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Originally published:

SEPTEMBER 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 9

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Stories In This Edition

Livestock groups ramp up security

Gaurav Maan

EU tightens shipping rules

New waste control rules kick in October 1

Dibs on ribs

Nip the buds

Climate woes are everyone’s responsibility

Viewpoint: Weighing in on the battle of the burgers

Ag counil defendes cannabis sector on odour

Feds announce compensation package for dairy

Potato harvest looks promising for BC growers

Motor Vehicle Act covers tractors

Province urges armyworm precautions

Feast for the eyes

Funding helps cherry growers court new buyers

Oregon hazelnut optimism inspires BC growers

Dairy tour showcases innovative farming

Minimize the risk of corn silage fires

Teachers receive valuable lessons about farming

Climate change concerns grapegrowers

Canada eyes clean vines network

Province extends deadline for meat consultation

Top seller

Winery upstart banks on ranch’s rich history

Sidebar: Room to grow

Market Musings: Rain creates haying challenges

Nechako win

Forage council ready for a changing climate

Armyworm warning

Soda Creek social highlights land-matching

Research: The symbiotic relationship in pregnancy

Sheep farmers have high hopes for cooperative

PNE lamb

AAFC seeks volunteer weather reporters

Land commission orders Gleaners off ALR

Tour highlights adaption

Maan Farms keeps the focus on family

Ceadrow Farm tops Chilliwack sheep show

Island Holstein show and sale reflects quality

4-H sale saves the bacon for ranching student

4-H sale at the PNE is the best part of summer

Success is in the bag for barley entrepreneurs

Simple steps help to overcome gas exposure

Blueberries find a home in wine at Baccata

Woodshed: Henderson backs off while Frank closes in

Volunteers harvest for FV charities

Nutritious autumn eats

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7 days 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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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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Soda Creek social highlights land-matching

Young Agrarians expands northward with new hire

September 1, 2019 byAngela Abrahao

SODA CREEK—Puddle Produce Farm owner and operator Brianna van de Wijngaard partnered with Young Agrarians to host the first Cariboo land social on August 11. The event included a farm tour, potluck social and a discussion of farming on leased land. The gathering was designed to provide an overview of the Young Agrarians’ land matching program which recently hired Jolene Swain to oversee its work in central and northern BC. Twelve attendees from different backgrounds made the trip out to the farm.

Van de Wijngaard’s farm is situated on a 74-acre property on the lower benches above the Fraser River. Starting as an urban farmer in Williams Lake in 2013, she originally leased small residential plots in exchange for veggies, but the business needed a location to grow into. She relocated to Soda Creek in 2016.

“[It] wasn’t so much the cost of land that was prohibitive, it was finding the right place,” she says of her experience. “It took time. Places that were for sale just weren’t right; finding a good fit was the difficult part. If anyone was looking for land, I would certainly recommend that they look at the leasing option because that just opens up so many more doors for you as far as finding a suitable piece of property.”

Van de Wijngaard found an ally through word of mouth in property owner Ric Dürfeld. Dürfeld’s property was previously a market garden and had the infrastructure van de Wijngaard needed. Dürfeld and van de Wijngaard came to an agreement that would allow Puddle Produce Farm to operate under a long-term lease.

Although the land matching program did not exist in the area at the time, van de Wijngaard and Dürfeld consulted with Young Agrarians provincial land matcher Darcy Smith who advised them about the process and provided a lease agreement template.

“Young Agrarians helped us identify the intent and small details we didn’t think of,” says Dürfeld. “It’s important there is a good understanding. We have an agreement that if not everything is written in, we still have a good path forward to make sure that there is a continued respectful understanding and sharing.”

Van de Wijngaard agrees.

“Our agreement laid out in detail how we would approach infrastructure additions or anything added to the property. When you first move to a place you think about how you will set it up so that it’s not permanent,” she says. “Beyond that, I didn’t really know how to negotiate those kinds of things. It helped me to know what my responsibilities were going forward with regards to any investments I would make, how to handle that and how to discuss it with the land owner.”

Soda Creek is known for being a productive growing area and van de Wijngaard has built a hugely productive farm on 1.5 acres in the three years she has leased the site from Dürfeld. She grows a mix of vegetables and microgreens and is transitioning the farm to organic production. Van de Wijngaard runs her 40-plus member CSA box program, farmers market and retail sales operation with two additional seasonal gardeners.

Land matching

Young Agrarians have done a tremendous amount of work to match farmers with landowners. The event at Puddle Produce Farm is one of several similar events around the province. Swain hopes to add to the growing list of those interested in land matching. Socials such as the one in Soda Creek help show how the process could work and lets those interested know where to turn for support.

Many new entrants to farming find leasing attractive, because it requires a smaller financial commitment than purchasing land, especially given that BC has some of the most expensive farmland in Canada. Meanwhile, landowners are looking for opportunities to keep land in production while navigating the challenges of retirement, succession and diversification.

“There is just such great value in land that can provide food,” says Dürfeld, who remembers Sunday drives out to Soda Creek as a kid. “When we grew up, most of the houses had a backyard with a big vegetable garden. If it was flat enough in the winter, it was the skating rink. Those same back alleys now are full of RVs and toys. Our lifestyles and focus in life has changed. It is important not just for young people, but for people who understand those values to share and try to maintain the integrity of some of this amazing land that we are a part of.”

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