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Originally published:

NOVEMBER 2020
Vol. 106 Issue 11

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Stories In This Edition

Apple returns raise alarm

Ottawa urged to fulfil promises

Snow job

New government faces old issues in next term

Caught in the act

Editorial: Time for action

Back 40: Finding the perks in a pandemic world

Viewpoint: Changing times require a flexible vision

Invasive hornet nest destroyed south of Langley

Country Life in BC wins a record eight national awards

US launches investigation into blueberries

Hog producers face changes to code of practice

Growers, wineries welcome sustainability launch

Sustainability program delivers value to industry

Ag Briefs: Ag sector claims $8.5 billion economic impact

Ag Briefs: Farm worker protection funded

Ag Briefs: Autumn calf prices down

Grant programs encourage Indigenous ag projects

Range issues dominate NOLA meeting

Sidebar: BCV Cattlemen critique water intentions

BC Beef plant in Falkland ready to process this month

Winter warning

Corn trial results help make better planting decisions

Sidebar: Sweet results

New barn promises better egg production

ALR co-founder, defender embraces retirement

Seed sppliers seeing sustained demand as 2021 orders begin

Research: Breeding crops for the future means looking backwards

Straight ahead

Potatoes head for record-breaking harvest

Weather posed challenges for garlic growers

Garlic groewrs employ mixed marketing strategies

Association aims to foster collaboration

Demand boosts interest in older cider apples

Evans Farms marks a century of ranching

Farm Story: Nominees announced for seasonal awards

Bursary winner plants roots in Cawston

Provincial Winter Fair hosts live 4-H events

Woodshed: Janice Newberry bids farewell to love-sick Henderson

Where there’s a will, there’s gotta be a way

Jude’s Kitchen: Autumn Eats

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Vancouver council has rejected a bid to subdivide some of its only land within the Agricultural Land Reserve. The 8-acre site at 7520 Balaclava Street is home to an unused horse paddock and the former Celtic Shipyards. Vancouver council chose not to forward the application to the Agricultural Land Commission because subdivision would create lots that were too small at a site with multiple environmental and geotechnical issues. The cultural significance of the site to the Musqueam First Nation was also a consideration. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

Vancouver council has rejected a bid to subdivide some of its only land within the Agricultural Land Reserve. The 8-acre site at 7520 Balaclava Street is home to an unused horse paddock and the former Celtic Shipyards. Vancouver council chose not to forward the application to the Agricultural Land Commission because subdivision would create lots that were too small at a site with multiple environmental and geotechnical issues. The cultural significance of the site to the Musqueam First Nation was also a consideration.
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Let’s hope someone with an Ag vision buys the property..

Seasonal workers continue to benefit from BC’s acclaimed publicly funded quarantine program, which covers the cost of meals and accommodations for incoming foreign workers during their mandatory self-isolation period. To date this year, 14 incoming workers have tested positive for COVID-19, with nine remaining in isolation and five cleared to work on BC farms. "Through this program, we have been able to help preserve our province’s food supply by ensuring local food continues to be grown and harvested throughout the pandemic,” the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries told Country Life in BC. "The program is regarded as best practice by other jurisdictions and the province is continuing with the self-isolation program for 2021 without significant changes." Subscribe to Country Life in BC at buff.ly/2ReiFur ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago

