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Originally published:

December 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 12

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Stories In This Edition

Province tightens rules in ALR

Farming isn’t what it used to be

Ag waste reg “nearly” ready

Sidebar: New commissioners

Proposed foreign worker registry raises concerns

Fall harvest

Editorial: ‘Tis the season

Back Forty: Time to address climate change head-on

Viewpoint: Ottawa needs to stop milking dairy sector

Sweet times for BC honey producers

Public trust key as grade designation clarified

Apiarists wary as new prescription rules kick in

Pipeline explosion creates uncertainty

Farmers, chefs cook up deals at networking event

Ag Briefs: Safe Food regs require producer registration

Ag Briefs: Reus receives recognition

Keeping the end in mind

Heppell’s Potato Corp

US milk offered for sale in Canada

Volatile blend price hitting home for dairy sector

Landowners see development as only solution

Good soil makes good drinks even better

DNA analysis opens doors in hop renaissance

Tour builds trust between foodies, farmers

New entrant egg producer has long-term goals

Farmers, ranchers grapple with climate change

Drought results in record low water flows

BC ranchers face mounting regulations

Seaweed finds a home on the range

Co-op model recommended for beef plant

Farm market banks on relationship-building

Tour showcases local farm entrepreneurs

Young farmers share experiences at Farm Fest

Research: The complexity of colours

Nutsedge demands strong, decisive response

Wool classifying can add value to sheep flocks

Print remains top media choice for producers

Sidebar: Canadians read more

Communication key to four-way success

Cannabis shows mainstream retail potential

Nurseries change up offerings to stay relevant

Irrigation protocols critical for greenhouses

Producers need to think like retailers

Organic farmer values food education

Wannabe: The greatest gift is friendship

Ag in the Classroom

Woodshed: A present for Deborah sparks inquisition

Jude’s Kitchen: Celebration food

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9 hours 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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5 days 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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Sweet times for BC honey producers

Public interest, government support a healthy buzz

November 28, 2018 byPeter Mitham

VICTORIA – Bees may be the new pocket pet for urban residents, quipped a speaker at the BC Honey Producers Association annual meeting and education day in Victoria on October 26, but government support is stronger than ever for the tiny but mighty insect.

BCHPA membership now stands at more than 750, boosting association revenues to $78,500 in the fiscal year ended July 31. The association now has more than $200,000 in assets, thanks in part to generous provincial support, requiring it to start filing regular financial reports with the province.

The strength of provincial support for apiculture was acknowledged several times throughout the day.

BCHPA president Kerry Clark pointed to the province’s allocation of $50,000 for community beekeeping and $20,000 for BCHPA initiatives.

“These are things we have not had in previous years,” he said, noting that the sector was also lucky to still have a government-paid apiculturist overseeing the sector in the province. “We still have our apiculture program and we are thankful for that.”

Provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp has spent three decades working with the province’s beekeepers. BC has 10 apiary inspectors, more than ever before, thanks in large measure to current agriculture minister Lana Popham.

“Right now we have a larger complement of inspectors in the province than ever before, and that is largely due to the enthusiastic support the beekeepers enjoy from our current minister,” he said.

Moreover, he reminded beekeepers, the services they receive are free.

“Have you ever wondered about that?” he asked. “If you’re a vegetable grower or a goat producer or something, and you have a problem and submit a sample for analysis at the Animal Health Centre, you pay a fee. Beekeepers are exempt. It’s remarkable.”

Popham, dubbed the Queen Bee at the event (at least of agriculture ministers), touched on the need to maintain the support as the number of colonies multiply.

“There’s many backyard beekeepers, and that is a positive thing,” she said. “[But] as the public gets more interested and more involved in beekeeping, there are some interesting challenges around that, with their education levels and their knowledge of what disease is.”

Indeed, while regional reports presented during the annual meeting highlighted record interest in keeping bees, thanks in part to public concern over pollinators, new members don’t necessarily stick around for long. A veteran apiarist termed bees the new “pocket pet,” quickly shed by amateurs when challenges arise.

This sparked questions among some delegates regarding the risks used equipment poses if it’s not properly treated and stored prior to reuse. This could lead to the spread of disease, which novice beekeepers may not recognize.

Colony losses

Nevertheless, BC bees are proving resilient. Colony losses in 2018 were about 35%, slightly above the national average of 32.6% but below the whopping 45% reported in Ontario.

Summer conditions were more of a concern for many beekeepers than overwintering, with impacts from climate change and extreme weather events flagged as a topic for further research in roundtable discussions.

Many regions reported reduced yields, save for the Peace River and Thompson-Cariboo, representatives of which reported exceptional yields of 150 to 200 pounds of honey and more per hive.

However, the Fraser Valley, Kootenays and other regions saw yields greatly reduced. Some weeks, there was nothing to collect.

On top of low yields, producers across the province reported strong wasp activity. Many lost hives to the insect.

“We did have a huge number of wasps. I track it back to a huge number of aphids in 2017,” Clark said.

An abundant food supply last year led to a greater number of wasps establishing nests at the end of the season. Clark said the population exploded this year as a result, and when the wasps ran out of aphids they turned to honeybees.

The idea of developing more resilient strains of bees and homegrown queens garnered some interest, thanks to a presentation by Anicet Desrochers, a Quebec beekeeper who supplies queens to apiaries across Canada.

Demand for queens in Canada is in the 250,000 range, Desrochers said, and harmonizing inspection regimes to allow for the general movement of bees would open even greater opportunities.

Canada imports $2 million to $5 million worth of bees a year.

“That’s lost revenue to Canadian beekeepers,” van Westendorp said. “[Let’s] get all the provinces on the same page, so that we can move stock, have stock inspected across Canada … for the British Columbia beekeeper it would be an economic boon.”

One economic benefit not granted to beekeepers yet is a recognition of revenues from pollination services as income qualifying towards farm class status for apiaries. A decision is also expected from the Property Appeal board regarding whether or not overwintering bees on a property is a legitimate agricultural use.

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