AUGUST 2016

by DAVID SCHMIDT

PRINCE GEORGE – The BC Cattlemen’s

Association (BCCA) is receiving up to $144,000

from the federal and provincial governments

to develop a business and marketing plan for a

new mid-size federally-inspected beef

processing plant in the Prince George area.

BCCA general manager Kevin Boon stresses

this is only a viability study and does not mean

a plant will be built.

“This is to see if it’s worth trying,” Boon says.

Currently, BC has only two federally

inspected plants capable of processing small

numbers of cattle and several dozen

provincially-licenced abattoirs, but the majority

of cattle are processed in Alberta or the US.

Boon readily admits a lot of processing

plants failed during the BSE crisis “for a

number of reasons” and the study is intended

to ensure a new plant does not suer the same

fate.

Although “there is money there right now”

to build a plant, the BCCA has cautioned

against moving too quickly.

“Our biggest fear is that someone will build

it (without first determining what is needed

to make it successful). This isn’t about a

packing plant – it’s about a whole industry,”

Boon says, noting interested investors

(primarily retailers and exporters) “aren’t that

familiar with the cattle industry. They just

Postmaster, Please return

Undeliverable labels to:

Country Life in BC

1120 East 13th Ave

Vancouver, BC V5T 2M1

CANADA POSTES

POST CANADA

Postage paid Port payé

Publications Mail Post-publications

40012122

Vol. 102 No. 8

Farm tour City in the Country showcases innovative agriculture 11

Poultry Practice codes hope to establish baselines 13

Dairy National ingredient strategy could spur growth 29

Life

in BC

The agricultural news source in

British Columbia since 1915

August 2016 • Vol. 102 No. 8

Chicken board

ready to sign on

the dotted line

Feasibility study for northern abattoir

Please see “FEEDLOT” page 2

COUNTRY

by DAVID SCHMIDT

ABBOTSFORD – The BC Chicken

Marketing Board (BCCMB) was expected to

sign Chicken Farmers of Canada’s new

operating agreement at the CFC summer

meeting in Toronto in late July, after nally

getting approval to do so from the BC Farm

Industry Review Board.

FIRB issued its approval on June 30 but

told the BCCMB to hold o until after July

15 to give BC processors another chance to

appeal FIRB’s decision. The processors

waited until the last minute before deciding

against further appeals.

“This is very good news,” said Chicken

Farmers of Canada chair Dave Janzen, a

Chilliwack chicken grower, and BCCMB chair

Robin Smith, almost in unison.

Clay Hurren, 12, a junior member from the Armstrong Beef Club, parades his Simmental cross steer, Gus, in front of a

captive audience of buyers at the annual 4-H Stock Show at the IPE fairgrounds, July 9. (Cathy Glover photo)

Proud as punch

IRRIGATION LTD

1-888-675-7999

www.watertecna.com

PROVINCE WIDE DELIVERY

Growing more

with less water

FREE PTO PUMP

See our ad on page 37

for details!

1-888-770-7333

Quality Seeds ... where quality counts!

YOUR COMPLETE

SEED SOURCE

Please see “CHRONIC” page 2

Eight years of negotiations

over allocations at an end

CHRONIC UNDERALLOCATIONS From page 1

Country Life in BC • August 20162

“Now we can get on with

life,” Smith said.

The issue was predicated

by Alberta’s demand for a

higher allocation than they

were entitled to under the

previous agreement, saying it

led to chronic

underallocations for the

province. Failure to resolve

the issue in a timely fashion

led to Alberta withdrawing

from CFC.

In July 2014, after over six

years of negotiations, all 10

provinces reached an

agreement-in-principle (AIP)

on a new allocation formula

giving Alberta and Ontario a

larger share of future

growth.

Final text over a year ago

It took another four

months to develop a

memorandum of

understanding on the AIP and

till May 2015 for the provinces

to agree on the nal text of an

amended national operating

agreement and send it out for

the required signatures.

Nineteen signatures are

required, including two from

BC – BCCMB and FIRB.

Although Alberta participated

fully in the negotiations and

has been abiding by the

allocations, Alberta is not

among those signatories

since the province is not

ocially a CFC member.

“Until we have all 19

signatures, Alberta can’t take

the amended operating

agreement to its supervisory

board and minister to ask for

approval to rejoin CFC,”

Janzen says, adding

“obviously (CFC) wouldn’t

have tried to get the 19

signatures if we weren’t sure

we would get (Alberta) back.”

Challenges, all around

Although CFC got 11 of the

required signatures by the

end of 2015, it has taken time

to get the rest. The operating

agreement drew ocial

challenges in BC,

Saskatchewan and Manitoba

and unocial challenges from

Quebec and Nova Scotia. With

FIRB’s decision, all but the

BCCMB chair Robin Smith

FEEDLOT INDUSTRY WOULD NEED TO EXPAND From page 1

want the meat.”

A viability study completed

last year indicated BC could

support a federally-inspected

packing plant but certain

sectors of the production

chain would need signicant

infrastructure development.

As an example, there would

have to be an increase in BC’s

feeding (feedlot) industry as

most BC ranchers are cow-calf

operators who send their

calves to Alberta or the US for

nishing.

Locating the plant in Prince

George is another key as BC

cattle production moves

steadily northward.

“The cattle industry is

doomed in southern BC,”

Boon states, so building a

plant in the south would also

be doomed.

The plan would be to build

a plant capable of handling

200-250 head per day with

room to expand to double

that size. “We would start with

50,000 head per year and

hopefully increase to 100,000

head per year, which

represents about half the BC

calf crop.”

Export standards

The plant would be built to

export standards to take

advantage of both domestic

and export market

opportunities and give the

local industry the exibility to

do specialty programs such as

what Earl’s Restaurants want.

CALL FOR AN ESTIMATE

LARRY

604.209.5523

TROY

604.209.5524

TRI-WAY

FARMS

LASER LEVELLING LTD.

IMPROVED

DRAINAGE

UNIFORM

GERMINATION

UNIFORM

IRRIGATION

FAST ,

ACCURATE

SURVEYING

INCREASE

CROP

YIELDS

We service all of

Southern BC

12:6(59,1*7+(

)5$6(59$//(<

:H·YHEHHQSURXGO\IDPLO\RZQHGDQGRSHUDWHG

VLQFHRSHQLQJLQ$QGZLWKWZREOHQGLQJ

SODQWVZH·UHRQHRI%&·VODUJHVWGLVWULEXWRUVRI

JUDQXODUOLTXLGDQGIROLDUIHUWLOL]HUV2XUEX\LQJ

SRZHUDQGSUR[LPLW\WRWKH)UDVHU9DOOH\PDNHV

XVWKHORJLFDOFKRLFHIRUWUXFNORDGVKLSPHQWV

2.$1$*$1)(57,/,=(5/7'



“The big plants (in Alberta)

can’t do that,” Boon notes.

He believes that if the

feeding industry expands to

support a mid-size plant, it

would help rather than hinder

existing provincially-licenced

abattoirs.

“Right now, those plants

can only access cattle at

certain parts of the year.

Expanding the feeding

industry would increase the

number of nished cattle

available to them,” Boon says.

Last year’s viability study

indicated such a plant has the

potential to generate an

additional $250 million in

annual beef and byproduct

sales, increase value-added

exports up to $180 million,

and create up to 180 new full-

time-equivalent jobs within

the plant and about 620

spino jobs.

Those jobs could prove to

be the biggest stumbling

block of all.

Increased training needed

“Worker availability could

be our biggest hindrance,”

Boon says, noting that if a

plant is built there will be a

need for increased training

resources.

The BCCA is providing up

to $16,000 of its own money

to fund the study, to be

completed by March 31, 2017.

When completed it will be

jointly owned by government

and industry and be available

to anyone interesting in

pursuing the opportunity.

“If we want the cattle

industry in BC to continue to

grow, we have to follow up on

this,” Boon says.

Quebec challenge have now

been resolved. Once BC signs,

CFC will have 17 of the 19

signatures.

Quebec’s supervisory

board has given the

agreement its tentative

approval, subject to approval

by its minister and subject to

the Quebec chicken

marketing board passing a

bylaw agreeing not to

approve any changes to the

agreement without prior

approval from its supervisory

board.

With the operating

agreement apparently

reaching a successful

conclusion, both BCCMB and

CFC can now move on to

other equally, and perhaps

more, pressing issues.

For CFC, the big issue is

“plugging leaks in the dam” at

the border.

“The new agreement gives

us the unity and strength we

need to keep working with

the federal government on

import controls,” Janzen says.

“The amount of chicken that’s

coming in to Canada either

fraudulently or creatively

makes this agreement look

pretty small.”

For the BCCMB, the big

issue is live pricing.

Price review underway

“We’ve started a review of

pricing in BC,” Smith says,

claiming “a lot has changed”

since FIRB imposed the

current pricing formula on

the industry ve years ago.

He says the current formula

means “we’re allowing four

other provinces (AB, SK, MB

and ON) to set our price and

I’m not sure that’s right for

BC.”

Smith says the board has

given itself “all Fall” to work

with all the parties to develop

a formula which meets the

BCCMB’s mandate to ensure

“a reasonable return for our

growers and a competitive

price for our processors.”

www.tractorparts4sale.ca

ABBOTSFORD, BC

Bus. 604/807-2391

Fax. 604/854-6708 email:

sales@tractorparts4sale.ca

We accept Interact, Visa and Mastercard

MENSCH SAND THROWER W/JD LOADER QUICKATTACH ............... 3,700

BALE SQUEEZE FLEXIBAL MODEL W/JD OR ALO QUICKATTACH ... 1,750

KVERNELAND 2428 10 FT WIDE, 3 PT DISC MOWER/NO CONDITIONER,

LIKE NEW ........................................................................................ $9,500

CLAAS 470S SINGLE ROTARY RAKE, 15FT, GOOD CONDITION ...... 6,500

NEW IDEA 3739 MANURE SPREADER, TANDEM AXLE ................. 14,500

JD4200 FOUR BOTTOM ROLL OVER PLOW, SPRING TRIP................. 5,500

JOHN DEERE 5500 4X4, LOADER, 83 HP, FWD/REV, OPEN STATION,

LOADER ATTACH INCLUDED............................................................... CALL

JOHN DEERE 5300 4X4, 56 HP, FWD/REV, OPEN STATION .......... 18,000

JD 5105 2WD, OPEN STATION, 45 PTO HP, LOW HRS . .................... CALL

JD 2130 2WD CAB, 3385 HRS, HYD PTO, HYD TWO SPEED,

540 PTO, TWO REMOTES .................................................................. 9,200

Tractor/Equipment Repair Mobile Service Available

GD Repair Ltd

NEW REPLACEMENT PARTS

for MOST TRACTORS & FARM IMPLEMENTS

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 3

by DAVID SCHMIDT

LANGLEY – After a small trial

run late last summer proved a

success, BC blueberry growers

and packers have plans to ship

tonnes of fresh blueberries to

China this year.

BC Minister of Agriculture

Norm Letnick visited Driediger

Farms in Langley, July 3, to

watch workers package berries

for the Chinese market.

“This is a big market

opportunity for BC growers,”

Letnick said, claiming it could

grow into a $65 million market

in future years.

After years of eort by the

BC Blueberry Council, Canada

and China nally agreed on an

export protocol for BC

blueberries last year. The

protocol not only requires

complete product traceability

from eld to package but

requires each eld and each

packer planning to ship

berries to China to rst be

certied to Canada GAP

standards by the Canadian

Food Inspection Agency.

“All our elds have been

certied so we are ready to

export,” Rhonda Driediger

said. “We are very proud to be

one of the rst BC companies

to be approved for exporting

fresh blueberries to China. We

look forward to developing

long-term relationships and

increasing demand by the

Chinese consumer for BC's

exceptional quality

blueberries."

Finding and developing

new markets like China are

increasingly necessary as BC

continues to increase its

blueberry acreage and

production.

BC is already is one of the

largest highbush blueberry-

growing regions in the world.

In 2015, BC farmers harvested

about 70,000 tonnes of

blueberries, a 7% increase

from 2014. 2016 production is

expected to at least equal that

of last year.

