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Originally published:

December 2017
Vol. 103 Issue 12

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Stories In This Edition

Body cams are out

Turkey allocation reviewed

Meet ‘n’ Greet

Producers take concerns to Victoria

Editorial: Double standard

Back Forty: Perception is in the eyes of the beholder

Viewpoint: Trade negotiations creating uncertainty

Cattlemen speak out about groundwater licensing debacle

Sweet reward

WorkSafeBC set to lower most rates

Salmon farm debate raises concern for range tenures

Sidebar: Good relationships on the range

Breweries allowed

FIRB’s quota review is taking too long

Dairy farming under the microscope

Technology key to the fortunes of dairies of all sizes

BC Tree Fruit election may prompt legal action

Disease control worries honey producers

Beekeepers risk dumping charge

Honey in the house

Crop insurnace claims up

Stockmen receive update on wildfire recovery

Property assessments set for major shift after fires

Water access for range cattle

Compensation possible in Island sheep kills

Fall at its finest

Protection program has helped ranchers

Fair boards encouraged to sign up for Premises ID

Meadow Valley meats eyes new slaughterhouse

Potential for termination of Site C cause for hope

Jack Frost nips crops on heels of hot summer

Six-digit cattle attract deep-pocketed ownership teams

Kelowna seeks input on the future of local water management

West Kelowna pursues bylaw for worker housing

Sidebar: Taking the next step

Agri-tourism regulation has little impact on farmers

Privacy, conflict of interest need good protocols

Sidebar: Field media requests with confidence

Vernon orchardists develop award winning orchard

Seed growers find support at gathering

Photo bomb

Cleaner water promises greener greenhouses

4-H BC on the move

Entrepeneurs squeeze a profit from pressed fruit

Research: Heritage turkeys add a touch of nostalgia

4-H Canada’s top scholarship awarded to BC member

Woodshed: Awkward moments abound as date night nears

Langley meadery finds the sweet spot

Entertaining tidbits

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1 month ago

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production; repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: buff.ly/3sVRF4G
... See MoreSee Less

The province has extended the Canada-BC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program deadline from June 1 to Aug. 31. The program helps farmers cover uninsured expenses caused by damages in the November 2021 floods, including cleanup, repair and restoration of land, barns and animal shelters, and water and waste systems; returning flood-affected land and buildings to a safe state for agricultural production;  repairing uninsurable essential farm infrastructure; repairing structures such as livestock-containment fences; renting temporary production facilities; installing drainage ditches and land-stabilization materials; animal welfare activities such as replacing feed, transporting livestock, veterinary care and mortality disposal; and
replacing perennial plants not grown for sale. Program criteria and application forms are available online: https://buff.ly/3sVRF4G
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1 month 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 months 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 months 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?

2 months 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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Property assessments set for major shift after fires

Wildfire

December 1, 2017 byPeter Mitham

VICTORIA – BC Assessment Authority staff continue to comb through data and identify properties damaged by this summer’s wildfires in advance of issuing assessment notices at the end of December.

“We’re continuing to identify new properties as we speak,” Duane Bates, acting vice- president of assessment with the authority told Country Life in BC last month.

Northern BC, the assessment region that includes the hard- hit Cariboo, counted 246,000 properties assessed at more than $60 billion last year.

The new assessment roll could see that value dip, as assessors take into account the loss to an untold number of properties.

Working with data from local governments as well as local emergency services, news articles and homeowner reports, assessors have been able to identify most of the properties affected by the wildfires. However, 140 properties were sent notices because the available data was inconclusive.

“We only sent letters where we had anticipation that we might have property damage and we weren’t able to verify that through any other source such as local government, regional districts [and] emergency services,” Bates explained. “Other properties, we’re still working with emergency services and local government.”

Affected property owners were contacted and asked to self- report, much as property owners around the province are asked to do from time to time as part of BC Assessment’s intermittent reviews of roll information.

“No matter what we do, the best information is always the property owner’s,” Bates said. “The property owner always knows what the property is like and what condition it’s in and what impact it’s had.”

November was a critical month for assessors. While the assessed value of properties for the 2018 roll is the value they’re deemed to have had at July 1, 2017, the value is assigned to the condition of the properties on October 31. The wildfires that struck between those two dates mean the calculation isn’t straight- forward this year.

“So if there was no buildings left on the property because of damage by October, we’re going to value that property as a vacant property and we’ll look at what the value would have been for a vacant property in July,” Bates explained.

Bates encourages property owners to stay in touch with the authority to ensure the assessment roll remains accurate. Should the assessments issued in January look out of whack with conditions on the ground, BC Assessment is open to making changes.

“Give us a call right away. We can make changes without putting them through the process of an appeal,” he said. “We’ll work with you – our goal is to get that assessment accurate.”

Moreover, if property owners want to know the impact reconstruction will have on future assessments, authority staff can provide guidance.

Unlike other jurisdictions hit hard by wildfires this year, such as states in the US, a single assessor values properties in BC. This increases the chances that property owners will receive equitable treatment across the province.

California landowners, by contrast, are assessed at the county level, increasing the chance of variations in how properties are treated following disasters such as wildfires.

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