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Originally published:

April 2019
Vol. 105 Issue 4

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Stories In This Edition

One province, one panel

Groundwater deadline extended

Happy as a pig!

Sidebar: Still waiting

Feds pour millions into tree fruit research

Sidebar: Will local procurement help?>

Editorial: Confined spaces

Back Forty: BC farmers need more than a land bank

Island Good campaign drives local sales

Poultry industry seeks to stop infighting

Good egg!

Egg farmers to receive biggest quota boost ever

New entrant focus

Decision day looms for chicken pricing appeal

Producers look to CanadaGAP for certification

Organic sector undertakes core review

Hopping to it!

Island couple named Outstanding Young Farmers

Turkey consumption continues to decline

BC potato growers enjoy a strong footing

Sudden tree fruit dieback a growing concern

Late season BC cherries in global demand

Farmers’ markets aim to be local food hubs

Field trial hopes to reduce phosphorus levels

Future looking bright for BC dairy producers

BC could benefit from US trade battles

Saputo puts its Courtenay plant out to pasture

The land of milk and salmon

Sidebar: Farming for the future

Out of the hands of BC farmers

Codes of practice need producer input

Preparation essential for wildfire response

Sidebar: Relief announced for drought, fire

Sidebar: Be FireSmart with these tips

New traceability regs to track movement

Agriculture a notable threat to species at risk

Improper pesticide use threatens access

Threat to neonics spurs scare in spud growers

Orchard presses forward with diversification

Climate-smart growing

Staying on top of soil health is key to sound farming

No small potatoes

Farm families need to have affairs in order

Rotary parlours go upscale at two FV dairies

Study compares organic, conventional diets

Advisory service foresees growing demand

Sidebar: Tree fruit cutbacks a concern

Island dairy producers hone first aid skills

Woodshed: And that’s how rumours get their teeth

Research farm showcases small projects

Jude’s Kitchen: Shooting stars of spring

 

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BC growers are overwhelmingly in favour of continuing the BC piece rate system, according to a study the BC Ministry of Labour commissioned in fall 2018 and delivered this past January. Released today, the report found that a change in piece rates will decrease the profitability of all growers, particularly Fraser Valley berry growers, which have seen two years of declining production and margins. (The latest increase in piece rates cost BC producers $7.7 million.) Doing away with piece rates would also hit orchardists hard, with 94% of their workers preferring the piece rate and 87% saying they wouldn’t do the work if paid minimum wage. The report will inform proposals to change the piece rate system to ensure workers receive a fair wage. More info coming in tomorrow's FARM NEWS UPDATE - delivered free to your inbox from BC's agricultural news source: Country Life in BC. Sign up here: buff.ly/2H3dK8k. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

BC growers are overwhelmingly in favour of continuing the BC piece rate system, according to a study the BC Ministry of Labour commissioned in fall 2018 and delivered this past January. Released today, the report found that a change in piece rates will decrease the profitability of all growers, particularly Fraser Valley berry growers, which have seen two years of declining production and margins. (The latest increase in piece rates cost BC producers $7.7 million.) Doing away with piece rates would also hit orchardists hard, with 94% of their workers preferring the piece rate and 87% saying they wouldn’t do the work if paid minimum wage. The report will inform proposals to change the piece rate system to ensure workers receive a fair wage. More info coming in tomorrows FARM NEWS UPDATE - delivered free to your inbox from BCs agricultural news source: Country Life in BC. Sign up here: buff.ly/2H3dK8k.
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BC's farmers markets sell what local farmers and craftspeople grow, bake and make, and the opportunity to buy local continues during the winter. BC agriculture minister Lana Popham toured the Riley Park winter market in Vancouver on Saturday to mark BC Buy Local week. The market is one of two winter markets that ring up sales of nearly $3 million for BC farmers. A study by local advocacy group LOCO BC says 63% of those dollars stay in the local economy, versus 14% of every dollar spent at vendors that aren’t locally owned. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BC's farmers and ranchers. ... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago

BCs farmers markets sell what local farmers and craftspeople grow, bake and make, and the opportunity to buy local continues during the winter. BC agriculture minister Lana Popham toured the Riley Park winter market in Vancouver on Saturday to mark BC Buy Local week. The market is one of two winter markets that ring up sales of nearly $3 million for BC farmers. A study by local advocacy group LOCO BC says 63% of those dollars stay in the local economy, versus 14% of every dollar spent at vendors that aren’t locally owned. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BCs farmers and ranchers.
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Vancouver Food Pedalers Cooperative Fame comes in funny ways!

BC shoppers can once again expect above-average food price increases in 2020, according to the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Nationally, food prices are set to rise 2% to 4%, on top of a 3.7% increase this year. But steady wage growth and a good economy mean BC grocery and restaurant prices will outpace the national average. According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, a family of four spent $1,017 a month on groceries in 2017; a conservative estimate based on the Dalhousie University estimates means that same family is spending closer to $1,160 a month today — just a fraction of which returns to the farmer. Country Life is BC's agricultural news source. ... See MoreSee Less

7 days ago

BC shoppers can once again expect above-average food price increases in 2020, according to the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. Nationally, food prices are set to rise 2% to 4%, on top of a 3.7% increase this year. But steady wage growth and a good economy mean BC grocery and restaurant prices will outpace the national average. According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, a family of four spent $1,017 a month on groceries in 2017; a conservative estimate based on the Dalhousie University estimates means that same family is spending closer to $1,160 a month today — just a fraction of which returns to the farmer. Country Life is BCs agricultural news source.
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So are producers going to see more money as well?

