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Originally published:

AUGUST 2021
Vol. 107 Issue 8

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Stories In This Edition

Heat Wave

Night moves

Record temps kill poultry

High heat, low moisture vexes ranchers

Editorial: Unprecedented

Back forty: Summer means being prepared for wildfires

Viewpoint: Overheated markets make farming harder

Province allows secondary homes in the ALR

National farm building code set for update

Grain producers refocus on advocacy, research

Ag Briefs: BC Blueberry Council gets new chair

Ag Briefs: Islands Trust defers policy statement

Ag Briefs: BCAC’s consumer research yields four key findings

Provincial meat licensing overhaul effective October

Farm fresh

New tech could build a better cattle fence

Buchler recognized for practices, generosity

First certified sustainable wine makes debut

Ag targetted to reduce emissions in Clean Air Plan

Helping cattle keep their cool in the heat

Free recycling of ag plastics for northern BC

Pesiticide colleciton returns to the southern interior

Indigienous farms plow new ground with funding

It’s easy being green

Flower farm meets growing demand

New resources support small-lot pork producers

BC going full boar against feral pigs

Cannabis grower has the ‘happiest worms’

AEMCoP updates take effect

Forging new successes with the family farm

Cutworm study looks at damage below ground

Beet growers see red over leaf miner

Armyworm pressure low

Research: Research explores scrapie resistance in goats

Sidebar: Scrapie eradication tips

Woodshed: Graduation plans sworn to secrecy

Cherry grower diversifies as orchard declines

Jude’s Kitchen: Eats for a hot summer day

Farm Story: Reaping more by sowing elss makes perfect sense

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1 day ago

Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #aemcop
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Fecal coliform levels in the streams and watercourses that flow through Langley has been an issue for decades. The Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) has received $97,000 from the federal government to work with property owners to help them reduce their impact on water quality and the environment, and ensure their properties are in compliance with the Agriculture Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP). The story is in the February edition of Country Life in BC. Subscribe today https://bit.ly/3RIKms9/.

#BCAg #AEMCoP
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2 days ago

BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. It's our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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BC dairy farmers are feeling the pinch and some in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. Its our cover story in the February edition of Country Life in BC.

https://bit.ly/3JGgk6B

#bcagriculture #bcdairy
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So much pressure being put on the dairy industry from the US. It’s hard to keep the lobbying at bay. Canadian dairy should supply Canadian tables and the farmers who provide it should be paid what they are worth. There is no such thing as cheap food

Farm Management is key. It can't all be blamed on the government.

Just been watching NZ TV news and the price of food. Most complaining about the price of dairy products due to the fact that domestic prices are high with most production being exported. No supply management.

I really don't understand the concern here. The article literally says 30-40 of 600 BC dairy farms (that's less than 1%) are experiencing financial pressure, likely due to being somewhat overleveraged. Sounds like just some mismanagement rather than a broad policy failure is the cause here.

Whole Food Plant Based eating ...oat milk coconut milk Almond milk soy milk etc

Noooooooo. That’s exactly what this LIB/NDP party wants. They want everyone to cave in to their knees. Don’t do it. It’ll be the end.

A lot of this is government squeeze. Be hungry and compliant!

The government is the eternal enemy of humanity.

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1 week ago

Farmland Advantage is receiving a $445,000 grant from the federal government. The program, the “brainchild” of Invermere cattle rancher Dave Zehnder, provides compensation to farmers for their conservation efforts to protect BC’s grasslands, riparian areas and wildlife habitat. The funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and Priority Places programs, will be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas appeared in our March 2022 edition and you can view it at ... See MoreSee Less

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Rewarding farmers for enhancing riparian areas

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INVERMERE – Farmers and ranchers in the Columbia Valley will continue to see rewards for taking action to conserve and enhance important riparian areas on their farms. The Windermere District Farmer...
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2 weeks ago

A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural Land Commission hosted in Langley Monday night regarding a proposal to include 305 acres controlled by the federal government in the Agricultural Land Reserve. More than 76,000 people have signed an online petition asking municipal and provincial governments to protect the land from development, and for the federal government to grant a long-term lease to the Heppells. Read more in this morning's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. conta.cc/3XYXw6k ... See MoreSee Less

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Your weekly farm news update

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The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 January 25 2023 Surrey ALR inclusion cheered A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural L
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Mike Manion Pitt Meadows City Councillor

2 months ago

Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand this season and prices remain comparable to last year. But the number of tree farms has decreased dramatically over the past five years and the province will increasingly need to look elsewhere if it wants to meet local demand. More in this week's Farm News Update from Country Life in BC. ... See MoreSee Less

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Christmas trees in demand

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Christmas tree growers in BC are seeing strong demand, with high quality trees making it to market. “The market is good. We’ll probably outdo last year and last year was one of our best years…
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Record temps kill poultry

Cattle fare better, but production down all-round

NIGHT MOVES: Temperatures creeping up to the low 30s and smoke from neighbouring wildfires prompted Jealous Fruits to pick their cherries in the relative comfort of dark beginning July 16. Using a headlamp to light his way, Eduardo Vaca Castro was one of a crew of 125 pickers whose shift started at midnight when temperatures had cooled to the low 20s. MYRNA STARK LEADER

August 1, 2021 byKate Ayers & Peter Mitham

SURREY – Three days of record-setting temperatures at the end of June made for sweat-soaked chores for many farmers, but cattle and poultry producers also faced the challenge of keeping their animals cool, too.

Poultry producers were especially vulnerable, as birds don’t sweat, meaning they can’t cool down.

Broiler producers in the Fraser Valley lost approximately 400,000 birds, or about 20% of the week’s production.

“It’s very, very bad and devastating for the growers that lost them,” says Bill Vanderspek, executive director of the BC Chicken Marketing Board.

While breeders, egg producers and turkey growers also saw losses from the heat wave, Vanderspek said broiler birds are more vulnerable because they tend to be younger and grow quickly.

BC Egg Marketing Board executive director Katie Lowe said about 4% of BC laying hens fell victim to the heat, primarily in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island. This amounts to more than 130,000 birds.

“The one thing we have going for us is new facilities with tunnel ventilation,” said Lowe. “Those systems seem to do very well.”

Growers with ventilation systems to protect their flocks can obtain heat prostration insurance, Vanderspek says. Many of his growers who lost birds will be filing claims.

Smaller producers also saw losses.

TJ Walkem of 60 Ranch in Spences Bridge lost half his chickens to the heat, in sharp contrast to his beef cattle. The ranch’s herd of 265 animals were able to find cool spots during the day.

Agassiz dairy farmer Julaine Treur of Creekside Dairy said the heat was tough on her animals, with production down significantly. But at least they could sleep under fans at night.

“They’re not off feed, and they’re still chewing their cud while relaxing under the huge barn fans,” she said. “They spend their nights on pasture where it’s slightly cooler.”

Wool coats – the last thing most people want in a heat wave – was also no picnic for sheep.

BC Sheep Federation president Barbara Ydenberg of Wind’s Reach Farm in Langley said her flock sought out shade but those locations are also coyote-friendly nooks. This meant some producers were forced to watch over their herds by day, leaving shepherds vulnerable to the extreme heat.

Some unshorn sheep suffered acute discomfort.

While shearing a heat-stressed sheep isn’t something Ydenberg recommends, she said one producer had no choice. A black sheep was hand-shorn during the heat wave, cooling it down and saving it from a traumatic death.

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