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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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1 month ago

It’s been four years since the last tulip festival was held in Abbotsford, but this year’s event promises to be an even bigger spectacle than ever. Spanning 27 acres along Marion Road, Lakeland Flowers will display more than 70 varieties of the spring blossom, including fringe tulips and double tulips, the first of six months of flower festivals hosted by the farm. Writer Sandra Tretick spoke with Lakeland Flowers owner Nick Warmerdam this spring to find out how the floods on Sumas Prairie in 2021 have had an impact on his business plan as he transitions from wholesale cut flower grower to agri-tourism. We've posted the story to our website this month. It's a good read.

#CLBC #countrylifeinbc #tulipfestival
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Tulip grower makes the shift to agritourism

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ABBOTSFORD – On a bright sunny day in early April, Nick Warmerdam points out his office window at No. 4 and Marion roads to a spot about half a kilometre away across the Trans-Canada Highway.
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Omg 🥹 Jared Huston let’s go pls

1 month ago

Farming, like any other job.. only you punch in at age 5 and never punch out 🚜 ... See MoreSee Less

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Easton Roseboom Levi Roseboom🚜

1 month ago

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges.
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1 month ago

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year. ... See MoreSee Less

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year.
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Any other details for FVN and chillTV please? radiodon11@gmail.com

1 month ago

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agriculture's interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry. ... See MoreSee Less

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agricultures interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry.
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I sure hope part of that money is to educate the people in charge of the pumps and drainage system! They just relayed on computers and weren’t even physically monitoring the water levels. I’ve lived in the Fraser Valley my whole life and the old guys managing that system know how to do it. The new generation just sit behind computer screens and don’t physically watch the water levels. That system works very well when you do it right. The Fraser river levels are very important. The system is designed to drain the Sumas Canal (the part that runs thru the valley) into the Fraser. When they let it get backed up it put pressure on the dyke and the weak part burst. Simple science. And yes, the dykes need to be worked on too. Abbotsford has not been maintaining properly for years.

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Tour builds trust between foodies, farmers

Okanagan farms give a fresh perspective on agriculture

November 28, 2018 byJackie Pearase

GRINDROD – A farm tour aimed at food influencers did more than open eyes, it changed minds.

A group including chefs, food bloggers, nutritionists and dietitians toured three North Okanagan farms October 23 with agriculture industry representatives for a behind-the-scenes look at the farms. The tour was a chance to taste local products and ask questions about food production and farm practices.

We Heart Local, an initiative of the BC Agriculture Council launched in 2014, hosted the tour in partnership with Buy BC: Eat Drink Local, the province’s two-year-old initiative with the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association. The tour aimed to create connections between consumers and BC’s agriculture community.

“We are working to build consumers’ confidence that the food purchased from local producers is safe and very high quality,” explains BCAC community trust manager Becky Parker. “We conducted pre- and post-surveys with the participants and found that 89% found the tour to be an effective way to learn more about farming and the food system.”

The surveys showed that participants’ level of trust in agricultural practices increased after the tour. For example, tour participants all agreed that farmers produce safe, high-quality food and that they care about the animals they raise versus 70% before the tour. All participants also agreed that farmers are transparent about production practices, versus just 10% before the tour.

There was also greater agreement that farmers are environmentally conscious, with 78% of tour participants believing this compared to 10% before.

The tour started at Okanagan Riverbend Poultry in Grindrod, a free range and soon-to-be organic and SPCA-certified chicken layer barn.

The quality of the eggs produced and the health of the 3,300 chickens were topmost concerns for tour participants.

Owner Jared de Dood explained his three-tier aviary system that gives the birds space to run, fly, roost and eat with access to the outdoors, a system that has resulted in daily production of about 3,100 eggs since he started his first flock in May.

“When I came here, the very first day, I packed six eggs out of 3,300 birds that were placed in there,” de Dood says.

He opened his books detailing his daily, weekly and monthly reporting requirements; showed the barn’s computer systems that help monitor bird health, lights, feeding and more; and explained how eggs are collected and packed for grading.

“What you’re seeing is eggs coming from the farm to the grocery store within four to seven days. That’s how fresh our products are,” he notes.

A look inside the aviary revealed quiet, content birds which quickly adapted to the visitors.

A delicious lunch next door at Farmer John’s Market, operated by Jared’s parents, John and June de Dood, featured a starter, entree and dessert created with ingredients sourced from Okanagan farms that wowed the group and sparked a deeper interest in local products.

Lunch was also an opportunity for everyone to see the de Dood’s state-of-the-art robotic dairy, Sunninghill Holsteins.

A short drive to Mara brought the group to 60 acres of blueberries at Madalea Farms, where owner AJ Stobbe explained how the fruit helped diversify his family’s dairy farm and filled a need for local berries in the North Okanagan.

“I have pretty good success going into a store with Okanagan blueberries and they’re pretty excited about the merchandise,” Stobbe says. “It’s been so fun because a lot of the stores are saying, ‘There’s local blueberries? How come we didn’t know about you? Yes, bring some.’”

He explained the need to use foreign workers to meet labour requirements, blueberries’ growth cycle and answered questions about the use of chemicals in plant health.

“This year we didn’t spray a single insecticide. We spray some fungicide and we spray a fair amount of fertilizer to keep the plants healthy and we give the plants enough nutrients to fend off insects themselves,” Stobbe explains. “In our school of thought, we can’t go organic because we need to feed the plant.”

A stop at Serene Lea Farms, the Stobbe family’s 200-head dairy, followed.

Stobbe outlined the milking process, described the geothermal system that uses heat from the milk for heating and cooling the farm and stressed the importance of nutritionally balanced rations for his herd.

“We’re a little bit different here. We have a grain mill so we make our own calf grain. I balance it with my nutritionist; I’m always tweaking it a little bit,” he says.

The birth of a calf aided by Stobbe and his father Abe highlighted this part of the tour and gave everyone a first-hand example of the care provided by farmers to their animals.

A cheese tasting, courtesy of cheesemaker Sandra Proulx, wrapped up the afternoon.

Proulx, long-time cheesemaker at Terroir Cheese in Armstrong, purchased the business six months ago. She brought along her two Brie-style cheeses: Goaty Cow and Mt. Ida, and provided lots of delicious recipe ideas.

Proulx plans to open a new facility in Kaleden next summer where she can produce a full line of cheeses and do retail sales.

Sysco Kelowna corporate chef Brent Durec says Sysco organizes a Vancouver tour each year featuring many large producers but local connections are just as important.

“We want to support local farmers and offer a wider product to the customer,” he says. “It’s always interesting finding the different farms and products.”

Kelowna Yacht Club executive sous chef Jeff Burns said Sysco’s ability to pick up fresh product from farmers and deliver it to other customers along the route creates more food possibilities for restaurants.

“We use Sysco a lot so the more local product they can get, the more we can highlight that,” says Burns. “It’s a good way to understand the local side of food. … I’m very interested to see the diversification being used by local farmers.”

October’s tour was the second We Heart Local organized this year. The first tour in May included a visit to a greenhouse and a dairy farm in Delta.

Plans are taking shape for additional tours in 2019.

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