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Originally published:

August 2017
Vol. 103 Issue 8

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Stories In This Edition

Out of harms way: photo

Wildfires put hundreds of ranchers at risk

Popham appointed ag minister

LIFO a hindrance, supply managed groups say

Dream job

Editorial: Trial by Fire

Back Forty: Future of farming – without the farmer

OpEd: Annual fairs celebrate hard work, diversity of farmers

Ranchers first line of defense against wildfires

Photo: Too close for comfort

Wildfire destroys Ashcroft dairy, feedlot

Weather delivers a lighter berry crop

BC turkey allocations fall as consumption lags

Photo: Fan club

Kelowna ag plan looks to strengthen farming

Ag brief: Ag council announces new executive members

Ag Brief: Rollover claims farmer

Ag Brief: Scholarship winner announced

Ag Brief: FCC steps up

Letter: Protect farmland

Village Farms sets to roll with cannibis

Photo: Matsqui retirement

Surprise audits part of tighter food safety regimes

NAFTA on block

Demand for ranchland drives BC property sales

Photo: Strike

Island farmers grapple with armyworm infestation

Berryhill opens new Chilliwack processing plant

Alfalfa winterkill puts chill on Nechako Valley exports

Sidebar: Feed, pasture in short supply

Tractor parade honours well-loved

Cowichan farmer

Partnership creates forage possiblities

Sidebar: How did it work

Cover crop trials aim to throw new

seeds into mix

Research: Is bigger always better

Salmon a cash cow for BC fish farmers

Sidebar: Would you rather be a fish?

Kwantlen gives governments food system options

KPU field lab grows opportunities for students, public

Summerland location of choice for innovation centre

Soft landing

Impacts of farming under stress often hidden

Hedgerows offer native plants for native bugs

Sidebar: Cultivating pollinators

BC sheep producers take honours at national competition

Fair Season

Stock show

Wannabe – when fire rages

Alpacas find a haven in the North Okanagan

Woodshed: Henderson’s mishap no laughing matter

Dairy farm breakfasts welcome public

Dilly-icious dishes

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1 day 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 weeks 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 weeks 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?

3 weeks 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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4 weeks ago

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises. ... See MoreSee Less

A second BC flock has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the province reported this evening, April 25. The small backyard flock of chicken and ducks near Kelowna has fewer than 100 birds and is relatively isolated. This is the second backyard flock to be suspected of high-path avian influenza in the past week. The other, on Vancouver Island, was found to be AI-free. Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, says the latest case is of minimal concern to industry because there are no commercial flocks within 12km of the premises.
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Ranchers first line of defense against wildfires

August 1, 2017 byTamara Leigh

WILLIAMS LAKE – On July 6, Cheryl Monical and her husband Ed noticed smoke over the hill while moving cattle at their ranch near 105 Mile House. Twenty-four hours later, they were fighting a wildfire 200 feet from their doorstep.

“At the time the fire was coming at us, the police showed up and told us that we were under evacuation and we refused to go, so they took our vital information and who our dentist was and wished us luck,” says Monical. “It’s kind of creepy when they ask you for your dental records.”

Like many ranchers this summer, the Monicals chose to stay and fight. They built fire breaks, put out spot fires, installed sprinklers on buildings and tried to keep their cattle off the roads. With the support of neighbours and friends, the family fought the fire for five days before fire crews arrived.

“Forestry crews showed up on Wednesday afternoon and the fire boss said, ‘We were wondering why there was a straight line in the fire on the north edge,’” recounts Monical. “The fire crews didn’t know we were out there. The helicopters knew we were out there because they kept dumping water for the boys when they had time.”

Communication in any emergency is key but this year more than 200 wildfires sparked within a few short days. Closing the gaps was more difficult, leaving many ranchers feeling like they’ve been fighting the authorities as much as the fires.

“People were fighting against neighbours and ranchers working together to save their part of the community,” says Monical. “If that fire got past our homemade farmer firebreak, it was going to go straight into a bunch of big fir timber and straight to Lac La Hache from there.”

Kevin Boon, general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association, has been working to help improve co-ordination – taking calls from ranchers in need and relaying information to the Emergency Operations Centres.

“So many times, these ranchers are the first line of defense. … These people who stay behind know the lay of the land, know how to manoeuvre through it. They’re out to help the situation,” he says. “We have to work out a better system of communication to be able to get this access for the legit person who needs to be there for a legit reason.”

BCCA would like to see more ranchers receive S-100 Basic Fire Suppression and Safety training, which the BC Wildfire Service offers. In the meantime, he’s working with officials to take the pressure off ranchers like the Monicals who have stayed to fight the ongoing fires, some of which remained uncontained at press time.

“A lot of ranchers can’t get back in if they leave, so they are in greater danger because they are running out of food and fuel. Instead of starving them out, let’s help them stay to look after things we don’t have resources for right now,” says Boon.

His words resonate with Monical.

“What really got us was on the Saturday we had four water tanks and we were beating that fire back. On Sunday, they wouldn’t allow our people to cross security lines and we were down to one tank,” she says. “We had a fellow coming in with a water tank and fuel – he got arrested and they seized the truck. It’s a total lack of good management in my mind.”

Gratitude

While frustrations run high, so does the appreciation of the tremendous effort that has gone into protecting people, property and livestock during the crisis. Wylie Bystedt farms near Kersley, south of Quesnel, and when winds whipped a lightning strike into an inferno near her ranch in only two hours, fire crews hit hard and fast.

“We were advised to leave but we didn’t. When fire happens that quickly, it doesn’t give decision-makers a lot of time in terms of organizing responses or evacuation orders,” she says. “They hit the fire really hard the first night. The second water bomber saved my house and outbuildings. If it was 30 minutes later, I wouldn’t have a house.”

Bystedt and her husband retreated to the highway at the fire’s peak but returned that night to fight spot fires and ground fires while ground crews fought further away.

Despite the speed and intensity of the fire, they didn’t lose any livestock.

“We saved them all. Well, the llamas saved themselves. They were out in the back field so we had no way of finding them or catching them,” says Bystedt. “At the time of the fire, we had no time to even think about evacuating livestock. We put sprinklers on chicken coops and animal sheds and hoped like hell that they weren’t needed.”

With the fire in her area contained, roadblocks are coming down and people are getting on with the work of rebuilding.

“This has been a really tough year for local agriculture. We had floods in the early season; now, we have fires over the summer,” says Bystedt. “We’re not going to know

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