Video footage that triggered an investigation of Cedar Valley Farms in Abbotsford two weeks ago has been released. Toronto-based activist group Animal Justice Canada posted the footage with a call for greater regulation of livestock operations, including the installation of surveillance cameras on farms. It notes that organic farms are no better than conventional systems …
Dairy
Promotions help secure markets
The return of in-person meetings for many producer groups is also bringing a fresh emphasis on the future. This was particularly true for members of Mainland Milk Producers, who gathered for their fall meeting in Abbotsford, November 9, and listened to several presentations about the importance of securing markets as consumer behaviour continues to evolve …
Quick action on allegations
BC’s dairy industry took quick and decisive action last week against Cedar Valley Farms, an organic dairy in Abbotsford, following allegations of animal abuse. BC Milk Marketing Board circulated a note to industry on October 27 saying that it had suspended the farm’s licence following the receipt of information from the BC SPCA “regarding violations …
Cheesemakers felt the heat this summer
DUNCAN – Keeping their animals cool and fields productive were challenges for many dairy farmers this summer, but those with processing facilities in their operations also struggled to ensure adequate milk production. Dairy and artisan cheese producers on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland took a double hit as the heat stressed their animals and …
Turning manure into renewable energy
DELTA – With BC working to reduce its use of fossil fuels, some farmers see renewable natural gas (RNG) as an opportunity to add a new income stream to their operations. Seabreeze Farm owner and dairy farmer Jerry Keulen is among them. He was intrigued by the possibility of reducing his farm’s greenhouse gas emissions …
COVID influences food demand
COVID continues to complicate efforts to manage supply of regulated commodities in Canada. “It’s still not easy because there’s a lot of different metrics at play,” Abbotsford producer Ray Nickel told the BC Chicken Growers Association general meeting August 4, delivering the report from the Chicken Farmers of Canada. “We haven’t seen a full opening …