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Originally published:

March 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 3

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Stories In This Edition

ALR sessions closed to public

Kissin’ cousins

Wine spat heads to court

ALR sidebar: Points for review

Budget boosts ag funding for strategic initiatives

AgProud

Editorial: Good intentions

Back forty: Fires, floods and earthquakes: are your ready?

So where do I get a social license

FIRB review pleases commodities

Islands Ag

Dairy outlook faces growing headwinds

Trade negotiations boost grower uncertainties

Chicken price slides despite new pricing formula

Fruit growers elect Dhaliwal president

Growers discuss SVC audits

This little tyke

Orchard app unveiled at BC Tree Fruit forum

Gala celebrates ag leadership

Ag show attendance down from record set last year

Canadian Ag Partnership “open for business”

Weed will be an ag product unlike any other

Sidebar: Crop rich in histroy, controvery

BC MP appointed ag critic

Research money key to berry sector’s future

Sidebar: Weather hurts 2017 blueberry Yields

Cowichan Valley showcases Islands agriculture

Wildfire season offers valuable lessons

Make a plan and get fire smart

Cattle producers must champion codes of practice

Producers need training for disaster response readiness

For the kids

How do I move forward

Pine Butte kicks off bull sales

High-tech grass production showcased on tour

Environmentally friendly weed control

Sidebar: Mixed results

Hazelnut inventory sets industry baseline

Collaboration ups ante in fight against Wireworm

Sidebar: Going for control

New pest game-changers for BC forage producers

Farm safety is a family tradition on island

New varieties key to industry’s future

Successful farm tours pay attention to detail

Sidebar: No detail too small

Research: UBC perfects test of smoke taint in wine grapes

Sensors help nurseries cut water use up to 60%

Producers encouraged to monitor irrigation water quality

Sidebar: Water sampling tips

Urgan farmers take their dreams up country

Processor capacity challenges small scale producers

New entrants give fresh life to old dairy barns

KPU student receives Tim Armstrong award

Wannabe: Hurry up, Spring!

Woodshed: Clay lives up to all of Ashley’s expectations

Jude’s Kitchen: Spring brunch

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23 hours ago

Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #aemcop
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Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today https://bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #AEMCoP
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2 days ago

BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. It's our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. Its our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

https://bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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So much pressure being put on the dairy industry from the US. It’s hard to keep the lobbying at bay. Canadian dairy should supply Canadian tables and the farmers who provide it should be paid what they are worth. There is no such thing as cheap food

Farm Management is key. It can't all be blamed on the government.

Just been watching NZ TV news and the price of food. Most complaining about the price of dairy products due to the fact that domestic prices are high with most production being exported. No supply management.

I really don't understand the concern here. The article literally says 30-40 of 600 BC dairy farms (that's less than 1%) are experiencing financial pressure, likely due to being somewhat overleveraged. Sounds like just some mismanagement rather than a broad policy failure is the cause here.

Whole Food Plant Based eating ...oat milk coconut milk Almond milk soy milk etc

Noooooooo. That’s exactly what this LIB/NDP party wants. They want everyone to cave in to their knees. Don’t do it. It’ll be the end.

A lot of this is government squeeze. Be hungry and compliant!

The government is the eternal enemy of humanity.

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1 week 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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Processor capacity challenges small-scale farmers

Blue Sky Ranch would like growers to unite

March 1, 2018 byMyrna Stark Leader

MERRITT – Small scale abattoirs are closing across BC and that is an increasing concern for small-scale livestock and poultry farmers. The lack of processing capacity means more time spent travelling to the ones that remain. For Blue Sky Ranch, near Merritt, it means Kam Lakeview Meats near Kamloops and Rocana Meats in Salmon Arm. However, booking time is difficult.

“Last year, we had to sell a lot of our market hogs live because we can’t get them killed,” explains Blue Sky’s Julia Smith. “I’ve had to turn away quite a few potentially good corporate customers who would have taken regular shipments because I can’t rely on being able to process that many pigs.”

Smith says there’s no incentive for abattoirs to make accommodations for small-scale producers. The meat processing business and the regulations behind it ultimately end up not serving small-scale producers well.

“One of the accommodations they’ve made is that some farms will qualify for a Class D or E slaughter licence which allows you to slaughter on-farm,” she says. “But the limits imposed make it so that it’s impossible to earn a living from the number of animals you’re allowed to process.”

The licences don’t allow her to sell meat to commercial establishments or outside her regional district. She’s limited to selling directly to local customers which rules out farmers markets in Kelowna and Kamloops.

Smith adds that even if she could slaughter, she can’t butcher. Most people who have Class D and E licenses use them as a back-up when they can’t book into an abattoir. It happens more often than one would expect.

“There’s no motivation for most slaughter facilities to take us. We’re a pain in the ass. I’m bringing in a smaller number of pigs and what we’re seeing more and more is smaller producers being squeezed out because it’s not like any of these guys are making any large sums either, so for the amount of regulation and hassle they have to go through, why would they deal with small-scale producers,” she asks rhetorically.

Not one to sit back, Smith is working with other small-scale meat producers to see how they can resolve common issues. Ideally, she’d like a new industry association to advocate for small-scale meat producers and educate consumers.

“All of us crying out into the wilderness alone is obviously not working. We need somebody to be talking to Victoria. We’re all trying to operate these businesses within a framework that was set up for a completely different type and scale of business,” she says.

There’s a way to address public health and safety and still keep small farms in business, she believes, but individual producers can’t take on the challenges alone.

“We’re already working seven days a week,” she says matter-of-factly. “So you see more and more of us disappearing and going back to work off-farm. Most people I know have off-farm jobs and most people I know are subsidizing the cost of food so people who make more money than we do can buy it.”

For Smith, the value of small-scale agriculture goes beyond the price of a cut of meat.

“When you’re buying my pork, you’re not just buying a piece of meat. I have this hashtag, ‘meat you can feel good about.’ You’re buying peace of mind. You’re supporting small-scale farms – because one day we may not be able to get food from California, for example. We might be sorry we paved over our farms.”

Smith started the farm to change the world but her aspirations have shifted.

“I don’t think I’m going to make a big enough impact to really matter but I know we’ve influenced a good number of people and I sleep really well and I eat really well and I am living the dream by a lot of peoples’ standards,” she says. “I’m off the grid, in nature – it’s beautiful – and doing what I love. That’s worth something.”

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