Seasonal workers continue to benefit from BC’s acclaimed publicly funded quarantine program, which covers the cost of meals and accommodations for incoming foreign workers during their mandatory self-isolation period. To date this year, 14 incoming workers have tested positive for COVID-19, with nine remaining in isolation and five cleared to work on BC farms. Through this program, we have been able to help preserve our province’s food supply by ensuring local food continues to be grown and harvested throughout the pandemic,” the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries told Country Life in BC. The program is regarded as best practice by other jurisdictions and the province is continuing with the self-isolation program for 2021 without significant changes. Subscribe to Country Life in BC at buff.ly/2ReiFur
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Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has awarded $6 million to Vancouver-based Enterra Feed Corp. through the federal AgriInnovate program to develop a full-scale commercial facility north of Calgary for the production of insect-based feed ingredients. The new facility handles more than 130 tonnes of food waste per day and feeds it to the larvae of black soldier flies. The larvae are harvested and processed for use in feed products for poultry, pets and wild birds. The first of its kind in Canada, the facility ships products across North America as well as to the EU. Country Life in BC is the agricultural new source for BC's farmers and ranchers. ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has awarded $6 million to Vancouver-based Enterra Feed Corp. through the federal AgriInnovate program to develop a full-scale commercial facility north of Calgary for the production of insect-based feed ingredients. The new facility handles more than 130 tonnes of food waste per day and feeds it to the larvae of black soldier flies. The larvae are harvested and processed for use in feed products for poultry, pets and wild birds. The first of its kind in Canada, the facility ships products across North America as well as to the EU. Country Life in BC is the agricultural new source for BCs farmers and ranchers.
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Cammy Lockwood, great news for Enterra

CP Rail’s plans for a new logistics facility on 100 acres of farmland in Pitt Meadows is facing opposition from neighbours, who question the impact of the project on their community and local agriculture. Close to 100 residents questioned CP representatives in an online open house this week but received few definitive answers. The project is exempt from Agricultural Land Commission and local government approval. Results of a survey that closes today will be made public in March, with mitigation measures of the project provided this summer. Construction could begin in 2026 if federal authorities approve. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BC's farmers and ranchers. buff.ly/2ReiFur ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

CP Rail’s plans for a new logistics facility on 100 acres of farmland in Pitt Meadows is facing opposition from neighbours, who question the impact of the project on their community and local agriculture. Close to 100 residents questioned CP representatives in an online open house this week but received few definitive answers. The project is exempt from Agricultural Land Commission and local government approval. Results of a survey that closes today will be made public in March, with mitigation measures of the project provided this summer. Construction could begin in 2026 if federal authorities approve. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BCs farmers and ranchers. buff.ly/2ReiFur
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The BC Ministry of Agriculture has announced a new round of funding this week to support more community projects aimed at protecting the health and habitat of bees. The Bee BC program provides up to $5,000 to fund smaller-scale, community-based projects enhancing bee health throughout the province. Since launching in 2018, Bee BC has contributed almost $280,000 to 62 projects. The last round of 24 approved projects projects ranged from providing education in communities to planting bee-specific forage to using innovation and technology to help protect and ensure bee health in BC. The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. Check out the program guide for more information: buff.ly/3bCMzSW ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

The BC Ministry of Agriculture has announced a new round of funding this week to support more community projects aimed at protecting the health and habitat of bees. The Bee BC program provides up to $5,000 to fund smaller-scale, community-based projects enhancing bee health throughout the province. Since launching in 2018, Bee BC has contributed almost $280,000 to 62 projects. The last round of 24 approved projects projects ranged from providing education in communities to planting bee-specific forage to using innovation and technology to help protect and ensure bee health in BC. The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. Check out the program guide for more information: https://buff.ly/3bCMzSW
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Weather posed challenges for garlic growers

Cool temperatures, pre-harvest rain complicated high-quality crop

Ian Richardson has been growing garlic at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mara since 2000. Wet weather in June, before harvest, made it challenging to cure this year’s crop. PHOTO / SUBMITTED

November 1, 2020 byMyrna Stark Leader

KELOWNA – BC garlic growers are harvesting about four times as much garlic as they did a decade ago, but a cool spring and wet weather just before harvest challenged some growers this year.

“It was a very stressful year for many of my growers,” says Jim Capellini of Rasa Creek Farm in Lumby. He’s grown garlic since 2009. He markets seed garlic purchased from about a dozen other growers who sell directly to him.

Capellini planted about 4,000 cloves last fall for harvest this summer.

“I lost about 30% of my crop because it was too wet. Bulbs began to develop mold while still in the ground prior to harvest,” he explains.

Two of the organic growers who supply him with seed fared even worse than he did, losing their crops to botrytis.

“Both farms were certified organic, and so my access to certified bulb was seriously restricted,” he says.