Letnick notes the province

now has international trade

oces in 13 countries to

promote its agrifood products,

saying building export

markets is a key priority of the

BC Agrifood and Seafood

Strategic Growth Plan.

Inaugural shipment of BC

blueberries off to China

by DAVID SCHMIDT

LANGLEY – The Fraser Valley’s cool, wet

summer has not dampened the spirits of BC

berry growers. Anything but.

Although the season started early because

of the unseasonably hot and early spring, rain

and lower temperatures in June and early July

served to improve what could have been a

poor year for production.

“The cold, wet June really helped our

strawberry crop,” Langley grower, packer and

processor Rhonda Driediger of Driediger Farms

said in early July. She noted one second-year

eld of Puget Alliance strawberries which

produced only 29,000 pounds last year yielded

about 115,000 pounds this year.

“We had too much heat last year,” she said.

Driediger notes she processed over 250,000

pounds of strawberries this year, more than

double what she put through her packing plant

last year.

Cool weather boosts berry yields

BC Blue! BC Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick, left, and Abbotsford South MLA Daryl Plecas, right,

join Rhonda Driediger of Blueridge Produce in Langley and Abbotsford berry grower David Mutz to

celebrate the rst exports of fresh BC blueberries to China. (David Schmidt photo)

Please see “LARGER” page 6

More Crops. Less Ash.

604-864-2273

34511 VYE ROAD

ABBOTSFORD

STORE HOURS

MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8-5

SATURDAY 8 TIL 12

CLAAS PU 380

GRASS PICK UP

12.5’ WIDTH

$4,900

UNIFARM CW440

4 BASKET

3 PT HITCH TEDDER

$3,900

NH H7550

MID PIVOT MOWER CONDITIONER

13’ CUTTING WIDTH

$26,900

CLAAS 3900TC

MOWER CONDITIONER,

12.5’ CUTTING WIDTH

$29,900

JD 7450 PRODRIVE SPFH

4X4 KP, 10' GRASS PU,

676 6 ROW CORNHEAD

CALL FOR PRICING.

Pre-owned

Tractors &

Equipment

www.caliberequipment.ca

Alberta premier Rachael Notley’s government

stirred up a hornet’s nest last fall when it introduced

Bill 6, making Workman’s Compensation coverage

mandatory on the province’s farms and ranches.

There was widespread resistance from the

agriculture community that resulted in several

amendments to the legislation that came into eect

on January 1. Until then, Alberta was the only

province that exempted agricultural workers from

compensation coverage. When it comes right down

to it, you have to wonder what took them so long.

Farming and ranching are dangerous work – work

that often involves workers not found in any other

employment category. What other eld of

endeavour generates workplace fatality statistics for

children under 15 and adults over 80?

Typical Canadian farms and ranches are family

enterprises. In most cases, the family lives in the

workplace. Being home means being at work and

much of that work cannot be accomplished in eight

scheduled hours from Monday to Friday. The

workload often demands long hours every day for

weeks on end, leaving workers tired and distracted.

Couple this with a workplace that is liable to be any

combination of loud, dusty, slippery, sharp,

poisonous, hot, cold, mean, scared, heavy or hungry,

and you have a recipe for trouble.

The farm population as a whole is steadily ageing

and as it does, the attendant physical human

decline will make farming and ranching increasingly

dangerous. Statistics from Canadian Agricultural

Injury Reporting (CAIR) paint a worrying picture.

From 1990 to 2012, there were 2,324 fatalities on

Canadian farms and ranches. 272 were children

under 15 years of age, 341 were 70 to 79 years of

age and 163 were over the age of 80.

Complacency born of years doing familiar and

repetitive tasks also complicates matters. The simple

truth is farm and ranch workers, kids, adults and

elderly, work in a dangerous, complicated and

unforgiving environment where a simple moment of

inattention can spell disaster.

Few of us who have been at this any length of

time will struggle to recall our own close calls, or

worse. Sadly, most of us will know others injured or

killed accidentally. While some jobs are inherently

more dangerous than others, all workers deserve

safe working conditions. Period. WorkSafeBC

regulations may seem onerous but they are

designed to ensure job safety. There is no rational

argument against that aim. As a construction site

compensation board inspector responded many

years ago to my observation that the regulations

seemed complicated and onerous: “Yes, they are;

but the sad reality is every word of them has been

written with someone’s blood and grief.”

Safety is no accident (no pun intended).

Compensation board regulations might make your

farm or ranch a less dangerous place to work but

only leadership and commitment from within can

make it truly safe. Every farm or ranch needs

someone to lead by example and make safety the

priority for every family member and employee.

At the very least, everyone should reect on and

assess their own situation and concerns,

communicate them to those they work with and

formulate a basic safety plan. The resources to go

forward from there are available from AgSafe BC

[www.agsafebc.ca]. In addition to on-line resources,

AgSafe has regional safety consultants covering the

entire province. AgSafe also oers a Certicate of

Recognition (COR) for agricultural employers who

implement an eective Occupational Health and

Safety plan which could lead to a 10% reduction in

WorkSafeBC premiums.

How much will safety cost? Awareness, basic

education and changes in attitude and behaviours

might be achievable at little or no cost at all. Seat

belts, replacements for missing guards, a safer

handling chute, or occupational rst aid training will

all cost something but compare those costs to the

value of the health, safety and life of those who live

and work on your farm and ranch.

While writing this, I have been remembering

three good friends, all experienced, involved in

machinery accidents. One died in a tractor roll-over,

one lost an entire arm in an implement drive shaft,

and one was pinned under a tractor and survived 25

chest fractures. A formal safety plan might not have

prevented any of their accidents but it could have.

And that’s reason enough for everyone to have one.

Summer is here and fall’s not far o. Statistically

they are the most dangerous seasons for ranchers

and farmers. Stay safe out there.

Editor & Publisher Peter Wilding

Phone: 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003

E-mail: countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca • Web: countrylifeinbc.com

Associate Editor David Schmidt

Phone: 604-793-9193

E-mail: davidschmidt@shaw.ca

Advertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Glover

Phone: 604/328-3814

E-mail: cathyglover@telus.net

Production Ass’t: Ann Morris • Senior Researcher: Phil “Bones” Gordon

COUNTRY

Life

Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, that portion

of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for

signature will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the

applicable rate.

In the event of a typographical error which advertises goods or services at a wrong price, such

goods or services need not be sold at the advertised price. Advertising is an offer to sell, and may

be withdrawn at any time. All advertising is accepted subject to publisher’s approval.

All of Country Life in British Columbia’s content is covered by Canadian copyright law.

Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and not necessarily those of

Country Life in British Columbia.

Letters are welcome, though they may be edited in the interest of brevity before publication.

All errors brought to our attention will be corrected.

The agricultural news source

in British Columbia since 1915

Published monthly by

Country Life 2000 Ltd.

Vol. 102 No. 8

August 2016

in B.C.

1120 East 13th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 2M1 Publication Mail Agreement: 0399159 GST Reg. No: 86878 7375 Subscriptions: $18.90/year • $33.60/2 years • $37.80/3 years

All prices incl GST

Safety doesn’t take a holiday on the farm

The Back 40

BOB COLLINS

Country Life in BC • August 20164

If you build it, they will come.

That famous line from “Field of

Dreams” seems so appropriate as

the BC Cattlemen’s Association

ponders whether building a new

beef processing plant in Prince

George is a good idea or not.

In the movie, Kevin Costner

plays a farmer who hears a

mysterious voice telling him that if

he builds a baseball diamond in

his cornfield, the great baseball

players of old will come to utilize

it.

It appears the BCCA has heard

the same mysterious voice in the

night, telling them that if a plant is

built in Prince George, the BC

cattle industry will be transformed.

If that voice is to be believed,

the BC feedlot industry would

expand dramatically in northern

BC giving BC cattlemen a ready

market. The plant would foster

mid-scale production of grass-fed

and/or hormone-free beef or any

other type of specialty beef

consumer whims may demand in

future. The plant might even

attract cattle from northern

Alberta ranchers, who could find it

more economical to ship their

animals west to Prince George

than south to High River.

The BCCA also has a Kevin,

(Kevin Boon) to lead their

investigation and now the

government has given them the

money to find out whether that is

feasible or if they are, as many

believe, simply dreaming in

Technicolor.

History is not on their side.

Many have tried and failed. The

Blue Mountain packing plant in

Salmon Arm is the most obvious

example. Twice, investors poured

millions into that plant only to see

it fail miserably.

Will this be any different?

Our Kevin thinks so and we

hope he’s right. The BC cattle

industry could certainly use a shot

in the arm to turn around an ever-

shrinking industry.

To them we say: dare to dream!

Dare to dream

Time for stakeholders’ frank discussion on supply management

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 5

countries provide both direct

and indirect subsidies but

don’t suffer the same sort of

trade backlash because of the

different way those subsidies

are viewed.

Mismatch

In fact, the milk sector

looks, to the casual observer,

like the supply-managed

commodity that’s currently

under the most duress.

There’s a well-documented

mismatch between

production and consumer

demand that’s resulted in

ever-rising butterfat imports.

There’s a thriving grey market

in US milk solids that are

crossing the border by

exploiting a poorly

understood loophole. Our

exports are unwelcome

because of supply

management while at the

same time, our domestic

market is opening to dairy

imports, suggesting Canadian

producers are likely to lose

out market share with no

chance of a replacement.

Left unaddressed, it will be

death by a thousand cuts.

Rather than sticking their

collective heads in the sand

and hoping for the best, I

strongly believe supply-

managed producers would

be best served by having a

painful conversation amongst

themselves. They should be

taking a long and hard look

at what criticisms of the

current system might be

most valid, and attempting to

address them.

There’s still plenty of time

to take a more proactive

approach to this situation

and nobody appears to be

making a case for leaving

farmers high and dry, holding

the high-priced bag of quota

they just bought.

Gord Gilmour is

Associate Editor

of Manitoba Co-operator.

A few years back, while

working as a writer for

Country Guide, I spoke at

some length with

Saskatchewan-based

agriculture economist Murray

Fulton about how farm policy

is typically set in Canada.

He told me that what tends

to happen is something he

called “punctuated

equilibrium” – which is to say

that Canadian agriculture

policy tends to reach a state

of consensus on a topic, then

remain there for quite some

time.

Over time, new issues

appear and pressure begins

to slowly build under the

surface. Eventually it begins

to bubble up, reach a boiling

point, then boiling over in a

flash of action – like the

death of the Crow Rate or the

move to an open market for

western wheat and barley.

Pressure building

He also told me, in his

opinion, we were probably at

the start of the process where

the pressure would begin to

build on supply

management. With the

benefit of hindsight, he’s

beginning to appear

downright prescient.

There’s little doubt

pressure is rising. Various

trade agreements threaten to

both undermine it and cap

future growth. Columns in

both the farm press and

mainstream media

increasingly take issue with it.

Broken ranks

Recently, Maxime Bernier,

a Conservative MP from

Quebec and candidate for

the party’s leadership, broke

ranks and said it is time to

reform the system. A

pair of University of

Manitoba researchers

recently received a

national economics

award for a policy

paper examining the

outsize impact supply

management has on poor

households.

In a nutshell, their case

states that supply

management is a regressive

tax that rich and poor alike

pay at the same rate, and the

higher prices of basic grocery

staples is driving poor

households to less healthy

and wholesome options.

Drip by drip, the dam is

breached and change now

appears inevitable – the

question is no longer if, but

when, how and by whose

design, in my opinion.

So far, supply-managed

commodity groups have

taken a fighting stance,

battling every perceived

threat. It’s certainly

understandable. After all, the

current system appears to

have functioned well for

them for decades now. But in

a strategic sense, I believe

this is an error. After a while,

policy-makers will just

conclude the farmers in

question are resistant to

change and they’ll impose a

solution, like it or not.

When the punctuation is

reached, governments tend

to act the same no matter the

party in power or the issue at

play. It can be summed up

pretty simply: distract them,

rip the bandage off and run

like hell. It would be nice to

think a new generation of

leaders might actually display

leadership, but don’t count

on it.

If they won’t, industry will

need to or risk being saddled

with a deal they’ve had little

input on.