Why ?

This was reported at exactly, to the day, this time last year. Exactly the same “percentage” of hike as well,,,,, i smell a rat

"steady wage growth"???? What is your definition of "wage"?

That's what you people get if they elect socialists.

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BC farmers can look forward to better access to domestic and foreign markets, according to the throne speech that opened Parliament following October’s federal election. “[We] will remove additional barriers to domestic and international trade for businesses and farmers, continue with ambitious investments in infrastructure, and reduce red tape so that it is easier to create and run a start-up or small business,” said the speech. Dairy farmers can also expect to receive the first piece of compensation this month for market access granted under international trade agreements. A review of the rules governing online commerce is also in the works. Watch for more details in the new year in Country Life in BC, the agricultural news source for British Columbia since 1915. Subscribe: buff.ly/2JhvVYH ... See MoreSee Less

7 days ago

BC farmers can look forward to better access to domestic and foreign markets, according to the throne speech that opened Parliament following October’s federal election. “[We] will remove additional barriers to domestic and international trade for businesses and farmers, continue with ambitious investments in infrastructure, and reduce red tape so that it is easier to create and run a start-up or small business,” said the speech. Dairy farmers can also expect to receive the first piece of compensation this month for market access granted under international trade agreements. A review of the rules governing online commerce is also in the works. Watch for more details in the new year in Country Life in BC, the agricultural news source for British Columbia since 1915. Subscribe: https://buff.ly/2JhvVYH
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Study compares organic, conventional diets

Research indicates pesticide levels greatly reduced within days of strict organic protocol

Organics

March 26, 2019 byMargaret Evans

A recent study conducted by Friends of the Earth and published online by Elsevier in the journal Environmental Research explored whether an organic diet would reduce levels of urinary pesticides.

Previous research has done similar studies but they mostly focused on organophosphate pesticides. This study looked at pyrethroids and neonicotinoids, two compounds that are used increasingly in crop production around the world. Neonicotinoids have become one of the most widely used class of insecticides and they account for some 20% of the current global insecticide market.

The fascinating thing is that the study found that switching to an organic diet significantly reduced levels of pesticides in all participants after less than one week.

“On average, the pesticide and pesticide metabolite levels detected dropped by 60.5% after just six days of eating an all-organic diet,” the press release stated.

But here’s the rub.

The study was conducted on only four families represented by seven adults (ages 36-52) and nine children (ages 4-15). They were from Oakland, Minneapolis, Baltimore and Atlanta. Nine were Caucasian, four were Hispanic/Latino and three were African American.

The study was short – just 12 days – but very controlled. For the first five days, participants all ate their conventional diets. During days six through 11, they were all provided with certified organic food to eat whether at home, school or work. Dinners were prepared with all organic ingredients by a licensed chef or caterer and delivered to the participants by the research assistants. The trial ended on day 12 after the final urine collection (158 urine samples in total).

According to the report, there was a 61% drop in chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide considered moderately hazardous to humans by the World Health Organization, a 95% drop in malathion, an organophosphate insecticide, and an 83% drop in clothianidin, a neonicotinoid pesticide believed to be a main driver of huge pollinator losses. The study also showed a 37% drop in pyrethroids, and a 37% drop in the world’s oldest herbicide 2,4-D. In 2016, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, a division of Health Canada, concluded in its special review that 2,4-D is not a carcinogen.

What made the study interesting was that the levels by which pesticides and herbicides dropped following a switch to an organic diet occurred in less than one week. The study built on previous research by examining dietary exposure to pesticides that have not been studied in similar intervention research in the past. This study recorded reductions of metabolites in urine samples in 13 pesticides and compounds.

And that begs the question that if these insecticides disappeared so quickly in such a significant amount, how non-persistent are they? And how are scientists rating their danger level?

While claims are made in the report of the many and varied health hazards from exposure to pesticides, it would be helpful to have better clarification on the level of exposure relative to duration and circumstances. This would be valuable for all consumers.

However, the report did acknowledge that gaps exist regarding specific health effects to chronic low-level exposure. The researchers also referred to a study done in 2018 that looked at the consumption habits of 70,000 adults and found that a higher frequency of consuming organic food was protective against several cancers.

Quick to shed

“This important study shows how quickly we can rid our bodies of toxic pesticides by choosing organic,” said Sharyle Patton, director of the Commonweal Biomonitoring Resources Center and co-author of the study.

Ideally, we all want food that is pesticide/herbicide free. But it can come with another cost not always considered.

Studies have shown that organic yields are generally lower than yields from conventional farming since fertilizers are not used. To produce all our food requirements organically would require farming more land and this could impact climate change.

In an international study conducted by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, researchers developed a new method for assessing the climate impact from land use. After comparing organic and conventional food production, results showed that organically grown food can result in greater emissions because of the greater land use demand, a fact not always taken into account in comparisons between the production of organic and conventionally produced food.

“The greater land-use in organic farming leads indirectly to higher carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to deforestation,” said Stefan Wirsenius, associate professor in the Department of Space, Earth and the Environment, Chalmers. “The world’s food production is governed by international trade, so how we farm in Sweden influences deforestation in the tropics. If we use more land for the same amount of food, we contribute indirectly to bigger deforestation elsewhere in the world.”

The FOE study is a fascinating look at pesticide levels in humans and, in the bigger picture, it clearly deserves more research to understand not just dietary exposure but climate implications.

Margaret Evans is a freelance writer based in Chilliwack specializing in agricultural science.

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