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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 Cattleâ...
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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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Province signals ALR changes

New year, new rules for landowners

January 1, 2020 byPeter Mitham

RICHMOND – Changes are coming to what’s allowed within the Agricultural Land Reserve, but ongoing fallout from regulations introduced last winter following the passage of Bill 52 are prompting the province to give landowners a heads-up.

“There’s a sense of urgency on some of these issues that would make us want to move quickly,” assistant deputy minister of agriculture James Mack told a gathering of farmers institute representatives in Richmond on November 29.

The meeting, the second annual gathering of farmers institutes organized by BC agriculture minister Lana Popham, marked the final bilateral meeting in a public consultation process on supporting farming in the ALR that began September 19 in Merville. The consultation included eight public meetings that attracted 626 people as well as an online survey that drew 1,832 responses. Bilateral meetings were held with stakeholder groups.

“People really doubted whether this process was authentic,” Mack said. “We have an accountability to show authenticity by actually doing some stuff, quickly.”

Signalling future directions is part of being publicly accountable. A summary report of what was heard during the consultation will also be published.

“We are trying to change and engage with people and give people a heads-up,” he said. “They’ll know what we heard, and [have] a sense of where we’re going from here.”

Secondary residences, fill and value-added activities were among the key issues during the consultation, Mack told institute representatives.

“If anything was a big, dominant theme, it was that one,” Mack said of secondary residences, noting that modular homes were a primary example. And it wasn’t just limits on the homes themselves that were a concern; it was how the new regulations affected farmers’ ability to get insurance, loans and other benefits of property ownership.

Residences were also a key issue for new entrants, as well as facilitating knowledge transfer between generations.

“What we heard was the issue with new entrants today is actually about residences,” he said.

The signalling Mack promised came in the form of remarks from the agriculture minister herself, who told the 35 farmers’ institutes represented at the meeting that her staff are exploring the potential of allowing all landowners in the ALR to have a second home without the need for the Agricultural Land Commission’s permission. These could include mobile homes and carriage houses, but whether permanent structures will be allowed hasn’t been announced.

Property owners would simply need to register the second home with the commission. Permission would still be required for third, fourth and further homes for farm workers, however.

Popham also said landowners who use fill for activities such as resurfacing driveways could also be exempted from having to tell the land commission what they’re doing.

“We’re also considering removing the notice of intent requirements for fill that’s being dumped on the Agricultural Land Reserve but is a low-risk activity,” she said.

In addition, the $1,500 application fee the ALC requires from landowners could be reduced significantly to mitigate the financial and emotional stress on smaller landowners.

The fee, introduced in 2016, aimed to recoup about 40% of processing costs. A briefing note Mack wrote for former agriculture minister Norm Letnick described the fee as “a reasonable balance in supporting the ALC to fulfill their mandate of protecting famland and helping BC farmers look at opportunities to enhance their agricultural incomes.”

Popham told the farmers’ institutes it didn’t measure up.

“It certainly doesn’t recover the amount work that goes into processing those applications – it would be way higher if it did – and so if it’s not reflecting that work anyway, maybe we decrease it to reflect on the affordability of people in British Columbia,” she said.

To communicate future changes affecting ALR landowners, Popham is exploring distributing information in partnership with BC Assessment via assessment notices each January and other regular mailings.

The meeting with farmers’ institutes marked the end of a stakeholder engagement process that began in September. The results will guide new regulations giving force and effect to Bill 15, passed this spring, among other changes.

“The urgent [goal] is to think about some flexibility right now, and in government “right now” means early next year,” Mack told he meeting. “We’re really looking first thing in the new year to get out and … give some clarity to people.”

He also promised staff would keep listening to growers’ concerns.

“We don’t want to do all this engagement and suddenly disappear,” he said. “We’re going to keep doing engagement.”

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