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Originally published:

APRIL 2021
Vol. 107 Issue 4

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Stories In This Edition

No right to roam

Making a difference

Big leap for farmland values

Province plans to overhaul meat licensing

Ready. Set. Grow!

Down to earth

Back 40: Right to farm takes on right to roam

Viewpoint: Salmon farm closures should raise alarm

Pandemic triggers massive cut to turkey quota

This one’s for you

Chicken growers wait for compensation details

Fruit growers demand a level playing field

BC Tree Fruits turns over a new leaf

Potato plantings reflect pandemic purchasing shifts

Ag Briefs: Surveillance continues for giant hornets

Ag Briefs: Framers market restrictions lifted

Ag Briefs: Top marks for food safety

Ag Briefs: Bee tech team

Richmond’s ag community mourns a leader

New round of funding available for Shuswap farms

New chair appointed to cranberry commission

Farmers cry foul over bird pressure in Delta

Viewpoint: Are soil organic carbon promises overstated?

Organic sector calls for greater extension services

Study sets baseline for soil organic carbon

Producers beef up support for Island cattle

Canada eyes negligible-risk BSE stats

Online dam safety workshops enjoy high attendance

Babysitter

Blueberry pruning should aim for balance

Research: Study casts new shadow on glyphosate use

BC adds seven food hubs to provincial network

College assignment sparks salsa business

Bev Whitta shares her passion for poultry farming

Farm Story: Mud: what separates winter from summer

Finding a better way to cool hot potatoes

Weed control in cranberries takes planning

Sidebar: Weed fighters

Six years of cranberry data goes online

Woodshed: Battlelines drawn when the bulldog bites back

Education centre showcases maple syrup production

Sidebar: Good food for kids

Catering to rising demand for local food

Jude’s Kitchen: High off the hog

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10 hours 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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5 days 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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2 months ago

Another four poultry flocks in the Fraser Valley have tested positive for avian influenza over the weekend -- 15 in the last week alone. There are 60 farms currently under quarantine in BC, more than any other province in Canada and three times that of Alberta, which ranks second. Officials maintain the virus is being spread by dust and groundwater and not farm-to-farm transmission. No farms in the Interior have tested positive this fall. ... See MoreSee Less

Another four poultry flocks in the Fraser Valley have tested positive for avian influenza over the weekend -- 15 in the last week alone. There are 60 farms currently under quarantine in BC, more than any other province in Canada and three times that of Alberta, which ranks second. Officials maintain the virus is being spread by dust and groundwater and not farm-to-farm transmission. No farms in the Interior have tested positive this fall.
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Avian influenza virus can be killed by chlorine at no higher a concentration than is present in drinking water, so unless farms are using untreated groundwater in their barns I don't see how it could be a source of transmission. www.researchgate.net/publication/5594208_Chlorine_Inactivation_of_Highly_Pathogenic_Avian_Influen...

2 months ago

In a surprise move, Lana Popham -- hailed at the recent BC Dairy Industry Conference as a key ally of the agriculture sector -- has been replaced by Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis as part of a cabinet overhaul today by new BC premier David Eby. Popham will now oversee Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. The two ministers worked closely together following the atmospheric river events last fall. ... See MoreSee Less

In a surprise move, Lana Popham -- hailed at the recent BC Dairy Industry Conference as a key ally of the agriculture sector -- has been replaced by Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis as part of a cabinet overhaul today by new BC premier David Eby. Popham will now oversee Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. The two ministers worked closely together following the atmospheric river events last fall.Image attachment
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Goes to show how far-removed our current government is from the agricultural sector. To put someone in this position who has no farming background is a slap in the face to all of our hard-working producers.

Going to be a heck of a learning curve. Helping the agricultural community recover from the biggest natural disasters in history, handling the avian influenza outbreak that is threatening our poultry industry, dealing with a crisis in meat processing, managing ongoing threats from climate change, supporting producers who are facing unprecedented inflation in an industry with very slim margins to begin with..... to name a few of the challenges our new Minister will have to face all with one of the lowest budgets of any ministry. I wish her the best of luck but I hope she's got a lot of support around her.

Best of wishes in your new position

Congrats to Pam, cool to see a Fraser Valley based ag minister but also so sad to see Lana reassigned . I have no doubt she will do an amazing job in her new role.

Will be missed by #meiernation

Bryce Rashleigh

Nooooooo!

Lana did a shit job and now we have a minister with no farming background at all. Aren’t we lucky..

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Richmond’s ag community mourns a leader

May’s community service a defining legacy

Judy & Ralph May
Richmond lawyer and longtime cranberry grower Ralph May is being remembered as a devoted family man and advocate for farmers. He is survived by his wife Judy and their children. Sandra Leung / Yaletown Photography

April 1, 2021 byAnita Desai

RICHMOND – Richmond farming advocate Ralph May has died. He was 71.

May, a lawyer as well as a prominent cranberry grower, was distinguished by his love of family and commitment to service.

“Ralph was always proud of his farming heritage and history in Richmond and felt very strongly about giving back to the community that had been so good to his family,” says his son, Spencer May, speaking on behalf of the family.

Ralph grew up in East Richmond and farming always remained a big part of his life. He went on to become the founding partner in the law firm of Campbell, Froh, May and Rice, serving with the firm for 40 years. It counted many farmers among its clients.

“Professionally, Ralph was happy that he could combine his love of farming with his love of law. Many of his clients and his work centered on the combination of both,” says Spencer.

Personally, Ralph took great pride in his family.

“Ralph was very much a family man and with [his wife] Judy established a very close and warm family with three kids, their spouses and (collectively) their seven grandchildren,” says Spencer.

Over the years, he dedicated his time within the local farming community. He chaired the BC Cranberry Growers Association, the Cranberry Institute of North America, was a director of Ocean Spray Cranberries and founding director of the BC Expropriation Association.

May remained very active in the community, being the founding chairman of the Richmond Community Foundation, a former member of the Richmond Gateway Theatre Society and more recently, a director of the Richmond Hospital Foundation. In 1992, he received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, issued to recognize Canadians “who have made a significant contribution to their fellow citizens, to their community or to Canada.” May was honoured, says Spencer, “to get this acknowledgement for his community work.”

May’s work in support of agriculture made a lasting impression on industry.

Valuable counsel

“Ralph became our lawyer in 1971 for personal and farm services. He was one of the most knowledgeable lawyers for the farm and ranch groups in BC,” says Peter Levelton, owner of East Richmond Nurseries Inc. “As a cranberry farmer, Ralph was acutely aware of the needs of farmers and the pitfalls we face. He gave us valuable counsel to facilitate our succession plan to our children, based upon farm logic.”

Ralph’s legal expertise proved valuable for his own family’s business during construction of Hwy 91, which split the farm in two. It was an epic challenge.

“After several months of negotiations with the transportation ministry, a settlement was reached and the May family bought acreage in Delta to continue their cranberry operation,” says Levelton.

But a few years later, the South Fraser Perimeter Road was developed and the Mays’ farm was once again impacted.

In another instance, Levelton says, May challenged Richmond’s rezoning of a hillside property that resulted in flooding on the farm below.

“The city was held accountable and the farmer got fair compensation,” states Levelton.

May is survived by his wife of 50 years, Judy, along with their sons Warren and Spencer, daughter Lindsay and their families. He is also survived by his brother Bruce and sister Louise and their families.

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