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Originally published:

March 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 3

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Stories In This Edition

Ten-year plan

Simon Answerth

Province boosts ag spending

It’s a draw!

Well registrations lag in advance of final deadline

Editorial: Vice grip

Back Forty: Snow days make good days for seed selection

Viewpoint: Farmers need to prepare for annual snow melt

Smooth start to season as foreign workers arrive

Sidebar: Province mulls piece rates

Late winter has some Okanagan growers on edge

Ag show attracts near-record attendance

Ag Briefs: Traceability funding available for producers

Ag Briefs: Cattlemen’s launches webinar series

Ag Briefs: Grant winner announced

Labour remains a priority for fruit growers

Dairy, aquaculture take home awards at gala

Farmers need to prepare for uncertainty

Ag critic listens to concerns at farmers’ institute

Growers are responsible for workers’ safety

Robotic milkers sized up during dairy tour

Safe, high-quality silage depends on preparation

Young farmers crack open new vending concept

Diversification makes orchard a landmark

Going green boosts ranch’s credibility

Ranchers need to match forage with herd needs

Tru-Grit

Reducing waste will save money on winter feed

Producers question new Indigenous rights law

Hosting TRU students a way to give back

Livestock co-op provides selling, buying options

Sidebar: Market set to stay steady

Research: Bluetongue outbreaks expected to increase

Filling a niche for gourmet mushrooms

Regulations, housing key issues in Langley

Sheep producers seeing value in genetic program

Above and beyond

Vegetation fundamental to farms, landscape

Studies continue on forage, corn crop pests

4-H BC leader singled out

Growers go with the grain of beer revival

Agri-tourism has plenty of room for growth

Rose stem girdler poses threat to cranberries

Site prep critical for healthy hazelnut orchards

Sidebar: BC renewal program opens up

Wannabe: Renewal comes with a new generation of farmers

Mentorship gives Kelowna grower a headstart

Woodshed: Deborah and Doug McLeod turn up the heat

A good place to meet up

Jude’s Kitchen: Celebrate spring by eating outside

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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 Cattle...
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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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Reducing waste will save money on winter feed

Put your money in the bank

Cow

February 26, 2019 byTom Walker

VERNON – Mike Witt, owner of Witt Precision Ag in Lavington, says the first step to cutting feed costs in winter is to cut waste. Producers need to do their best to combat silage shrink.

“Silage management and your feed-out management are the two low-hanging fruits,” he says. “You are going to lose nutrients as well as volume if you are not taking care when you store your feed.”

The second consideration is feeding waste.

“Are you using feeders or bunks; are you grouping your cows together based on their feed needs; are you watching out for overfeeding?” asks Witt. “You may be leaving wasted hay on the ground for organic matter but that’s a pretty expensive soil supplement.”

Witt gave ranchers a number of hypothetical examples to consider. He was able to compare ingredients by looking at their energy values and suggest some combinations that might save a producer money.

If a rancher had only produced lower-quality hay at 8% crude protein (CP) and 52% TDN, that would be sufficient for cows of good condition only through their second trimester of pregnancy, Witt suggests.

“For a cow in her third trimester, it would be borderline,” he says. “After calving, it would definitely be short of both protein and energy.”

Witt suggests mixing up the feed combination, blending high-quality hay with barley.

“That would give you the best price and nutrition combination to feed after calving.”

Alternatively, a hay and supplement combination could work, too.

In a second example, Witt looked at a rancher with high quality hay of 19% CP and 61% TDN. The herd’s nutritional needs are actually exceeded by feeding this hay and at a high market price of $225 a ton, the rancher could be throwing money away.

“This might be an opportunity to sell that hay, purchase some cheaper feed ingredients and put money in your pocket,” says Witt.

Witt’s suggestions included purchasing some straw to mix with the high-quality hay, limit feeding the cows so they are only getting the minimum feed requirements with little waste, or selling most of the high-quality hay, purchasing cheaper but adequate hay at say14% CP and 57% TDN. Ranchers would only need to supplement this hay with some barley after calving, which could net savings of around $100 per cow.

What about a producer who has good quality hay – say 15% CP and 57% TDN?

The combination would meet third trimester needs, but would be marginal after calving.

Witt briefly discussed some other options ranchers might consider.

A mix of cereal silage and alfalfa silage would be around $30 less, for example, while corn silage, cereal silage and straw would be $40 less. Combining corn silage, cereal silage and good quality hay could see a cost savings of over $80 per animal.

“It’s all about finding a balance between what you grow and what your cows need,” says Witt. “You may find yourself changing your forage production.”

 

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