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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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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 Cattleâ...
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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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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 DĂźrfeld 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 DĂźrfeld. 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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