Many subsidies out there

I’m not suggesting giving

away the farm, of course, and

I don’t think even the most

ardent free market

proponents are either. The

truth is a lot of commodities

are subsidized in a lot of

different ways in a lot of

different places. But what

makes supply management

unique is that it’s been

singled out as a trade-

distorting policy and

essentially shuts Canada out

of export markets for

commodities, in particular

dairy, while spinning off

unintended consequences at

home.

Agricultural economists Al

Mussell, Doug Hedley and

Kamal Karunagoda examined

this in a widely discussed

policy paper, Canadian Dairy

Exports: The Knowns,

Unknowns, and Uncertainties.

In it, they noted many other

Viewpoint

GORD GILMOUR

604.556.7477

DUNCAN

5410 Trans Canada Hwy. 250.748.8171

KELOWNA

103-1889 Springfield Road

250.860.2346

NANAIMO

1-1277 Island Hwy. S

250.753.4221

PARKSVILLE

587 Alberni Hwy. 250.248.3243

SAANICH

1970 Keating Cross Rd. 250.652.9188

SALMON ARM

1771 - 10th Avenue S.W. 250.832.8424

WEST KELOWNA

2565 Main St., Hwy. 97 South 250.768.8870

ABBOTSFORD

31852 Marshall Place

Canadian Owned and Operated

100%

NEW LOCATION

•Livestock Feed

•Fertilizer

• Grass Seed

• Pet Food & Accessories

•Fencing

• Farm Hardware

•Chemicals

. . . . and a whole lot more

HELPING B.C.’S CRAFT BREWING

CIDER & DISTILLERY INDUSTRIES

ENHANCE COMPETITIVENESS

AND PROFITABILITY

PROGRAM FUNDING

PROVIDED BY

122 acres on picturesque Salmon River. Approx 50 acres irrigated. Custom built 4

bed/2.5 bath home.Open living areas feature large windows open to the farm views.

Newer 30'x48' haycover, older 26'x86' barn and original farm house decommissioned

to allow for new home. 20 minutes from Vernon, this private executive acreage would

be attractive to many seeking the quiet life. MLS®# 10119941 $1,150,000

Downtown Realty

4007 - 32nd Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5P2

Toll Free: 1-800-434-9122

www.royallegpage.ca

PAT DUGGAN

Farm | Ranch | Residential

Bus: 250/545-5371 (24 hr)

Cell: 250/308-0938

email: patduggan@royallepage.ca

“Farmers helping farmers with their real estate needs”

www.OkLandBuyers.ca

4885 HWY 97, FALKLAND

Country Life in BC • August 20166

by PETER MITHAM

KELOWNA – Growing

demand for housing to

accommodate long-term

migrant workers is fuelling

demand for permanent rather

than temporary structures on

farms.

The province has long

maintained that just one

permanent residence is

permitted per parcel land

within the Agricultural Land

Reserve. The reserve was

established in 1973 to protect

rural land from development,

meaning any additional

dwelling, whether for an

immediate family member or

farm workers, is limited to a

manufactured home.

Such temporary structures

are deemed not to

compromise the productive

capacity of the land, though

local governments have the

authority to allow for extra

dwellings for farm workers “if

the number of residences is

commensurate with

agricultural activities being

undertaken on the parcel.”

But the guidance in the

regulations is creating

pressure on municipalities

such as Kelowna, which is

elding requests from

orchardists who want to house

dozens of workers on a single

farm property.

“The number of workers

that they need is more than

the ve or six they might have

needed in the 1970s,” explains

Minister open to permanent housing for temporary workers

Melanie Steppuhn, a land use

planner responsible for

suburban and rural planning

with Kelowna. “So the farm

worker housing is becoming

concentrated. They want them

on one farm rather than

having them all on ve farms.

It’s much more convenient for

them to house them on one or

two farms.”

While applications for farm

worker housing typically

number no more than ve a

year, farmers are increasingly

seeking permission to build

larger, permanent residences.

“We’re not getting a lot of

these requests but when

they’re bigger, they do tend to

hit the news,” Steppuhn says,

noting the concerns often

come from rural residents who

aren’t involved in farming.

“More and more people are

buying homes like severance

parcels and smaller parcels

and living on them, or larger

parcels, even, and leasing

them out as farms, who are

not farmers,” Steppuhn

explains. “[They] have very

little patience and interest in

the farm activities that are

protected under the Right to

Farm Act.”

Yet concern regarding farm

worker housing isn’t just from

cranky neighbours.

Greenhouse operators in

Delta encountered issues a

decade ago with respect to

farm worker housing. Rather

than lodge them at a hotel or

some other kind of leased

premises, there was a desire

to accommodate them on

site.

But in a municipality that

was grappling with the issue

of monster homes on

farmland, the issue was a hot

potato. Temporary housing

was the way to go, said Delta

mayor Lois Jackson, adding

stewardship of the land

beyond the needs of the

present was key.

Guidelines for hosting

temporary workers limit

themselves to saying that

workers only require housing

that meets government

standards and passes muster

with either a municipal

inspector, commercial

inspection service or third-

party inspector.

The province has regularly

studied the issue, issuing its

most recent revision of the

standard that aims to provide

a baseline for municipal

bylaws just last year.

Agriculture minister Norm

Letnick told media in June

that the provincial standard

remains the ocial stance on

the matter but he’s open to

discussing the matter if there’s

a signicant need for a new

form of worker housing.

“The preference, according

to the bylaw, is for them to be

temporary structures – some

kind of manufactured home

that can removed at some

point in the future if the need

no longer existed,” he told

CBC. “[But] I’m always open to

consider things that would be

best for agriculture.”

Current standard recommends temporary structures

SUCCESS

THEN KELLO-BIL

IF STRONGER IS BETTER,

SELLS LIKE

NOTHING

T IS THEN KELLO-BIL

IF STRONGER IS BETTER,

THE BESTT IS

OFFSET DISC

SINGLE AND DOUBLEWIDE

MODEL 225

oil for constant lubrication

ings operate in a 90W gear

-ﬂoating duo-cone seal. Bear

ductile cast housing, c/w

bearings mounted in heavy

oller ed rback-to-back taper

Model 225 has oil bath, •

TUREFEA

Phone (403) 347-2646

WIDTHS: 8’, 10’, 12’, 14’, 16’•

segments

oup, hoses, tips & depth gr

5” x 8” hydraulic cylinder •

es on 6 bolt hubstir

9.5L x 15”, 6 ply implement •

steel gang shafts

eated alloy 2-1/8” heat tr•

1/2” spacing

ear - 10-ont and rblades fr

5/16” x 26” notched disc •

Phone (403) 347-2646

e., Red

#3, 7491-49

.kelloughs.comwww

KELLOUGH’S

1-888-500-2646

AB. T4P 1N1

.kelloughs.com

KELLOUGH’S

MONTH

OF THE

TUREFEA

LARGER CROP THAN 2015 From page 3

David Mutz of Berry Haven

Farms in Abbotsford seconded

her comments.

“Raspberry plants like cool,

wet weather so we expect a

larger crop than last year,”

Mutz said, adding the larger

crop is a mixed blessing.

He notes packers and

wholesalers still have a glut of

raspberries in storage so prices

are down from a year ago.

“There is more competition

in the market but prices are

down for both fresh and

processed raspberries,” Mutz

said, adding prices “will still be

protable for growers but not

as ridiculous (high) as last

year.

34856 Harris Rd | Abbotsford BC

604-826-3281

www.matsquiagrepair.com

The ISO Touch

Control Unit allows the McHale Fusion 3 to

be fully automatic. This 7 inch, color and

touch display allows the operator to have

increased monitoring of the machine.

THE FILM ADVANTAGES:

-Chamber ﬁlm acts as a wrapping layer.

-Chamber ﬁlm results in a better

shaped bale.

-Chamber ﬁlm delivers higher

quality silage.

-Chamber ﬁlm makes recycling easier.

FILM

Matsqui Ag Repair- your authorized McHale Dealer:

PLUS

High Output Solutions For Today’s Farmer.

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 7

Shuswap-based food co-op rallies for agriculture

by TOM WALKER

SALMON ARM – The

Salmon Arm area has a history

of co-operation around food

production. In 1907, local

growers founded the Salmon

Arm Farmers Exchange to

pack, market and ship apples.

When those growers couldn’t

get loans from the local bank,

they formed their own Salmon

Arm Savings and Credit Union

in 1946.

Area citizens who are

concerned about their food

formed the Shuswap Food

Action Co-op (SFAC) and

registered as a not-for-prot in

2009. The co-op aims to raise

awareness around food

security issues with the

ultimate goal of creating a

local food policy.

“It’s all about education,”

board member Ronn Boeur

says. “We are dedicated to

improving food availability,

food quality and food security

in the Salmon Arm-Shuswap

region.”

Throughout the month of

May and June, the SFAC held a

series of “Shuswap Food

Conversations” on topics such

as food costs and your

budget, food waste, food co-

operatives, globalization and

farm practices. The sessions

were held at the recently

opened Urban Market, an

independent full service

grocer oering many products

from local growers and

processors in the Salmon Arm

area.

Country Life in BC attended

a session focused on

“Consumer Power” in relation

to food. About 15 attendees

listened to several short

presentations and broke into

discussion groups. One of the

topics was “Do we (the

consumer) have any power to

inuence the producer or

supplier? If so, how do we

exercise it?”

Ronn Boeur shared an

interesting story. He and his

wife stopped buying store

brand cheese from local

grocer Askew’s Foods when

they noticed a change in the

avour. They spoke with store

employees and were told that

nothing had changed.

However, the cheese label

was re-written to list

“modied milk ingredients” as

one of the product contents.

Recently, Boeur noticed the

cheese was now being

advertised as “traditionally

made without modied milk

ingredients.” He’s is now

heading back to buy some.

“Be the change you want to

see,” Boeur advocates.

But it’s not just about

education.

The SFAC developed a food

charter that was presented to

Salmon Arm city council in

2012.

“Received as information,

but never adopted,” says

board member John McLeod.

They have also gained

representation on the

Environment Action

Committee and the

Agriculture Advisory

Committee for the city as well

as Interior Health’s Shuswap

Healthy Communities

Coalition and worked on the

Columbia Shuswap Regional

District’s “Agriculture

Strategy” that was completed

in 2014.

That’s a lot of meetings for

the likes of retired dairy

farmer McLeod, who recently

made a presentation to the

Opposition Standing

Committee on Agriculture.

“Thirty years ago, everyone

had a connection or knew

someone with a connection to

agriculture,” says McLeod.

“But that’s gone now. There

isn’t the support for

agriculture.”

McLeod has worked with

local farmer Lesley Gurney,

who donated an acre of land

for a community garden.

“Over the last three years,

we have worked with Salmon

Arm Family Resource Center

who sourced funding through

the Evergreen Foundation

and the Shuswap Foundation

to help with tools, plants,

seeds, machine work and drip

irrigation,” McLeod explains.

“This spring, the rst garden

was planted.”

McLeod says he received a

spreadsheet from the city of

Salmon Arm that lists the

names and addresses of every

ALR property within the city

limits.

“Many of these properties

are not used or are under-

used for agriculture,” says

McLeod. “This could be a

huge asset in the

development of our land bank

Members of the

Shuswap Food Action

Co-op were delighted

to receive copies of

Country Life in BC at one

of their get-togethers in

Salmon Arm.

(Tom Walker photo)

Please see “CO‑OP” page 8

KuhnNorthAmerica.com

INVEST IN QUALITY

Matsqui

Ag-Repair

Abbotsford, BC

604-826-3281

Noble

Tractor & Equipment

Armstrong, BC

250-546-3141

Noble

Tractor & Equipment

Kamloops, BC

250-851-3101

Visit your local

Kuhn Knight

Dealer today!

FAST, COMPLETE MIXING AND PROCESSING

VT 100 SERIES VERTICAL MAXX

TWIN-AUGER MIXERS

• Redesigned cone augers provide superior feed movement and auger clean off

• (TQPVUKFGCPFTGCTFQQTQRVKQPUƂVCYKFGTCPIGQHHGGFKPIUKVWVCVKQPU

• Simple, dependable heavy-duty drive

320 – 760 cu. ft. mixing capacities • truck & trailer models

Okanagan cherry growers resorted to helicopters to dry their unharvested cherry crops in July. The

process caused several complaints from nearby residents over the noise, but with cherry season

coming to a close it is a short-lived activity and only necessary when it rains. (Jennifer Smith photo)

Country Life in BC • August 20168

by JUDIE STEEVES

KELOWNA – Rare wet

weather in the rst half of July

in the Okanagan, plus a

stormy June, has caused a

turnaround in the expected

good fortunes of cherry

growers this season.

