponents short-listed for Sandown farm

Shifting climate brings changes to vineyard practices

Bright future

Processing plant will cut transportation costs

Date change bolsters turnout at dairy meetings

BC Holstein set pace for Canada in 2019

Trade deals remain top issue

Dairy honours Jim Thompson

BC’s largest farm show kicks off new year

Pacific Ag Show keeps up with changing times

Sidebar: Ag innovation day

Sidebar: CannaTech West back for second year

Popular dairy tour will feature lots of variety

Sidebar: Dairy Expo continues at ag show

Bison could be key to climate change resilence

Research: Clay improves degradability of dairy feed

Consumers, producers need mutual understanding

Deep learning helps root out weeds

Langley farmers see beauty in small lots

Commission offers new guide for hog production

Young farmers are making global waves

Fatal sheep diseases are largely preventable

Labour of love keeps historic farm in family

Glyphosate may be safe, but its days are numbered

Woodshed: Susan embarks on her secret rendevous

Farm Story: The farm roars headlong into winter

Jude’s Kitchen: Comforting crockpot meals keep it simple

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4 days ago

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays. ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays.
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Patti 😊

6 days ago

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7 days ago

The top five issues the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity identified in a recent survey were the cost of food, inflation, the cost of energy, keeping healthy food affordable and the Canadian economy. “We are seeing that environmental concerns are not in the top 10,” says Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle Association’s public and stakeholder engagement program. “If you are concerned about being able to afford to feed your family, the environment becomes less important.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Ranchers get the backstory on public perception

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VERNON – Ranchers might be concerned about how the public sees their industry, but a producer-funded team at the Canadian Cattle Association has their back. Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle...
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1 week ago

BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million. ... See MoreSee Less

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Lake Country packing house sold

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BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million.
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Who bought it ffs ?

Ted Nedjelski Karen Turner

One of my first jobs was apple grading in a packing plant in Vernon

Vivian, is this where you worked?

I’d hear the company that owns the big Cannabis company that owns the green houses all around this packing plant was buying up everything around to expand. Wonder if it’s them that got it.

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1 week ago

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Association's preparation for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/ ... See MoreSee Less

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Associations preparation  for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/
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Processing plant will cut transportation costs

Milk concentrate will halve volumes being moved

January 1, 2020 byDavid Schmidt

VANCOUVER – The Western Milk Pool (WMP) has taken the first step in decreasing the cost of moving milk around the four western provinces and potentially increasing processing capacity in the West.

“We have been working on strategies (to reduce freight costs and increase processing capacity) for the past three years,” BC Milk Marketing Board director Tom Hoogendoorn told producers at the BCMMB fall producer meeting in Vancouver, November 27.

To do that, WMP has formed Dairy Innovation West (DIW), a new company jointly owned by the four western milk marketing boards. DIW will build a new dairy concentration facility near Red Deer, Alberta. Construction will begin in April, with completion by March 2021.

The first facility of its kind in Canada, DIW will remove water from raw milk to create concentrated whole milk, concentrated skim milk, ultra-filtered milk and cream and permeate for use by dairy processors. In itself, DIW will not increase capacity. Instead,  it will be part of the “transportation infrastructure,” reducing milk volume by at least 50%.

As fewer larger plants replace smaller plants, it has become necessary for the WMP to move milk longer distances, often across provincial borders. Reducing the volume of milk being moved will reduce freight costs for producers throughout the WMP.

“It’s the future of milk movement,” Hoogendoorn said, with WMP chair Harry Hartman of Manitoba adding it will ensure the pool gets “the right amount of milk to the right plant at the right time.”

Holtman stressed that it will also reduce the industry’s environmental footprint.

“By halving the number of trucks moving milk across provinces, it will reduce trucking emissions by 50%.”

Vitalus under contract

The plant will be financed through the WMP transportation fund and operated under contract by Abbotsford-based Vitalus Nutrition Inc. Vitalus already has drying and processing plants in Abbotsford and Winnipeg. The plant is intended to be a non-profit enterprise although no one would say when producers will see a payback through decreased freight charges.

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have already approved DIW but it still needs BC’s approval. BCMMB chair Ben Janzen says producers “overwhelmingly” supported the concept at recent closed-door meetings and BCMMB is now working through the regulatory requirements with the BC Farm Industry Review Board and the BC Ministry of Agriculture.

Both Janzen and Vitalus president Philip Vanderpol say the new plant, which will be able to handle 300 million litres, will not initially increase processing capacity.

“The capacity of the dryers has not changed but they will now receive a combination of raw and concentrated milk,” Vanderpol explained.

“We still need to work on getting more processing capacity,” Janzen said, adding that may be on its way.

“If we can get the volume of milk we need, we can make that happen,” he said coyly.

Vanderpol is more forthcoming, saying the concentrated milk will allow processors to increase capacity at a lower cost.

“It’s definitely something I’m considering,” he said.

 

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