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Originally published:

September 2018
Vol. 104 Issue 9

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Stories In This Edition

BC faces another summer of fire

Heather takes the cake

ALR report confirms agenda

Organic labelling regulations kick in September 1

Editorial: Inside information

Back Forty: Quantum change in the barn and kitchen

OpEd: Civic elections important for agriculture

Armyworm infestation hits North Okanagan

New entrants face scrutiny, but no waitlist

Surprise quota increase for dairies

Carrot field day

National apple programs focus of OK meeting

Okanagan tree fruits grab international spotlight

Farmers put food hub on wish list

Farming matters

Potato trials reflect change in consumer tastes

Veterinary partnership aimrs to improve service

Ag Brief: New public trust manager planning workshops

Ag Brief: BCAC hires new environmental programs mgr

Ag Brief: Poultry specialist joins IAF

Ag Brief: Salmon farmers hire new executive director

Ag Brief: New island agrologist

Automation good investment for nursery

Hort show offering more educational opportunities

Grant harnesses opportunities for farming

Flood management requires collaboration

Rancher goes wireless to manage irrigation

Wildfire lessons learned, but still work to be done

National park reserve consultations to resume

BC youth prevail at Western Canadian Classic

Land trust for Metro Vancouver floated again

Cawston market garden looks to future

Summer Institute plants seeds of knowledge

Cariboo farm thrives with mentorship

Research: Genetic editing stops deadline pig virus

Ploughing championship in sight

Coop rentals connect urbanites with farming

Maple Ridge consults on backyard chickens

Organic pioneers reflect on growth, changes in sector

Hooked on 4-H

Fair time

Woodshed: Sweet-talkin’ Henderson makes vacation plans

Wannabe: Here’s to the ordinary

Feast of Fields

Jude’s Kitchen: September and birthday celebrations

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1 day ago

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays. ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays.
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Patti 😊

3 days ago

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3 days ago

The top five issues the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity identified in a recent survey were the cost of food, inflation, the cost of energy, keeping healthy food affordable and the Canadian economy. “We are seeing that environmental concerns are not in the top 10,” says Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle Association’s public and stakeholder engagement program. “If you are concerned about being able to afford to feed your family, the environment becomes less important.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Ranchers get the backstory on public perception

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VERNON – Ranchers might be concerned about how the public sees their industry, but a producer-funded team at the Canadian Cattle Association has their back. Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle...
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4 days ago

BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million. ... See MoreSee Less

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Lake Country packing house sold

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BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million.
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Who bought it ffs ?

Ted Nedjelski Karen Turner

One of my first jobs was apple grading in a packing plant in Vernon

Vivian, is this where you worked?

I’d hear the company that owns the big Cannabis company that owns the green houses all around this packing plant was buying up everything around to expand. Wonder if it’s them that got it.

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5 days ago

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Association's preparation for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/ ... See MoreSee Less

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Associations preparation  for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/
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Wildfire lessons learned, but still work to be done

Scale of wildfires underscores need for clear communication

BC Wildfire Service photo

September 5, 2018 byPeter Mitham

VICTORIA – Workshops aimed at fireproofing BC farms and ranches seem to be working despite record-breaking fire seasons this year and last.

Cattle operations have been the farms the hardest hit by wildfires over the past two years, thanks in large part to their dependence on Crown tenures and forage resources. Ranches and farms from Alkali Lake to Agassiz have been impacted, making the need to prepare for wildfire an issue not limited to the Interior.

“It’s a continuing battle to protect family farms and ranches,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told media during a conference call August 22. “One of the things that we learned last year, which has been critically important to our response, is for producers to be registered in our Premises ID program.”

The program allows them to re-enter into evacuation zones and tend to their livestock, and has been working successfully this year. It was not only encouraged during last year’s wildfire season, but in workshops the BC Cattlemen’s Association supported to help farmers prepare for future seasons.

“[BCCA general manager] Kevin Boon was just an absolute all-star last year and continues to be this year, so making sure that those lines of communication work very quickly is definitely part of a more efficient response,” Popham said.

However, with this year’s fires affecting different areas of the province than last year, she said the learning curve continues as new areas receive first-hand experience of dealing with wildfire.

The back-to-back seasons have been a literal trial by fire for provincial emergency management personnel, nearly 4,000 of which have been deployed to fight the fires.

Recommendations of the independent report the province commissioned into handling of the devastating 2017 wildfire season emphasized the need for greater communication between crews and locals, and a greater receptiveness to local knowledge. While figures like Reg Steward continue to be invaluable in operations centres, it was often a different story on the ground.

Christine Coletta and husband Steve Lornie operate Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland and were among the vintners offering thanks to fire crews for their work battling the Mount Eneas blaze at the end of July.

The road to Okanagan Crush Pad’s vineyard in Garnet Valley was blocked for several days, but provincial emergency management crews allowed owners to access properties and assist with fire suppression.

“The local firefighters had knowledge of our land and what tools we had on hand that could help them mount a successful battle,” Coletta said. “If we had not been able to return to the property daily, we could not have managed the irrigation system which played a key role in soaking the perimeter of our land.”

The fire crews were also able to draw water from an irrigation pond at the vineyard to fight the fire.

A pass system the local fire department introduced midway through the blaze echoed troubles reported in various locations last year, however. Clear protocols and communications, a key recommendation in the review of last year’s fire season, didn’t seem to exist.

“It would have been good to have a system in place that everyone knew of in advance. Procedures seemed to change daily,” Coletta said.

She feels local government and citizens need to take wildfire preparedness as seriously as other forms of disaster, so that affected residents and businesses are more resilient during and after a disaster.

“Wildfires are our new reality,” she said. “Each town and region needs to really look at a solid wildfire plan and communicate that out to citizens in high-risk areas along the lines of what some cities do in the way of earthquake preparedness.”

Photo courtesy of BC Wildfire Service

 

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