What had been forecast to

be a large crop of early, good-

quality fruit has now been

downgraded to a much-

reduced crop of fruit. The

product suers from splits

caused by water sitting in the

stem bowl of the cherry

during hot weather, just as it

matures and is ready to pick.

Some larger growers have

spent huge sums of money

hiring helicopters to hover

over orchards, blowing that

water o the fruit immediately

following a rainstorm, or

driving through the rows

blowing air into the trees to

dry the fruit, but there will still

be damage.

That means growers must

sort out damaged fruit in the

orchard before it heads to the

packing plant where it

undergoes further sorting,

both to remove imperfect fruit

and for size, and it means

there will be large quantities

of cull cherries for which there

are few alternate uses.

Low grade or commercial

apples are used to make the

popular apple cider by the BC

Tree Fruits Co-operative but,

so far, cherries are not used to

make a cider-type product. In

fact, they’re not used in many

value-added products.

Co-op CEO Alan Tyabji says

pears are the next fruit they

plan to use for a ‘perry’ and

they will be followed by

peaches, before cherries.

He says the co-op had

anticipated handling a cherry

crop in the range of 12 million

pounds this year, as tree fruits

started the spring three weeks

earlier than normal, with a

mild winter and warm spring.

However, by June (due to

weather), that gure had

dropped to nine million

pounds. By mid-July, it was

down to 7.5 million pounds.

He estimates the co-op

handles about half the

province’s cherry crop with a

number of growers packing at

plants located in their

orchards, mainly because it’s

so crucial the fruit is chilled

immediately after picking to

maintain good quality and

rmness.

That’s also why the co-op

has spent millions of dollars

on eight hydro-coolers to chill

fruit throughout the cherry

growing areas of the province

– close to where the fruit is

Weather takes its toll on Okanagan cherry crop

One grower lost 65% of his crop due to splitting

inventory.”

He is working on a plan to

canvas these properties to see

if they would be interested in

registering with the idea of

leasing or renting and they

will be linked with the Young

Agrarians and the Land Link

websites.

“We are presently working

on a renewed three year

strategic plan with the help of

consultant Mike Simpson of

the Fraser Basin Council and

Laura Kalina of Interior Health

and lead of the Kamloops

Food Policy Council,” McLeod

adds. “We are very fortunate

to have these two excellent

resources leading this

initiative.”

Boeur calls the 15 regulars

that attend the meetings his

“core.” Two years ago, a public

health nurse working on her

masters developed a food hub

document for the SFAC.

“I think the creation of a

food hub is the direction we

are moving in,” he says.

CO‑OP WORKING ON PLAN From page 7

grown – before it’s shipped to

the packing plant.

Southern areas hit hardest

BC Cherry Association

president Sukhpaul Bal of

Kelowna admits the weather

has caused some

disappointing damage,

particularly for growers in the

south of the valley, but he

says the undamaged fruit is of

particularly good quality and

very large.

“It’s always a gamble with

cherries,” he comments.

In some blocks, he says he

lost 65% of his crop to

splitting. Even though he sold

some for juice, it still costs far

more to have the fruit picked

than what it sold for.

Some growers lost half

their crop, particularly in the

south where fruit matured

Please see “BATTERED” page 9

www.tubeline.ca 1.888.856.6613

For better management and spreading performance of poultry

litter, Nitro spreaders can be equipped with an optional poultry

litter beater assembly. The interchangeable quick-drop beater

system allows operators to conveniently switch between the

vertical or poultry beater assemblies offering ﬂexibility to both

producers and custom operators.

Contact your Tubeline dealer today and ﬁnd out how Nitro

Spreaders can help you put litter in its place.

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 9

Employee honoured for 50 years of service

earlier and was more susceptible

to the rainstorms that battered

orchards in early July.

Changes need to be made to

the provincial crop insurance

program to make it work for

cherry growers, he noted. They

may lose an entire block of an

early variety but because they

have better success with a later

variety, no claim is triggered, he

explains.

As machinery hummed and

clicked in the background at the

Vaughn Avenue packinghouse,

sorting out fruit destined for

export markets, Tyabji recalled

the ‘old days’ when growers

experienced one in ve good

years in the cherry industry.

Today, he said, it’s much

better, with only the occasional

year like this one, when Mother

Nature plays the weather card on

growers.

“I want to cry when I see the

amount of splits in the cull bins

here,” commented Tyabji.

The large-sized cherries so

prized they receive a premium in

export markets such as China, are

also those that are rst damaged

by heavy rains because of their

size.

They are the fruit sorted for

export, while smaller-sized fruit

head for domestic markets where

consumers are not prepared to

pay such high prices. The fruit

quality, he noted, is the same.

Financially, cherries are the

most lucrative crop handled by

the co-op, although apples are

the most handled in terms of

quantity.

The co-op employs about 800

union members, with about 270

packing cherries in the summer,

and it handles fruit for about 450

contract growers.

In recent years, $20 million has

been spent on facility upgrades

with plans for a further $10

million in the near future, said

Tyabji.

Market returns for fruit are ne,

he said, and they’re not

anticipating the weather-

damaged fruit they have to deal

with this year will have a huge

impact on BCTF.

The biggest hurt from this

year’s weather-damaged fruit will

be to growers, he said.

“We’re concerned in terms of

grower returns,” he commented.

In coming years, based on

trees that have already been

planted but not yet producing,

Tyabji said they anticipate they

will be handling 14 million

pounds of cherries each season

so upgrades are needed just to

increase their capacity for

handling a further four million

pounds of cherries.

BATTERED BY RAINSTORMS From page 8

by JUDIE STEEVES

KELOWNA – She’s seen enormous

changes in the cherry industry in BC as

she celebrates 50 years working in the

industry for the BC Tree Fruits Co-op.

Isabel Roseen of Wineld was

recognized last month by CEO Alan

Tyabji in front of her colleagues on the

packinghouse oor at the Kelowna

plant. They were then all invited to share

her celebratory cake during their lunch

break o the packing oor.

He thanked her for her service and

talked about what teamwork and family

are all about.

When she began in the industry, it

was picking fruit, but as Tyabji jokingly

pointed out, she’s not very tall and

picking those sweet fruits from the old-

fashioned tall, spreading trees meant

she had a long way to fall if a misstep

was made.

So, she went to work for the packing

industry – in those days, for the Vernon

Fruit Union, which ran four

packinghouses in the northern part of

the Okanagan Valley.

Tyabji recalled there were about 30

small packing plants all over the

Okanagan Valley who all sold their fruit

to BC Tree Fruits.

Today, they all come under the

banner of the united BC Tree Fruit Co-op

and Roseen works at the north end

Kelowna packinghouse until her

retirement in July.

“Now, we’re all part of one strong

community,” he noted.

Looking back, she recalled that much

of the work that’s now automated was

done by hand –

from stamping

boxes to sorting

fruit.

From

procedures that

were done by one

machine at a time,

everything has

now been

computerized.

In the early

days, you had to

learn what all the

stamps meant in

order to know

where fruit was destined, but today

machines look after most of that, she

notes.

“Every year, there was something new

or some renovation,” she recalled,

admitting sometimes it seemed the

changes took them backward and others

forward.

It’s rare these days that an employee

works for one company for half a

century and Tyabji noted she has

worked through the industry’s ups and

downs, working shoulder-to-shoulder

with many others in the orchard

business.

Isabel Roseen

A WELL WORKED FIELD

IS A THING OF BEAUTY

Kubota’s family of hay tools - more power, better design

and outstanding efciency just when you need it the most.

Abbotsford

1521 Sumas Way, Abbotsford

1-888-283-3276

Kelowna

1090 Stevens Rd, Kelowna

1-800-680-0233

Vernon

7155 Meadowlark Rd, Vernon

1-800-551-6411

www.avenuemachinery.ca

BOLD.

POWERFUL.

NARROW.

THE NEW T4F AND T4V SERIES TRACTORS COMBINE A

BOLD NEW STYLE WITH MORE POWERFUL FEATURES IN A

STREAMLINED DESIGN THAT’S IDEAL FOR NARROW ROWS.

Introducing the new face of narrow tractors from the world’s leading supplier of narrow

tractors: New T4F and T4V Series narrow tractors. A sleek new look, enhanced ergonomics,

advanced driver safety and powerful new hydraulic options.

• Powerful, responsive and efﬁcient 4 cylinder, 207 cu. In. engines up to 93 PTO hp

• Choice of open platform, standard Blue Cab™ or new Blue Cab™ 4 with cab level 4

protection (meets European Standards for ﬁltration and pressurization EN 15695-2:2009

and EN 15695-1:2009)

• Large rear hitch lift capacity up to 4,400 lbs

Country Life in BC • August 201610

BUTLER FARM EQUIPMENT LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FORT ST JOHN 250-785-1800

DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT LIMITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KAMLOOPS 250-851-2044 | DAWSON CREEK 250-782-5281 Toll Free 1-800-553-7482

FARMCO SALES LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KELOWNA 250-765-8266

GRASSLAND EQUIPMENT LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WILLIAMS LAKE 250-392-4024 | VANDERHOOF 250-567-4446

HORNBY EQUIPMENT ACP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARMSTRONG 250-546-3033

ROLLINS MACHINERY LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHILLIWACK 604-792-1301 | LANGLEY 604-533-0048 TOLL FREE 1-800-242-9737

FARMCO SALES LTD

Your Orchard, Vineyard & Ranching specialists in the Okanagan Valley

KELOWNA 201-150 Campion Street 250.765.8266 sales@farmcosales.com

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 11

by RONDA PAYNE

ABBOTSFORD – Each year,

the City of Abbotsford’s

Chamber of Commerce plays

host to two bus loads of

people interested in nding

out what’s new and worth

celebrating in the agricultural

industry. Statistics drawn from

the city’s website note that

70% of the region’s 389 square

kilometers are in the

Agricultural Land Reserve.

There were 1,282 farms in 2011

and 2010 gross receipts were

pegged at $635 million. That’s

a lot of zeroes in support of

big agricultural in Abbotsford.

Hey, Man, it’s just hemp

Pete Scales is the owner of

ACI Food Processing, which

cold presses and de-hulls

hemp. The origins of the

business weren’t nearly as

simple as that, however. ACI

stands for Absorbent Concepts

Inc. – the name Scales chose

when he started research and

development to nd natural

bres absorbent enough to

help prevent further corrosion

in aircraft.

“That was 25 years ago,” he

says. “I discovered hemp bre

is antibacterial. It’s absorbent. I

thought I’d hit the jackpot…

but hemp was illegal in those

years.”

When Scales was laid o

from his job about two and a

half years ago, he remembered

the hemp. While the

government had begun to

make changes to its

antiquated ways, the industry

was still not ready for his

original ideas so he went

towards the nutritional route

of development. Absorbent

bres for aircraft is a far cry

from the products his

company makes today.

“What we do here, we do

with a passion for human

health,” Scales says.

ACI does three major things

with close to 100,000

kilograms of hemp each

month: they process hemp

seed into oil, they create a de-

hulled product for breakfast

cereal and other producers’

products (Silver Hills Bakery,

Holy Crap cereal, Anita’s Mills)

and they package hemp seeds

in one pound to 2,000 pound

packages. They also create a

hemp protein supplement and

are working on getting a bre

supplement to market.

100% organic

Scales ships his products

internationally but because he

brokers much of it, he doesn’t

know what the buyers do with

the product. For example, the

resins from hemp oil are an

ingredient in car door panels

and even Airbus aircraft nose

cones. Perhaps not as

important to BMW or Lexus,

but ACI is the only 100%

organic hemp processor in

North America.

Even without the TCP (the

hallucinogen in marijuana),

Scales says hemp has

numerous health benets.

“Health-wise, hemp is

incredibly important to the

human system,” notes Scales.

Hemp is aligned to human

DNA and delivers a number of

important benets like

cannabinoids (only found in

hemp, echinacea and

mulberries), omega 3s and 6s

and is the highest source of

vegetable protein available.