Botrytis spores can travel with seed stock to new fields, introducing the fungus to an otherwise clean crop when conditions are right. Organic growers have few options for controlling the fungus, so neither Capellini nor his growers felt comfortable reserving a portion of this year’s crop for seed sales.

Ian Richardson, who’s been growing garlic since 1988 and has operated Rocky Ridge Farm in Mara since 2000, planted about 20,000 cloves on half an acre this year. While he didn’t see significant losses, the weather made it tough to cure the crop.

“Our growing season was okay, just okay,” he says. “We lost some garlic as it was too wet, especially right before harvest time, which is when you want garlic to be drying out in the ground. In a normal year, you quit watering about two weeks before you harvest. This year it rained almost right up to harvest.”

Abdul Majid of BC Garlic Growers Inc. in Abbotsford also faced challenges curing his crop. He farms 48 varieties, for a total of approximately 150,000 plants. The quality was excellent, but didn’t come without effort.

“We had a fantastic crop,” he says. “The least amount of crop loss, and crop quality was great and sizes were amazing. … But rain once a week wasn’t good for drying and curing these large heads.”

Doug Saba of Curly Willow Organic Farms in Grindrod lost about a quarter of his crop, or more than 900 bulbs, to botrytis. His Russian Red was more affected than his Yugoslavian garlic.

Fortunately, he was able to salvage enough good cloves to replant this fall, hoping that the healthy cloves will give next year’s crop a measure of resistance to the fungus.

To try and ward off fungus issues with his next crop, Saba will use less mulch around his plants. He may also look for an organic product to treat them in the spring. Knowing that this years crop had botrytis, he chose not to sell it as seed garlic.

Kelowna grower fared well

Even with a cooler spring, some growers in Kelowna saw good crops.

Now in their third year of garlic production, Michael and Jane Johnston of Avoca Farms and Vineyards had their best crop ever.

They used garlic as a way to boost cash flow while developing their aronia berry operation. They seeded 165,000 cloves in the ground on about 2.5 acres, and another 30,000 in pots.

Jane says 75% of the cloves produced heads of garlic varying in size. They were happy with the outcome, attributing their success to their sandy soil and greater experience.

A notable challenge this year was voles. While garlic is supposed to deter the rodents, the vole population seemed higher this year. The tiny varmints not only made runs through the field but moved bulbs, increasing the risk of disease spreading around the planting.

She says their potted garlic turned out even better due to the controlled growing environment. Michael’s familiarity with potted growing in Ireland, where the method is more common, prompted them to give it a try in Canada.

“It took a year of trial and error to get the fertilizer, watering and management of it in place,” she says, “but, overall, we were very successful for what many have told us was a challenging year.”

Monde Janzen of Janzen Garlic Acres Inc. in Kelowna was pleased with the results of her own 5,000 plants following a poor crop in 2019.

Janzen relocated from her operation from Abbotsford to Kelowna two years ago. Although she had success with the crop in Abbotsford, she’s spent the last two years adjusting to local growing conditions in the Okanagan.

“We got good quantities but I learned that we’ll stick with hard-neck garlic and work next year to increase the garlic’s size,” she explains.

Janzen sees opportunities for local garlic and plans to plant 30,000 to 35,000 cloves this fall, using a garlic splitter to separate them from the heads. The splitter reduces labour costs.

The ambition and innovation of growers like Janzen and the Johnstons give Capellini confidence in the future of the sector. He’s been working to grow it since planting his first 107 cloves of Russian Red, German Red and Yugoslavian garlic in 2009. He expanded to 40,000 bulbs annually and planned to grow even larger, but scaled back to focus on growing the industry through workshops and seed sales.

Capellini believes there’s a hole in the marketplace that could be filled with locally produced garlic.

According to international trade data, Canada imported 45.6 million pounds of garlic worth $60.5 million last year. China accounted for more than 80% of imports, followed by the US and Spain.

“We’re still importing 85% of what we need for fresh garlic in Canada,” says Capellini. “The demand is there, if people can produce it.”

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