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Originally published:

May 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 5

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Stories In This Edition

Fraser Valley bee shortage overstated

Still waiting: ag waste regs

Cannabis shift delivers hit to vegetable sector

Peter’s legacy

Editorial: The straight dope

Back Forty: Our best friend deserves greater recognitiontory

Overheard: Farmers should embrace First Nations model

Change is coming, fast and furious

Foundation effective in fueling ag projects

New meat producer association launched

Sidebar: On board

Traceability regs to include animal movement

Report recommends FN approval on tenures

Province urged to regulate farmhouse size

Dairy group highlights industry needs on tour

Ottawa plays hardball with Agassiz leases

IAF showcases innovative ag projects

Neonics in water not from farm operations

Potato growers need to exploit opportunities

Spuds in tubs

Vegetable commission optimistic

Sidebar: Variety update

MacAulay grilled over farm labour issues

Apiarists want pollination income to count

Sidebar: BCHPA launches pollinator health study

Raspberry growers increase board size

Popham meets with berry growers

Hazelnut growers flush with optimism

Ranchers schooled in disaster preparation

Westgen eyes beef semen sales for growth

Big prize money draws big entries

Holstein auction sets new sale benchmark

North 40 bull tops Vanderhoof sale

Reclaiming market share in a global economy

Day-neutrals show promise for strawberry fields

Weather skews results in Peace variety trials

Salal berries have market potential

Vole control in blueberries

Wannabe: When tragedy brings us together

Watchful eye

Woodshed Chronicles: Henderson masterminds an apology

Jude’s Kitchen: Celebrate May with beef on the ‘barbie’

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1 month ago

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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Congratulations!!!

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Congratulations

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Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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1 month ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 months ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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Province urged to regulate farmhouse size

Recommendation from Metro Vancouver one of five for revitalizing the ALR

April 30, 2018 byPeter Mitham

VANCOUVER – Metro Vancouver’s submission to the nine-member advisory committee appointed to recommend ways to revitalize the Agricultural Land Commission and the lands it oversees has put the issue of farmhouse size at the top of its wish list.

The submission, presented to Metro Vancouver’s regional planning committee by Theresa Duynstee, was set to go to Metro Vancouver’s board for final approval April 27, three days before the review committee wrapped up its public consultation.

The submission urges the province to legislate “restrictions on the home plate including house size, residential footprint location and size in the ALR to discourage the use of agricultural land for residential and commercial purposes.”

It adds that new provincial legislation could allow farm worker housing within the designated home plate.

This is the third time Metro Vancouver has made the request, noting that municipalities within the district face challenges in “restricting house size and residential footprint in the ALR.”

The request effectively pleads helplessness on a matter that Premier John Horgan has said falls squarely within the jurisdiction of municipal zoning bylaws.

The difficulties municipalities face have played out most dramatically in recent years in Richmond, which moved to restrict farmhouse sizes within the ALR last year.

Council established an initial limit of 10,764 square feet last May, more than farmland advocates wanted but respecting the concerns in the farm community. Critics took advantage of a six-month review of the bylaw to press their case for a size in line with provincial guidelines, which recommend a house size of 5,382 square feet.

The review attracted 200 people to three open houses and garnered 525 written submissions. The process reflected a sharp split between farmers and non-farmers, with 93% of farmers opposing a reduction in house size and more than 60% of non-farmers supporting a reduction in line with the provincial recommendation.

Speaking to council on March 26, Ben Dhiman of the Richmond Farmland Owners Association expressed concern at further limits on farmhouse size. The problem isn’t with home size but how the land is used, and he presented several examples of large homes surrounded by productive farms to underscore his point.

Laura Gillanders, a farmland advocate, told council that by not placing further limits on farmhouse size, it would continue to facilitate speculation. She pointed out that 16 applications for homes averaging 9,910 square feet had been received in the first three months of 2018.

However, contractor Eddie Tang, speaking on behalf of Chinese landowners, said many of the property owners he works with “have an emotional investment in the farming practices of the land.” The owner of 9431 No. 6 Road, for example, spent more than $200,000 replanting blueberries on the property.

Richmond council ultimately directed staff to draft a new bylaw reflecting the smaller house size for first reading in April; the bylaw had not been presented at press time.

The issue of monster homes isn’t restricted to Richmond.

Pitt Meadows has also faced challenges restricting the size of houses on protected farmland within its boundaries, and Chilliwack staff took several months to draft appropriate legislation before a bylaw passed last year.

Meanwhile, regional governments in the Peace have seen an increase in quarter-section estates that are home to mansions in the middle of farmland that sits fallow.

More recommendations

Restrictions on farmhouses isn’t the only recommendation Metro Vancouver is making to the province.

It is also asking the province to reform the tax treatment of farm-class properties to penalize negative uses rather than just recognize land that’s actively farmed.

“Tax reform that penalizes unwanted behaviours is a vastly underutilized tool for discouraging inappropriate land use in the ALR,” the submission states, recommending that non-farm activities within the ALR trigger similar tax rates to the same activities located in urban areas.

The submission also recommends treating farms with less than $10,000 gross sales differently from larger ones, similar to what Quebec does. Metro Vancouver claims the change would accommodate both commercial and hobby farmers while taxing them in a manner that reflects their contribution to agricultural production.

The final two recommendations involve measures to enable “appropriate business development in the ALR that champions agriculture production over the long term,” and covenants that recognize the important ecological services farmland provides.

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