Because omega oils are

sensitive, ACI has muted

lighting, refrigeration, triple-

ply bags and a nitrogen

treatment to eliminate

oxidization pre-shipment.

There is a growing market

in BC for hemp as an

alternative but serious, and

well-managed crop.

Acres of sushi and sake rice

Behind the Bakerview Eco-

Dairy is the northern-most rice

paddy in the world. Masa

Shiroki is an artisan sake maker

who is also growing table rice

in this surprising location.

It was when he was talking

to a group of wine makers that

he recognized he couldn’t

participate in discussions

about how the weather and

other factors inuences the

vintage of his sake. He’d

always imported his rice from

Japan.

“Why not?” led Shiroki to

changing the highest latitude

for rice growing from 43° or

44° to 49°.

Shiroki’s rice seedlings are

grown at Bevo Farms in

Langley, where they’ve been

started for the last four or ve

years. The two inch tall

seedlings are planted in May

with a planter, then harvested

in September. Water in the

paddy keeps the weeds down

and is drained at the end of

August, although water levels

vary during the growth

process to invigorate the roots

or stimulate growth.

“There’s always unused land

or wasted land in BC,” Shiroki

says. “Contact us as we’ll make

it productive land.”

The best land for rice

growing is almost always

unused because it doesn’t

drain. With two two-acre elds

in Abbotsford and 14 acres in

Surrey, Shiroki grows rice for

his sake production and also

what he describes as a

avourful organic brown table

rice and white rice.

“Restaurants have been

ordering it,” he says. “It’s a big

draw at the farmers markets,

too.”

It’s hard work, but it comes

with rewards. A two acre plot

yields 2,700 kilograms (after

drying) at $10 per kilogram

retail. Shiroki is working with

three dierent rice varieties

currently, including an

ornamental rice plant.

Additionally, he has been

providing his growing data

federally.

City in the Country showcases innovative agriculture

Sake maker Masa Shiroki

See “HOP” page 12

An ACI employee shows a tour guest the result of pressing oil out

of hemp. (Ronda Payne photos)

CHILLIWACK 44160 Yale Road West 1.800.663.2615

LETHBRIDGE 511 - 41 Street North 1.877.663.2615

www.southernirrigation.com

View our product guide online:

www.southernirrigation.com

Intelligent Water Solutions

IRRIGATION REELS

MAKE IT RAIN EVERYDAY WITH AN IRRIGATION REEL

www.islandtractors.com

USED EQUIPMENT

NH 1037 BALE WAGON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,500

CASE 8630 BALE WRAPPER, 2001, SELF-CONTAINED HYD PACK 7,500

N/H BR740A ROUND BALER, 2007, SILAGE SPEC, TWINE ONLY 20,000

JOHN DEERE 925 MOWER CONDITIONER 9’ 9” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000

USED TRACTORS

KUBOTA B1700 700 HRS, LDR, FORKS, SPRAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,300

KUBOTA MX5100 2WD, LDR, CANOPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,000

NH TS100 7800 HRS, TIGER BOOM MWR, FLAIL HEAD . . . . . . . $24,500

NEW INVENTORY

NH T5.115 CAB, MFWD, LDR READY, 24X24 TRANS . . . . . . . . . . 75,000

NH H7320 9’ 2” DISCBINE (ONE LEFT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,000

NH BC5070 HAYLINER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL

NH BR7060 CROP CUTTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45,000

NH 3417 4 BASKET TEDDER, HYD FOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL DUNCAN

N/H BOOMER TRACTORS 20, 24 & 25 MODELS AVAIL CALL DUNCAN

ISLAND TRACTOR

& SUPPLY LTD.

DUNCAN 1-888-795-1755

NORTH ISLAND

TRACTOR

COURTENAY 1-866-501-0801

Country Life in BC • August 201612

HOP PROCESSING EXPANDING From page 11

It takes a lot of work to grow

rice (not to mention the need

to import the appropriate

equipment) but Shiroki is

proving rice can be a viable

crop in the Fraser Valley.

Unused land

Country Life in BC readers

are already familiar with

Dwayne Stewart, owner of

Valley Hops, who has been

working to get landowners

and farmers on-track with

bringing their unused land

into production with hops.

What readers may not know

about is the expansion of the

processing side of the

business, BC Hop Co., where

Stewart is the general

manager. BC Hop works to

harvest, process and distribute

locally grown hops under

management with Valley Hops

and is expanding to make the

business even more ecient.

Brian Zaporozan, partner

and VP in BC Hop, takes on the

operations and quality

management of the

processing side of the

business. He guided tour

participants to the

construction site of the new

facility.

“Hops processing is

primarily automated after

picking,” Zaporozan says.

“There aren’t too many of

these kinds of facilities in

North America.”

The type of facility to which

he is referring is the 11,500

square foot processing facility

designed to take a process of

three to ve days down to less

than 24 hours.

“We’ll be one of the only in

North America to do it that

speed from eld to cold

storage,” he says. “It improves

the quality of the end product.

Hops oxidize really quickly.”

The building, expected to

be completed in August, will

house European equipment

and technology and is funded

in part by the Growing

Forward 2 program. With the

demand for locally grown

hops rising, brew masters want

the best quality ingredients

possible, consistently.

Zaporozan says this new

facility will deliver just that.

“We are currently looking at

trademarking our process,” he

notes.

Fields of 10 acres and larger

are the ideal size for coming

into production with Valley

Hops and making use of the

processing facilities BC Hop

will oer through the new

plant.

The unexpected fuzzy fruit

Since 2008, George Petkov

has grown eight acres of

pergola-supported kiwis on

leased land in Abbotsford. He

grew up in Macedonia (part

of the former Yugoslavia),

being trained in viticulture

1.866.567.4162

Cuts From The Bottom Up.

Maximize your productivity, reduce costs, and save valuable

time with a Bale Knife from HLA Attachments.

Available in 3 sizes, the Bale Knife uses a serrated cutting

edge to easily cut through your 4, 5, and 6 foot silage and

hay bales. A proprietary system grabs the wrap and bale

netting holding it securely as the bale is sliced and drops

free keeping bale netting and wrap out of your mixers and

feeders.

It’s unique design allows for bales to be cut a mere 6”

off the ground making it ideal for use in areas with low

overhead.

Visit www.hlaattachments.com/baleknife for more

information.

www.hlaattachents.com www.horstwagons.com

• Bearings on king pins for no sway trailing

• Includes 2 shoes and 2 Universal Pads

• 2 Ratchet straps to secure load

• 4 Wheel steering

• 4 Wheel electric brakes

• 4 Wheel independent ROAD FLEX suspension

• 30 ft. wheelbase with reinforced bottom rail

• Wheel Fenders

• Running lights on fenders and rails

• Light kit (Red Lenses)

• 2-5/16 ball hitch and safety chains

• Vehicle Identification Number for Licensing

• Double Spring Balancer

• 235/85 R16 (F Range) Highway trailer tire

on 16 x 6 x 6 rim

with vine fruits like grapes

and kiwi. He worked at a

couple of local wineries

before starting his own kiwi

farm.

“This year, I expect 200,000

to 250,000 pounds,” he said

of the anticipated harvest.

While kiwi aren’t native in

the Fraser Valley and don’t

have pests or diseases, Petkov

has found himself fighting

squirrels. He’s going to try

chicken wire and electric

fencing for his next battle

round.

“They can eat a lot of [kiwi]

buds in one day,” he says of

the rodents.

Weeds are a problem as

well but, as his farm is

organically managed, Petkov

turns to vinegar to spray

what pops up.

Training the vines

Petkov imported the tissue

cultures of the Hayward kiwi

variety from Italy and spent a

few years training the vines

to the wires. The capital

expenditures were high in the

early years for poles, wire,

drip irrigation and more; now,

it’s primarily labour.

“Every year you have to

prune,” he notes. There is a

lot of summer pruning.”

There are eight female

plants to each male, but the

males grow vigorously,

sometimes blocking out too

much sun from the canopy.

They can also block the

flowers from growing

upwards and block the sun

from sweetening the fruit.

Bees do some of the

pollination but kiwi can also

be wind pollinated so Petkov

has used a blower when the

spring is too cold for bees.

“They are very vigorous,”

he says of the shallow-rooted

plants. “They can grow up to

80 or 90 years. Full

production is at about six

years.”

Hand-picked

Kiwi don’t ripen on the

vine. They are hand-picked

when the inner seeds are

black but then go into cold

storage to ripen.

When ripe, Petkov sells the

largest amount of his

production to the BC School

Fruit and Vegetable

Nutritional Program but also

sells to IGA and a couple of

other local distributors. Sales

in the early years were

challenging because buyers

didn’t believe a kiwi could be

successfully grown locally,

but Petkov has proven it can.

The Fraser Valley is home

to a wide range of agricultural

activities but it seems it’s

more than just the expected

growing here. Farmers and

producers alike are looking to

new and innovative additions

to the province’s agricultural

growth.

Sam Glasgow of Valley Hops

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 13

Pan-Canadian poultry practice

codes receive final approval

by PETER MITHAM

ABBOTSFORD – Canada’s

National Farm Animal Care

Council has released new

codes of practice for poultry

producers, developed in

consultation with the

Canadian Federation of

Humane Societies.

Released earlier this

summer, the new codes of

practice govern broiler, egg

and turkey producers across

Canada. They follow the

release of 14 other codes

governing the production

and transport of animals from

bison to mink and rabbits.

The farm animal care

council describes the codes

as “powerful tool[s] for

meeting rising consumer,

marketplace and societal

expectations relative to farm

animal welfare.” With myriad

certification standards in the

marketplace, the codes aim

to establish a baseline for

animal care practices.

Earls controversy

Geoff Urton, manager,

stakeholder relations for the

BC SPCA, pointed to the

recent controversy over the

decision of Earls Restaurants

Ltd. to source beef produced

in accordance with the

Certified Humane standard

developed by Humane Farm

Animal Care of Herndon,

Virginia.

Canada’s beef code of

practice was released in 2013

and Urton said it established

a minimum standard for beef

production in Canada

approved by humane

societies across the country.

It’s been the basis for the

National Cattle Feeder’s

Association code and one the

Canadian Cattlemen’s

Association is developing.

But these codes, and

standards such as Certified

Humane, are simply

elaborations of the national

baseline.

“[Our national] code

should now be serving as the

underpinning of any

assurance system that’s being

developed in Canada for the

welfare of beef cattle,” Urton

said, noting that audits are

increasingly part of the

equation.

Raising the bar

“[It] will ensure … virtually

every cattle owner in the

country over the next few

years does get some kind of

audit, which is really

important for raising the bar,”

he said of the cattlemen’s

new code. “But you’re always

going to have consumers and

retailers who want to go

further.”

This being said, consumers,

activists and producers

themselves all have a chance

to provide feedback on the

national codes of practice

during a comment period.

Public comment on the new

poultry code was solicited in

fall 2015.

“People have a chance to

feel like they’ve had a voice,”

Urton said of the comment

period. “Regardless of their

dietary choices, Canadians

are very passionate about

these issues – Canadians are

very passionate about animal

welfare, in general.”

But between those who

want more humane

conditions for livestock and

those who feel no condition

but utter freedom is

appropriate, Urton said the

most productive comments

are those that govern actual

production practices rather

than the liberation of

animals.

Constructive comments

“The most practical

comments, the most

constructive, are the ones

that are going to get used by

the committee in any actual

wording amendments that

we make to the code,” he

said.

Complete details of the

new poultry codes of practice

are available online

[http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-

of-practice/chickens-turkeys-

and-breeders].

With so many competing certification standards in

the marketplace, the codes aim to establish baselines

New poultry code of practice follows in footsteps of 14 other codes

established governing the production and transport of livestock.

(File photo)

Call WaterTec Today and Get Your Free Estimate !

vern@watertecna.com

kristen.weir@watertecna.com

MECHANIZED IRRIGATION

Growing More With Less Water

CENTER PIVOTS, LINEARS, CORNERS

Toll Free in Canada

1-855-398-7757

www.AgSafeBC.ca

#AgSafetyChamp

FARMERS HELPING FARMERS

Nominate yours today at

Let’s grow together.

