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Originally published:

NOVEMBER 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 11

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Stories In This Edition

Apple returns raise alarm

Ottawa urged to fulfil promises

Snow job

New government faces old issues in next term

Caught in the act

Editorial: Time for action

Back 40: Finding the perks in a pandemic world

Viewpoint: Changing times require a flexible vision

Invasive hornet nest destroyed south of Langley

Country Life in BC wins a record eight national awards

US launches investigation into blueberries

Hog producers face changes to code of practice

Growers, wineries welcome sustainability launch

Sustainability program delivers value to industry

Ag Briefs: Ag sector claims $8.5 billion economic impact

Ag Briefs: Farm worker protection funded

Ag Briefs: Autumn calf prices down

Grant programs encourage Indigenous ag projects

Range issues dominate NOLA meeting

Sidebar: BCV Cattlemen critique water intentions

BC Beef plant in Falkland ready to process this month

Winter warning

Corn trial results help make better planting decisions

Sidebar: Sweet results

New barn promises better egg production

ALR co-founder, defender embraces retirement

Seed sppliers seeing sustained demand as 2021 orders begin

Research: Breeding crops for the future means looking backwards

Straight ahead

Potatoes head for record-breaking harvest

Weather posed challenges for garlic growers

Garlic groewrs employ mixed marketing strategies

Association aims to foster collaboration

Demand boosts interest in older cider apples

Evans Farms marks a century of ranching

Farm Story: Nominees announced for seasonal awards

Bursary winner plants roots in Cawston

Provincial Winter Fair hosts live 4-H events

Woodshed: Janice Newberry bids farewell to love-sick Henderson

Where there’s a will, there’s gotta be a way

Jude’s Kitchen: Autumn Eats

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3 days 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.

3 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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Seed suppliers seeing sustained demand as 2021 orders begin

Sector expanding as farmers and gardeners plan ahead

FarmFolk/CityFolk's BC Seeds Program took its mobile seed cleaner on a tour through the Kootenays last month. [Submitted photo]

November 1, 2020 byRonda Payne

LANGLEY – Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw seed orders by home gardeners surge, so much so that some seed companies delayed shipments until orders from commercial growers were filled.

Between April 1 to August 31, the BC Eco Seed Co-op saw an 847% increase in sales over the same period in 2019. About 350 bulk seed items were purchased and many farmers who ordered bulk seed also ordered packets.

The co-op undertook a $15,000 crowdfunding campaign this fall to support conversion of a trailer that will provide additional space for its work, which supports seed production for both gardeners and farmers. To join, co-op members must be able to supply seed in commercial quantities, not just packets for home gardeners.

“BC farmers are the largest consumers of organic seeds in Canada,” says Keeley Nixon, the co-op’s coordinator. “They spend almost $10 million a year to obtain the precious seeds. But the supply of local organic seeds is not keeping up.”

Lana Braun, co-owner of Hummingbird Farm in Nelson, grows cut flowers and finding organic seed is a challenge. She plans to join the seed co-op in order to make things a little easier.

“It’s a pretty niche market,” she says of organic cut flowers. “Because of this, it’s epically hard to find certified organic cut flower seeds.”

She started saving her own seed out of necessity and after five years of doing so, met David Catzel of Glorious Organics in Langley, a co-op member and seed program coordinator with FarmFolk/CityFolk in Vancouver.

“He was super encouraging and I felt like we could provide an interesting dimension in the flower perspective,” says Braun. “I knew there was a market for this.”

Co-op advantage

By joining forces with the co-op’s 18 other members, she’ll supply seed to the

co-op which then takes on the marketing, sales, packaging, shipping and more.

The co-op will enable Braun to supply seed without having to build the marketing, packaging and distribution infrastructure herself.

“They have done so much as a group to create the context to enable a new grower to come in,” she says. “Basically, I just give them the seed and they do everything else. If I had to do this on my own, there’s no way.”

She values her ability to support field-to-vase flowers and feels the “slow, local flower movement” began shortly after the similar food movement, about five to 10 years ago. Her estimate is that there are about 50 specialty cut flower growers around the province trying to source organic seeds. Selling seed also creates another revenue stream.

“Any farmer, by their nature, is looking for more avenues to market their products. It was a product that I was already creating just for myself on a small scale,” she says. “Because it’s a co-op it’s really a limited risk to test it and try it.”

Catzel says that any seed company he has contacted has seen sales at least 300% above normal during 2020. The orders have continued, pointing to sustained growth.

“Seed work has definitely gotten very busy,” he says. “But farmers didn’t plant more than 300% of seeds. We just have to make sure we grow more seeds.”

Growing opportunity

Alex Augustyniak, general manager with West Coast Seeds in Delta, says a lot of farmers are looking to get into seed production. He says the volume of sales hasn’t slowed down, even with the onset of fall.

“Usually, we get a little bit of a break, but this year, no,” he says. “People are buying tomatoes and peppers now. They want to make sure they have the varieties they want.”

Farms are also ordering seed early.

“Back in June they were starting to kick in,” he says. “Farmers noticed that [increase in sales] and thought, ‘I better put my order in earlier.’ They’re concerned, or just getting prepared.”

West Coast Seeds regularly attends events to meet farmers and learn about new varieties. It’s also part of the All-America Selections program that tests new varieties of seed and has a quarter-acre test garden.

“We’re always talking to people and we’re looking at different varieties,” he says. “The majority of the players we’re dealing with, they’ve been doing it for four generations.”

Catzel says BC residents and businesses purchase $25 million in vegetable seeds every year, just a fraction of which is produced in-province. This means there’s plenty of room to grow local seed production.

“There’s interest in farmers in doing this work, but it’s just not part of their business model,” he says. “I think that’s starting to change now, … [but] it’s a very long-term picture. A sustainable seed system is going to take decades of training and learning and collaboration.”

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