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Originally published:

MARCH 2022
Vol. 108 Issue 3

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Stories In This Edition

Lucky chickens

$227m rebuild fund

Glyphosate shortage looms

Province opens ALR to agritech development

Editorial: Divorced from the earth

Back 40: Broken supply chain weakens food system

Viewpoint: BC’s emergency response needs improvement

Building back better means avoiding past mistakes

Sidebar: Grand Forks initiative protects farms

Rural, urban areas prepare for extreme weather

Ag Briefs: Property owner appeals BC SPCA seizure

Ag Briefs: Province sued over mind ban

Farm income projected to reach new heights

Potato growers brace for higher input costs

Keeping cranberries cool a hot topic

Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas

Sidebar: Farmers need not apply

Diversification drives growth of organic farm

Leadership skills can help farmers cope with disaster

Winter rainbow

Compost facilities facing pushback

Cheese leads the way as BC dairies seek capacity

Island yogurt producer boosting production

Grape growers prepare for climate change

The perfect solution for farmers on the go

Small-lot egg producer awarded quota

Sidebar: Future quota draws likely limited

Broiler health in spotlight for small-lot farmers

Pest data helps with management decisions

Research: Researchers discover a world of apple microbiomes

Farms meet the demand for local food

Better berry harvester meets growers’ needs

Farm Story: Spring demands the old heave-ho

Safety in the spotlight as farms recover

Woodshed: Henderson style has chins wagging

Chilliwack teams plow past the century mark

Jude’s Kitchen: Spring has sprung! Time to make bread!

 

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20 hours ago

According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

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According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

#BCAg
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2 days ago

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organization's future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in Februa#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organizations future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in February.

#BCAg
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4 days ago

Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this year's Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

tinyurl.com/45bdd#BCAg#BCAg
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Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this years Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

https://tinyurl.com/45bddtw8

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Wahoo! Congrats Shannon! I love your produce. Can’t wait for the radishes 🫜

Congratulations!

Well done!! 🩷🩷🩷

5 days ago

New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those who've been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and don't let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leader's story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: tinyurl#BCAg2uw53vvm

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New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those whove been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and dont let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leaders story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: https://tinyurl.com/2uw53vvm

#BCAg
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7 days ago

War in the Middle East is delivering a generational shock to BC farm input costs, with nitrogen fertilizer prices already 60% above pre-pandemic levels and rising fast. Okanagan Fertilizer president Ken Clancy says supply shortfalls are expected as Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions tighten global supplies and demand surges. BCAC says it's monitoring the situation and ready to advocate for government relief measur#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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Fertilizer, fuel costs soar amid Iran conflict

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ENDERBY – War in the Middle East has delivered a generational shock to energy prices, meaning BC farmers can expect a prolonged period of higher costs, not just for fuel but also for fertilizer.
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Province opens ALR to agritech development

Regulation change takes effect in August

SHELVES, NOT ROWS: Vertical farms are another way the province hopes to boost food security as it embraces regenerative agriculture and agritech. SUBMITTED

March 1, 2022 byPeter Mitham

ABBOTSFORD – Vertical farms will no longer have to seek permission from the Agricultural Land Commission to set up on protected farmland under a host of changes announced

February 20.

“We are making changes to support agritech and intensive crop production, like vertical farming, on the Agricultural Land Reserve,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham said in a sparsely attended Saturday morning news conference on the Family Day long weekend. “Regulatory updates are needed to ensure there is clarity about which new innovative systems are allowed on the ALR.”

Popham said the move addresses a host of pressing issues, including food security, economic assistance to Abbotsford following the devastating November floods, and climate change.

“The future of farming and food production here in BC is one where we must consider all options,” says Popham, who considers vertical farms a natural extension of greenhouse systems. “Vertical farming will create even more opportunities to increase the food supply in the province, allowing farmers new options to produce more food year-round in more challenging climates.”

In addition to the rule change, the province is also pressing ahead with its Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network, an agritech concierge overseen by the BC Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation and an agritech centre of excellence.

The announcement makes good on a recommendation the BC Food Security Task Force made in January 2020 to open the ALR for agritech development. It proposed setting aside more than 28,400 acres of protected farmland for agritech and agri-industrial uses. Popham downplayed criticism at the time, but the new proposal goes a step further by greenlighting agritech ventures across the ALR.

The exact wording of the new regulation has not been released.

Richmond’s Harold Steves, who was instrumental in establishing the ALR in 1973, called out the province on Twitter.

“This #BCNDP Government has destroyed more farmland than all other governments combined since the #ALR saved farmland in 1973,” he says. “Just as we were getting resigned to the loss of 10,000 acres at #SiteC we are faced with the loss of more farmland to industry.”

Shaundehl Runka, a former land commissioner who served on the task force Popham set up in 2018 to recommend ways to revitalize the ALR, expressed frustration. She called out the original proposal to create an agri-industrial zone within the ALR, and the current proposal is no better.

“This is another thinly veiled excuse to use less expensive ALR land for a use that could be located elsewhere. It is no different than monster homes or other types of industrial activity locating on ALR land,” she says. “This is exactly the kind of land use pressure that led to the creation of the ALR.”

She wonders why the province isn’t creating opportunities for new farmers to secure land within the ALR.

“It is shocking to hear that government will be helping agri-tech industry to secure land in the ALR,” she says. “They could instead be helping young farmers enter the land market for agriculture or existing farmers to expand.”

Opposition agriculture critic and Delta South MLA Ian Paton echoed the concerns.

“God knows they’ve covered up enough prime farmland in Delta with greenhouses, which is almost the same as vertical farming. Instead of growing lettuce, they’re growing cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. But it’s all, basically, on a concrete floor,” he says.

Moreover, controlled-environment systems like greenhouses and vertical farms are typically beyond the means of new entrants, unless they’re extremely well capitalized.

“It’s cost-prohibitive,” he says. “There’s only 12 vertical farms in all of Canada. And why is that? This is something that people with suits and ties get into from downtown Vancouver, not conventional farmers.”

Changes to provincial regulations typically require a period of public feedback. However, Popham did not indicate any chance for public input. Instead, she said the change will take effect in August through an order-in-council.

Paton plans to challenge the rule change in the legislature.

 

 

 

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