BMO is pleased to announce the appointment of Phillip Kunz to our

Agriculture Team, based in Cloverdale.

Phillip has been with BMO for 12 years and was raised in Cloverdale.

PHILLIP KUNZ

phillip.kunz@bmo.com

604-574-6878

You can call on your

BMO Agri-Specialist

to help you

grow your business.

LYNN LASHUK, P.Ag

AGRICULTURE MANAGER

250-979-7827

lynn.lashuk@bmo.com

DIANE MURPHY

VICE PRESIDENT, AGRICULTURE

604-504-4980

604-302-8784

diane2.murphy@bmo.com

Join us MONDAY AUGUST 15 at Westwood Plateau for the

8th annual BMO SACCOMANIACS AGRICULTURE

FOR AUTISM CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

Please register at http://www.saccomaniacsgolf.com

IAIN SUTHERLAND

AGRICULTURE MANAGER

604-504-4978

604-751-0292

iain.sutherland@bmo.com

STEVE SACCOMANO

SENIOR AGRICULTURE MANAGER

604-504-4976

604-703-5161

steve.saccomano@bmo.com

1-888-Finning

346-6464

Finning.ca

ALL BUSINESS.

PART BEAUTY. PART BEAST.

Get an All Business Lease

and put rugged, reliable

Cat

compact machines to

work for you.

*Offer valid from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016 on select new models of machines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. Building Construction Products Division. Offer available only at participating Cat dealers. Flexible payment terms available. Offer is available to customers in the USA and Canada only and cannot be combined

with any other offers. Financing and published rate are subject to credit approval through Cat Financial. Offer subject to machine availability. Machines sold in Canada by authorized dealers are priced in Canadian dollars and the price may take into account the exchange rate of Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars. Models shown here

do not necessarily reﬂect the exact model and conﬁguration to which the promotion applies. Payments are based on a ﬁnance lease with 60 monthly payments and $0 down. Payments do not include taxes, freight, set-up, delivery, document fees, inspections, additional options, or attachments. Final machine prices are subject to

change. The Equipment Protection Plan (EPP) applies to select models and is provided through Cat Financial for use at participating Cat dealers. Offer may change without prior notice and additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details.

$0 DOWN from

$536 mo. / 60 months

NO COST

Equipment Protection Plan

Country Life in BC • August 201614

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 15

by DAVID SCHMIDT

VICTORIA

– After close to

two decades under the

guidance of Jim Collins, the

BC Farm Industry Review

Board (FIRB) has a new

executive director.

During Collins’ lengthy

tenure as ED, FIRB’s role was

expanded from simply being a

supervisory board and

appellate tribunal for the

province’s regulated

marketing boards and

commissions to hearing

complaints under the Farm

Practices Protection (Right to

Farm) Act and acting as an

appellate tribunal for animal

custody decisions by the

BCSPCA under the Prevention

of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Retirement for Collins

Collins retired at the end of

June and has been replaced

as executive director by

Kirsten Pedersen. Pedersen

holds a Master’s of Public

Administration degree from

the University of Victoria and

has been with the

BC public service

since 1990, the past

20 with the BC

Ministry of

Transportation and

Infrastructure.

Most recently, she

was the BCMT&I

south coast regional

director, overseeing

the operation of the

provincial highway system in

the Lower Mainland,

Vancouver Island, Sunshine

Coast and Gulf Islands. Prior to

that, she was

executive director of

policy and planning

for transportation.

Pedersen joined

FIRB in mid-June and

ocially took over as

executive director

upon Collins’

retirement, June 25.

This is not the

only change at FIRB

as BC Minister of Agriculture

Norm Letnick also appointed

two new members to the FIRB

board. Named to the board

for two year terms beginning

July 31 and ending July 31,

2018, were Al Sakalauskas and

Diane Pastoor. Both have

extensive backgrounds in

supply management. A former

assistant deputy minister of

the BC Ministry of Agriculture,

Sakalauskas was general

manager of the BC Egg

Marketing Board before

retiring over a year ago.

Experience that counts

A BC native, Pastoor spent

many years as a chicken

grower in Saskatchewan

where she served as chair of

the Saskatchewan Chicken

Marketing Board and

represented that province at

Chicken Farmers of Canada.

Sakalauskas and Pastoor

replace Andy Dolberg and

Diane Filmore who each

completed two terms on

FIRB’s board.

Daphne Stancil, whose rst

term on FIRB expired at the

end of July, was reappointed

for a second term also ending

July 31, 2018.

Even though John Les’s rst

three-year term as chair of

FIRB was not due to expire

until the end of November,

the June 30 orders-in-council

also included his early

reappointment. Les’s term as

chair has been extended for

another three years and is

now set to end November 30,

2019.

New executive director, board members for FIRB

Commission won’t regulate specialty hatching egg production

Kirsten Pedersen

by DAVID SCHMIDT

ABBOTSFORD – After

getting their knuckles rapped

by the BC Farm Industry

Review Board (FIRB) regarding

their handling of specialty

hatching egg quota issue, the

BC Broiler Hatching Egg

Commission has decided to

wash its hands of the whole

aair. However, that decision

doesn’t sit well with Trevor

Allen and Casey van Ginkel,

who successfully appealed

BCBHEC’s original order.

As reported in the June

2016 issue of Country Life in

BC, FIRB cancelled the

BCBHEC’s original order

regulating specialty hatching

egg producers and ordered

the commission to report to

stakeholders and FIRB by the

end of June as to whether or

not it would regulate specialty

production, saying BCBHEC’s

recommendation must be

“fully supported by a process

consistent with SAFETI

(strategic, accountable, fair,

eective, transparent,

inclusive) principles.”

In its report to FIRB,

BCBHEC says it has decided

not to regulate specialty

hatching egg production.

Although FIRB gave the

BCBHEC that option, Allen and

van Ginkel insist that was

never their intent.

“We were appealing the

allocation, not the quota,”

Allen states. “We always

wanted quota. It’s ludicrous

that a hatching egg

commission could nd no

reason to regulate yet they

boast about the benets of

supply management on their

website.”

While BCBHEC’s report

defends its decision using

FIRB’s SAFETI, Allen and van

Ginkel charge the commission

has missed a key element in

the process: consultation with

the stakeholders.

“Not operating properly”

The commission “is not

operating properly,” van

Ginkel says. “I was a founding

member of the chicken

specialty marketing advisory

committee in 2005 and have

an idea of how it’s supposed

to happen.”

Allen notes ve of the six

aected producers delivered a

letter to the BCBHEC at the

beginning of April agreeing

on regulation and specic

quota allocations for each

producer. While the BCBHEC

acknowledges the letter, its

report to FIRB only states a

response will be part of “the

BC Hatching Egg Asian

Breeder Producer Work Plan.”

FIRB seems to side with the

producers that BCBHEC’s

initial report is not good

enough. In a June 23 letter to

BCBHEC chair Casey

Langbroek and Claire Hunter,

Allen and Van Ginkel’s legal

counsel, FIRB states it is their

expectation “that fulsome

consultation with specialty

breeder producers and other

stakeholders will be

conducted before any nal

recommendations are placed

before BC FIRB.”

Van Ginkel says that’s all

the producers want.“We just

want to see change and see

(the commission) functioning

properly.”

Roll-over protective

structures (ROPS)

and seatbelts

save lives

We’re working with you to make sure all farmers go

home safe. For resources and videos on safe equipment

operation, visit worksafebc.com/agriculture.

FOR SALE ...

GRAIN LOOP, GRAIN STORAGE & ROLLER MILL

SOUTHERN PLUS FEEDLOTS

250-498-3077 freding@telus.net

Country Life in BC • August 201616

While the use of cover crops

is a preference for each

individual farmer depending

on their farm’s prole, research

out of the University of New

Hampshire has shown that

one of the most useful cover

crops that can be planted to

suppress weeds and increase

soil production values is

forage radish.

True, New Hampshire is in

the US northeast and some

distance from BC, but it

experiences cool, short-season

cropping niches that we can

see here.

Cover crops are plants that

are grown after the cash crop

has been harvested and they

are used to protect the soil

from erosion and the loss of

nutrients, suppress weeds,

enhance soil fertility, and

provide habitat for pollinators

the following spring or

benecial soil organisms. They

can also be planted on fallow

land adjacent to producing

elds.

According to a 2012 report

by the Delta Farmland and

Wildlife Trust, forage crops

grown for livestock feed (hay,

pasture or silage) in the Fraser

River delta are often grazed by

herbivorous waterfowl such as

snow geese and wigeon,

resulting in damage to the

cash crops. Cover crops are

grown not only for erosion

protection,

suppression of weeds

and enhanced soil

fertility but as a

potential means to

lure waterfowl away

from productive

forage elds and to oset

waterfowl grazing damage.

The most common cover crops

are winter wheat and barley.

“Control of weeds and

improvement of soil quality

and soil health are issues that

every farmer struggles to deal

with,” says Richard Smith,

assistant professor of

agroecology, UNH Agricultural

Experiment Station. “Cover

crops are tools that farmers

can use to address these

issues simultaneously;

however, not all cover crops

are equally capable of

suppressing weeds or

contributing to soil

enhancement, particularly

under the climatic conditions

that are typical of our [New

Hampshire] region. This

research is aimed at

determining which cover crop

species might be most useful

for farmers in our region.”

Taking advantage of cover

crops has a cost factor in terms

Forage radish sets the

standard for cover crops

of seeding, equipment time for

eld preparation and labour.

Then, a lot may depend on the

weather at the chosen time for

planting and/or harvesting. On

the BC south coast, a very wet

fall in 2010 led to fewer cover

crops planted and not many

harvested.

The researchers in New

Hampshire examined the

growth of eight dierent cover

crops that would be grown

from fall through to the

following spring before the

planting of the summer cash

crop. Summer vegetable crops

included snap beans, broccoli,

sweet corn and spinach or

corn silage.

Researchers planted cover

crops at the experiment

station’s Woodman

Horticultural Research Farm

either as monocultures (one

cover crop) or bi-cultures

(mixture of two cover crops).

Crops planted included annual

ryegrass, winter rye, alfalfa,

crimson clover, white clover,

hairy vetch, soybean, and

forage radish. Researchers also

included a control in which no

cover crop was grown.

The study extended for two

years which allowed scientists

to evaluate not only the

average value for each cover

crop but its consistency in

production.

“Based on our research, we

found that forage radish was

consistently among the

highest biomass-producing

treatments in the fall, provided

excellent fall weed suppression

and resulted in some of the

highest production values in

the test-crop,” says Smith. “We

were particularly surprised with

how well the forage radish

performed, both in terms of fall

growth and fall weed

suppression, and how much of

an impact it had on the

subsequent test-crop despite

the fact that it died in the

winter.”

The study is valuable in that

it allows farmers science-based

insights into the application of

cover crops that reduce the

need for costly and

environmentally stressful

agrichemicals. The goal, says

Smith, is to develop

biologically-based practices

that are appropriate for their

operations and that improve

the farmers’ bottom line.

Smith says that agriculture

is a vital part of any regional

economy and the

implementation of practices

that benet local farm

production such as planting

cover crops should be of

interest not only to farmers

but anyone who believes in

eating local or regionally

produced food or who values

sustainable agricultural

practices.

Further research will look at

a wider range of cover crops,

times of planting and their

performance under varying

growing conditions. In

addition, scientists will look at

a mixture of plant species and

the additional services cover

crops provide to agriculture.

The study by Smith and his

team entitled In-Season and

Carry-Over Eects of Cover

Crops on Productivity and Weed

Suppression appeared recently

in the journal Agronomy

Journal.

Research

MARGARET EVANS

“Serving British Columbia proudly since 1946

”

Machinery

Limited

COMMITTED TO AGRICULTURE in the FRASER VALLEY

www.rollinsmachinery.ca

ROLLINS

410 HP NEW HOLLAND’S FINEST LARGE SERIES

CVT T8 TRACTOR

$319,600.00 CASH

FOR INFO CALL 1-800-242-9737

OPPORTUNITY

KNOCKS!

