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JUNE 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 5

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2 days ago

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

#BCAg
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Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations

Congratulations <3

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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3 days ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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1 month ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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1 month ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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1 month ago

BC wool shipments drop sharply in 2023, according to StatsCan data released in mid-April. Local producers shipped just 5,200kg at 37¢/kg, down from 18,600kg at $1.08/kg in 2022. While many farmers now use wool on-farm or dispose of it due to low market value, innovative producers like Emily McIvor point to untapped opportunities. Read more in our Farm News Update from Country Life in BC.

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BC wool value, volume drop

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BC sheep producers shipped less wool for less in 2023, reversing strong growth a year earlier. BC producers shipped 5,200 kilograms of raw wool in 2023, according to Statistics Canada data released on...
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Sumas Prairie farmers sue government

Gabriela Vicherek Braun photo

January 19, 2022 byPeter Mitham

Two farms on Sumas Prairie are asking BC Supreme Court to certify a class action against the city of Abbotsford, Fraser Valley Regional District, and the province for their failure to warn property owners, residents and businesses of the flooding that inundated Sumas Prairie in November and to respond in a timely and appropriate manner.

The plaintiffs named in the suit, filed by the Vancouver law firm Slater Vecchio LLP, include dairy farmer Ted Dykman of Dykman Cattle Co. on Vye Road and Caroline Mostertman of Ripples Estate Winery – part of a venture formally known C.P.M. Farms Ltd. – on Tolmie Road.

According to the statement of claim, Dykman, Mostertman and other class members “seek to hold the Defendants accountable for their gross negligence and to recover their losses.”

The court filing outlines the history of flooding on Sumas Prairie, and notes how the situation was handled in Washington State before detailing the steps taken in Canada and how the response fell short.

“Despite the well-documented history of flooding and consequential devastation in the Sumas Prairie, the Defendants failed to provide any or adequate warning to the Plaintiffs and Class Members,” the writ states.

If warnings had been given, the writ says that members of the proposed class action would have been able to take steps to safeguard their possessions and mitigate the damage.

“The duty of care owed by the Defendants to the Plaintiffs and Class Members is informed by the inherent danger and foreseeably high risk of serious injury, death and loss of personal and real property if the Defendants fail to adequately warn or act in a timely manner,” the write claims. “Had the Defendants properly warned the Plaintiffs and Class Members of the risk posed by the weather and related circumstances that eventually caused the Sumas Flood, then the Plaintiffs and Class Members could have taken steps to prevent or mitigate their losses.”

This did not happen, though the writ says the plaintiffs should have known that flooding was certain given the weather forecasts.

The defendants have not yet filed a response to the claim, which has yet to be heard by the courts. However, in media briefings in the immediate aftermath of the onset of flooding, officials with both Abbotsford and the province repeatedly described the situation as unprecedented, dynamic and difficult to predict.

A timeline for certification of the class action, which could potentially include hundreds of property owners, has not been given. In addition to general damages, damages for services provided by family members and special damages, the action seeks punitive damages for misconduct that “departs to a marked degree from ordinary standards of decent behaviour” and offends “the moral standards of the community.”

Costs and such other relief as the court deems just are also sought.

Representatives of Slater Vecchio did not respond to a request for comment.

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