A Firsthand

Understanding

Of Your Family’s

Wealth Priorities

Mark Driediger, CFP, Senior Wealth Advisor

Assante Financial Management Ltd.

www.MarkDriediger.com | (604) 859-4890

 Farm Transition Coaching

 Customized Portfolio Strategy

 Retirement Income Planning

Please visit www.assante.com/legal.jsp or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200

or in

ormation with respect

to important legal and regulatory disclosures relating to this notice.

Your Farm. Your Family. Your Future.

Field trials in New Hampshire, with similar growing conditions to parts of BC, are showing that forage

radish outperforms other winter cover crops with excellent weed suppression and crop enhancement.

(Photo courtesy of La Coop Prod’Or, Laurentides, Quebec)

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 17

In its heyday, Valley Auction in Armstrong would drop the gavel on upwards of 50,000 head annually

and draw huge crowds, like this one at a BC Angus Association purebred sale in the 1990s. (Cathy

Glover le photo)

by TOM WALKER

ARMSTRONG – The north

Okanagan ranching industry

lost a valuable service when

Valley Auction held its last

cattle sale at the end of June.

After 30 years, the Armstrong

company has merged its cattle

sales operations with BC

Livestock.

Company owners Don and

Peter Raan did not respond

to several interview requests,

however other industry

personnel say the move is a

reection of the market.

“The volume of cattle is

down drastically North

America wide, let alone in BC,”

says Jono Rushton of McClary

Stockyards in Abbotsford. “It

makes it more and more

dicult for auction marts to be

viable.”

BSE was the culprit

“It’s like Donny (Raan) says,

BSE killed them. A lot of guys

got out of the business,”

explains Kevin Johnson of BC

Livestock Producers Co-op

Association. “It costs a pile of

money to operate these barns

and you can’t do it on 15,000

head of cattle. They just don’t

have the customer base down

there any more; it’s a change

of the times.”

The Raans were quoted in

local press as saying their

annual cattle sales had

dropped from a high of 50,000

head to barely 11,000.

“A lot of the auctions that

are here are here because they

have been here for a very long

time,” says Rushton. “They are

not carrying debt. It’s not an

industry you are going to

come into.”

“Cattle isn’t lucrative

enough to be involved in it

unless you want to be

involved in it. It’s a way of life, I

suppose,” adds Rushton.

Valley Auction will continue

with the estate sales,

consignment, machinery and

o-site sales.

“We’ve got 100,000 head of

cattle in four barns,” says

Johnson, explaining that BC

Livestock has auction marts in

Vanderhoof, Williams Lake,

Kamloops and Okanagan Falls.

“In Alberta, they have 200,000

head in one barn and they

can’t keep the door open.”

“BC is a little bit unique

because we are so spread out

between auction barns,”

Johnson adds. “In Alberta, you

Valley Auction bids

adieu to cattle sales

might nd 15 barns within a

100 miles. But they are starting

to amalgamate over there

also.”

BC Livestock is looking

forward to working with the

Raans, who have won awards

for their auctioneering skills.

“They bring a lot of

knowledge to the table. I think

it is a great t,” says Johnson.

“Having them bring their

knowledge of how to sell

cattle, their customer base, the

contacts they have in the

business, is a huge asset to BC

Livestock.”

“I would like to think we will

end up with an extra 1,000

head annually through OK

Falls,” says Johnson. “And I

would like to say we will

probably end up with 7,000

head through Kamloops.”

Convenience has a price,

Johnson admits.

“If you are a rancher in the

North Okanagan, you will incur

a little bit more on the

trucking costs to Kamloops,

but I think you will gain that

back on the price that you will

get for your animals.”

Dairy herds have been

growing in the North

Okanagan and Johnson says

that will be a priority for the

Raans.

“We do have a plan in place

for Don and Peter to work on

that.”

TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT LTD.

KAMLOOPS

580 Chilcotin Road

250/851-3101

TOLL FREE

1-888-851-3101

ARMSTRONG

4193 Noble Road

250/546-3141

TOLL FREE

1-800-661-3141

NOBLE

CASE 2290 1980, 128 HP, CAB, NO 3 PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500

CASE 2090 1982, 108 HP, CAB, 3PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,500

NH TS115A, DELUXE 2004, 95 HP, CAB 4X4, LDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,800

NH 3045 45 HP, 4X4, CAB, LDR, LIKE NEW ONLY 215 HOURS . . . . . . 36,500

MF 5613 2015, 100 PTO HP, CAB, 4X4, 16X16 POWERSHIFT TRANS,

MF946 LDR, ONLY 345 HRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,500

JD 3130 80 HP, 2X4, CANOPY, JD 148 LOADER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13,500

NH 1412 1999, 10’4” CUT, FLAIL CONDITIONER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,900

CASE IH DC102 2010, 10’4” CUT, ONLY 80 ACRES USE . . . . . . . . . . 25,900

CASE IH 8312 1997, 12’ CUT, SWIVEL HITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500

HESSTON 545 1999, 4’X5’, SILAGE SPECIAL, TWINE TIE . . . . . . . . . . 12,500

VERMEER 554XL 4’ X 5’, SILAGE SPECIAL, TWINE TIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500

CASE IH 8455 4’X5’, TWINE TIE, C/W GATHER WHEELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,900

CASE IH 8465 5’X6’, TWINE TIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,900

NH575 1996, ¼ TURN, HYD DENSITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,500

NH 1037 104 BALE, 3 WIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,500

NH 1032 69 BALE, 2 WIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,500

SUPREME 700T 2010, TWIN SCREW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,000

www.nobletractor.com

READY! SET! DEAL!

Declining cattle numbers in Okanagan

Valley cited for business decision

ONE, TWO & THREE YEAR

SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE.

See our ad on page 38 for rates!

It’s your business.

And you need to keep up date on the news and

events that affect you and your farm operation.

It’s what we have been doing for almost a century!

today!

COUNTRY

Life

in BC

The Agricultural News Source in

British Columbia since 1915

www.bchereford.ca

Aug 31 to Sept 4 - IPE, Hereford Mark Of Excellence Show,

Armstrong, BC

Sept 9 - BCHA AGM & Banquet, Best Western Inn, 3070 264th St.

Aldergrove, BC

Sept 9 - 11 - 73rd Annual Lakes District Fall Fair,

Hereford Mark Of Excellence Show, Burns Lake, BC

Sept 10 - West Coast Hereford Club, North Bluff Farm

Hereford Mark Of Excellence Show, Aldergove, BC

Sept 24 - Pacific Invitational All Breed Female Sale,

BC Livestock Co-op, Williams Lake, BC

Sept 22 - 25 - Richardson Ranch 7th Annual Online Sale,

www.richardsonranch.ca

BCHA President: 604-582-3499

BCHA Secretary: 250-699-6466

Visit

for details

“The dairy farmers are

viewed a bit dierently by the

ranching community,”

Rushton says. “They don’t kind

of view them as the same

industry, which is kind of silly,”

adding that dairy is their

‘bread and butter’ the Fraser

valley.

It’s an aging population,

Rushton points out.

“A lot of older guys are

retiring from the cow/calf

industry,” he says. “With the

kids, if you give them the

ranch in order for them to

make a go of it, well, that

doesn’t really y so there’s no

young people around.”

“Part of the auction industry

is it’s a bunch of stubborn

people who have stuck around

this long,” says Rushton. “Your

accountant tells you you’re

crazy. It is one of those

industries that is old school

and there is something that is

comforting in that.”

Country Life in BC • August 201618

by JUDIE STEEVES

ARMSTRONG – Despite the

fact her parents were both

professional musicians, BC’s

winner of her colleagues’

Agrologist of the Year award,

Andrea Gunner of Armstrong,

says she hung out at the vet

clinic and roamed the woods

as a kid.

Even though she began

music lessons at the age of

four and was expected to play

the piano, violin or guitar, she

found there wasn’t a lot of joy

for her there.

“It just wasn’t in my blood,”

she recalls.

Instead, the time she

remembers was spent

outdoors, in the elds and

woods around her hometown

of Vernon.

And, by the age of six, she’d

set her heart on becoming a

vet instead of tickling the

ivories.

Her father suggested that

people will always have to eat

so that goal was rearranged

around agriculture instead

and she entered UBC in animal

sciences.

Due to a professor who was

a mentor, she made a further

switch into horticulture,

graduated in 1986 and went

on to do post-grad work in

economics and marketing in

1990. She became a

Professional Agrologist in

1992.

Today, she and her

husband have a nine-acre

poultry farm permitted by the

BC Chicken Marketing Board

where they pasture feed 2,000

chickens and 300 turkeys a

year, with a further 3,000 to

3,500 chickens on the ve

satellite farms they mentor,

providing those young

farmers with their own milled

feed and processing the birds

as well.

They bought the farm as an

acreage in winter, when it was

covered in snow. They realized

it hadn’t been a working farm

in decades.

But when they took

possession that summer, the

weeds were six feet high and

there were stumps

everywhere. They began to

realize they had quite a job

ahead of them.

Gunner says they used pigs

to help get rid of the weeds,

then sheep and then goats

before implementing their

plan to pasture-feed chickens

and turkeys.

They have their own feed

mill and processing plant

today, as a result of the

introduction in 2007 of a new

meat inspection regulation

that put many BC small-scale,

livestock-based farms out of

business.

Gunner found herself

immersed in educating the

policy-makers and public

about the impact of that

legislation. But, it wasn’t the

rst time she went on the

public speaking circuit,

educating the community

about agriculture.

“It’s needed in this

industry,” she comments. “As a

professional agrologist, it’s

one way I can help,” she adds.

Farmers, she believes, have

to take an interest in telling

their stories to the community.

People often don’t realize

that farmers get what’s left

when everyone else along the

line has taken their slice of the

pie, she comments.

In addition to working as an

advocate for food security and

for farmers, she uses her links

with the arts network in the

community to get the farm

message out and has

organized a number of events

which benet both groups.

She has also served the BC

Institute of Agrologists,

including sitting as president

in 2009.

Looking back, she says it’s

very rewarding to nd that a

workshop or talk she’s given –

possibly years ago – has had a

signicant impact on someone

and their farm operation or

their outlook on farming.

And, she is enjoying

mentoring young farmers.

“It’s really fun. They have

ideas and energy and we

provide perspective,” she

comments.

Mirroring her own

departure from her parents’

vocations, only one of her

children is headed into

farming, and then it’s into

ranching rather than

horticulture or small animals.

Asked to consider what

advice she has for farmers with

an eye on success in

agriculture, she says it’s really

important to think outside the

box; to do the research; to

stretch yourself beyond your

comfort zone; look for the new

innovation or the gap you

might ll; to know your own

resources and to do the

numbers on paper before

taking that rst step into

something new.

She’s very positive about

the new crop of farmers,

noting they make rational

decisions, rather than

behaving like starry-eyed

romantics about getting into

agriculture.

Mentoring young farmers a specialty for BC’s agrologist of the year

Former president of BC Institute of Agrologists pasture feeds 2,000 chickens, 300 turkeys

Andrea Gunner

Artex Cow Cooling Solutions

“Offering Efficient and Effective Ventilation Solutions Expertise”

Precision Farm Supplies Ltd.

Abbotsford, BC

778-809-4858

www.precisionfs.ca

FANS

STOCK

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 19

by TOM WALKER

KELOWNA – The Opposition

Standing Committee for

Agriculture and Food was back

on the road this spring, with

stops in Cranbrook and

Kelowna.

“We feel this should be an

ocial committee in the

legislature,” says committee

co-chair and NDP MLA for

Saanich South Lana Popham,

pointing out the Liberal

government dismantled the

Select Standing Committee for

Agriculture in 2001. “Until that

time, we are going to continue

to meet as we have.”

The problem, according to

Popham, who is also the NDP’s

spokesperson for agriculture,

is that “we create agriculture

policies on election cycles and

farmers do not work on those

cycles.”

“Agriculture should be a

non partisan issue,” echoed

committee member and NDP

Skeena MLA Robin Austin.

Last year, the committee

hosted meetings in Williams

Lake, Courtney/Comox,

Chilliwack and Vancouver.

They tabled their rst report in

the legislature last November.

“It was a bit like presenting

a petition,” Popham allows, as

they have no ocial standing

in the legislature. However,

Popham believes they are

providing a valuable focus for

farmer concerns.

“Everywhere we go, we are

fully booked,” she says. “Over

and over, we hear that the

government should reinstate

the standing committee.”

“I think that we are taken

seriously because we take

people seriously,” she adds.

“What was interesting is

that the Minister of Agriculture

Norm Letnick presented his

report [the BC Agrifood and

Seafood Strategic Growth

Plan] at the same time. I

promise it was a coincidence!”

says Popham. “But every time

the minister’s report got

media, we had a counter point

of view.”

The standing committee’s

report makes

recommendations under

“existing policy in need of

improvement” and “in need of

new direction.”

The report expressed

concerns with regulatory,

nancial and administrative

barriers – particularly those

that impact new and small

farm operators. There was a

call for better information

sharing, training and technical

assistance, more work

addressing the coming

challenges to farmers from

Opposition ag committee listening to farmer concerns

NDP’s Standing Committee continues tour of province

climate change and a call for

more support for BC farm

products and businesses.

Looking forward, the report

addressed issues for the

Agricultural Land Reserve, a

desire to return the ALR to one

zone, better scrutiny of use

(particularly for carbon credits)

and the establishment of a

provincial farmland trust.

Popham believes that in an

open public forum, people feel

free to express their true

beliefs.

“We get amazing

presenters,” she says.

“Monsanto came and spoke in

Cranbrook. We hear a lot

about sustainability, organic

agriculture, extension services,

the barriers new farmers face

and underutilized land.”

“I feel strongly that we

should be looking at

procurement contracts (using

local food in public institutions

such as hospitals and schools)

to incent production,” says

Popham. “It’s a no brainer.

Everyone across the province

agrees with this. It’s not our

idea. Just having that stability

of the domestic market, it

incents that land to go into

Professional

Services

View over 100 listings of farm properties at

www.bcfarmandranch.com

BC FARM & RANCH

REALTY CORP.

Buying or Selling

a Farm or Acreage?

GORD HOUWELING

Cell: 604/793-8660

GREG WALTON

Cell: 604/864-1610

Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI (2474)

Call BC’s First and Only

Real Estate Office commited

100% to Agriculture!

Helping industry build & implement

practical & sustainable programs & publications

To see past projects and potential scope of services

visit www.qfirst.ca

Ph: 604-309-3509

E: qfirst@telus.net

For more information

or to pursue an idea

contact:

Annette Moore

B.Sc.(Agr), M.Sc., P.Ag.

Quality First in

Agriculture Inc.

Jack Reams P.Ag. Agri-Consulting

v BC Farm Business Advisory Services Consultant

v Farm Debt Mediation Consultant

v Organic Consultant & Inspector

v Meat Labeling Consultant

Phone: 604-858-1715 Cell: 604-302-4033

Fax: 604-858-9815 email: marlene.reams

gmail.com

CONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEED

Dustin

Stadnyk

CPA, CA

Chris

Henderson

CPA, CA

Nathalie

Merrill

CPA, CMA

TOLL FREE 1-888-818-FARM | www.farmtax.ca

Expert farm taxation advice:

• Purchase and sale of farms

• Transfer of farms to children

• Government subsidy programs

• Preparation of farm tax returns

• Use of $1,000,000 Capital Gains Exemptions

Approved consultants for Government funding through

BC Farm Business Advisory Services Program

ARMSTRONG 250-546-8665 | LUMBY 250-547-2118 | ENDERBY 250-838-7337

www.agri-jobs.ca | Phone: 604-823-6222 | Email: info@agri-labour pool.com

We do the work for you!

Agri-jobs.ca

Our business is helping your business GROW, since 1974.

Connecting employers with the right employee!

Looking for HELP

on your farm?

www.agri-jobs.ca | Phone 604-823-6222 | Email info@agri-jobs.ca

production.”

Kelowna presenters spoke

about creating food hubs to

facilitate the exchange of food

from farmer to consumer:

locals supporting locals.

“I believe Canada’s food

sovereignty is hanging in the

gallows of globalization,“ said

John McLeod of the Shuswap

Food Action Co-op. “We can

not allow foreign multi-

nationals to control our food

and its production.”

He talked about how milk

from his family farm in the

North Okanagan is shipped to

Vancouver, processed and

then trucked back to Salmon

Arm for sale. He urged British

Columbians to look at the

Community Economic

Development Investment

Fund model in Nova Scotia

that has successfully raised

and invested $40 million for

local enterprises.

Kelowna cherry grower Neil

Dendy advocated for stronger

Right to Farm legislation. His

orchards are experiencing

signicant losses when newly

planted young trees are eaten

by local deer. He also said

there is a need for continued

research and extension

support for better farm

practices.

“In the 1950’s, tree fruit

growers were using about 500

lbs of nitrogen per acre. Today,

we are using about a fth of

that but we can get better by

knowing more about plant

physiology.”.

Farmers in Cranbrook and Kelowna had an opportunity to address a panel of opposition members

this spring, with many expressing concerns over food sovereignty, right to farm legislation and lack of

extension support. (Tom Walker photo)

@PCEQUIP

@PRAIRIECOASTEQP

/PCEQUIP/

Get Social

PERFECT PAIRS. ONE SWEET DEAL.

0% APR for 72 months†A54d † Oer valid from May 3, 2016 until August 2, 2016. A540% APR purchase nancing for 6 years on new John Deere Select Hay Tools. Down payment may be required. Representative Amount Financed: $50,000, at 0% APR, semi-annual payment is $4,166.67 for 6 years, total obligation is $50,000, cost of borrowing is $0. Semi-annual payments/ cost of borrowing will

vary depending on amount borrowed/ down payment. MSRP cash price based on highest priced product in series: $90,977 (includes $50 documentation fee). Cost of borrowing based on Representative Amount Financed not MSRP cash price. d Taxes, set-up, delivery, freight, preparation charges and a $50 documentation fee will apply. Minimum nance amount may be required; representative

amount does not guarantee oer applies. The charge for amounts past due is 24% per annum. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Additional dealer fees may apply. Financing on approved John Deere Financial credit only. See dealer for details. Limited time oer which may not be combined with other oers. Discounts or other incentives may be available for cash purchases. By selecting the

purchase nancing oer, consumers may be foregoing such discounts and incentives which may result in a higher eective interest rate. Prices subject to change without notice at any time. Equipment: Hay Tools,Round Balers,Small Square Baler,Disc Mowers,Mower Conditioners,Pull-Type Forage Harvester

1023E & D120 LOADER

$66.66

BI-WEEKLY LEASE PAYMENTS OF

Personal Use Lease only

FREE: 6 Year Powertrain Warranty

5 Series Tractors

0% Financing

45 – 115 Hp

Great Selection

WHATS HOT

ON THE LOT?

SUMMER BLOWOUT WITH 0% FINANCING

JOHN DEERE FINANCIAL LEASE

Country Life in BC • August 201620

JD 7320 | CAB | MFWD | 24 SPD POWERQUAD | 3 FUNCTION 741 SL

LOADER | #554962U1

JD 7420 | CAB | MFWD | 115 PTO HP | 16/16 POWERQUAD | TRIPLE SCV | JD

741 MSL LOADER | #704600U1

1 SCV | ONLY 30 HOURS | #658469U1

JD 5083EN | CAB | MFWD | 2,100 HOURS |

12 SPD POWERREVERSER | 83 HP | #482887L1

JD 8235R | CAB | MFWD | IVT | 4 SCV’S | 540/1000 PTO |

AUTOTRAC ACTIVATION | #649288U1

JD 5093EN | NARROW | CAB | MFWD | 12/12 POWER-REVERSER TRIPLE

SCV | #641834U1

JD 5100M | CAB | MFWD | 32F/16R POWER-REVERSER | TRIPLE MID AND

REAR SCV | H260 LOADER | #60131001

TRIPLE SCV’S | 1908 HOURS | #538319L1

JD 5520 | CAB | MFWD | 12/12 POWER-REVERSER | JD SELF LEVELING

LOADER | #443731U2

JD 7930 | CAB | MFWD WITH SUSPENSION | IVT | 4 SCV |

540/1000 PTO | DUAL 480/80R46 TIRES | #706665U3

JD 6105M | LOW PROFILE | 540/100 PTO | 16 SPEED POWERQUAD | H310 3 FUNCTION

LOADER | WARRANTY UNTIL JAN 2020 | #55833601

JD 6190R | DELUXE CAB | MFWD WITH TLS | IVT | 4 SCV | DELUXE LIGHTING DUAL

320/90R54 TIRES | #706666U1

JD 6125M | MFWD | 24 SPD POWERQUAD TRANS | 125HP | JD H340

LOADER | #09981401

JD 6105D, OPEN STATION, 105 HP, MFWD, POWER-REVERSER, DUAL SCV,

LOADER #53790201

JD 567 | MAKES 5X6 BALES | HI MOISTURE KIT | MEGA WIDE P/U

| SURFACE WRAP | PUSH BAR | #617815U2

NH 658 RD BALER | 4 FT | TWINE ONLY | #022207U1

$88,900

$69,000

$52,500

$31,900

$29,900

$42,500

$249,900

$46,500

$84,900

$46,500

$42,500

$99,500

$89,900

$195,000

$104,900

$66,000

$53,500

$19,900

$16,500

$225,000

$33,500

$75,000

$117,500

$17,900

$5,500

$10,500

$39,900

$31,900

$7,900

$6,900

$33,500

$28,900

$92,900

$13,500

$27,900

$18,000

$8,500

ROUND BALERS

HAYBUSTER 2650 BALE PROCESSOR #163779U1

JD H180 LOADER | 417 HOURS | #614549U1

JD 6130D | CAB | MFWD | 130 HP | 24 SPEED POWER-REVERSER

TRIPLE SCV | LOADER | 253 HOURS | #086404U2

MCCORMICK F95 | CAB | MFWD | NARROW | 2 SCV | #644817U1

CASE IH MAXXUM 110 | CAB | MFWD | 110HP | LH REVERSER | #676203U1

JD 4230 | CAB | 2WD | 100 HP | #704098U2

JD 7230R | DELUXE CAB | MFWD WITH SUSPENSION |

540/1000 PTO | 4 SCV | DUALS | #698081U1

JD 4320 | OPEN STATION | 48 HP | MFWD | HYDRO TRANS-

MISSION NEW H180 LOADER | #689939U1

JD 7330 | CAB | MFWD | 125 HP | 20 SPD POWERQUAD | 3

SCV | 480/80R42 TIRES | #662389U1

1,288 HOURS | #002945U1

TRACTORS

HAY & FORAGE

JOHN DEERE 6125M

2015 / Deluxe Cab / MFWD / 24 spd

PowerQuad Plus / PFC Hydraulics /

brand new H340 3 function loader /

warranty to May/2017 / only 524

hours

#002944U1#00183001

#002194U1#61447101

JOHN DEERE 2025R

2015 / 24 hp / MFWD / Hydro

Transmission / Low Hours / New

H130 Loader / 2 year factory

warranty

$19,500

$99,500

JOHN DEERE 4066R

66hp / MFWD / E-Hydro Transmission /

Very low hours / H180 Loader / Remain-

ing factory warranty ONLY 2 LEFT

$46,900

JOHN DEERE 2032R

32 hp / MFWD / Hydro Trans / Low

Hours / Includes new JD H130 Loader /

Remaining factory warranty / 11 TO

CHOOSE FROM

$22,700

#699917U1

JOHN DEERE 8285R

0):',97ZLWK,/66&9·V'/;

Cab / 60 GPM Pump / 710 Duals / IT4

engine / hyd trailer brakes

$265,000

$117,500

JOHN DEERE 6105M

MFWD / 954 Hours |

24 speed PowerQuad / H340 loader /

GreenStar Ready / Warranty until April

2018

$113,900

JD 7230 Premium / Cab / MFWD /

3 SCV / 24 speed trans /

3177 hrs / very clean tractor /

JOHN DEERE 7230

#085000U1

$48,900

Cab / MFWD / 132 hp / 2120 hours

MCCORMICK MC135

JD 630 MOCO | 2012 | 9FT 9INCH | IMPELLER CONDITIONER |

540 RPM #673864U1

JD 525 MOCO | 8FT 9INCH | IMPELLER CONDITIONER | 540

PTO #616795U1

ANDERSON ROUND BALE WRAPPER | HONDA ENGINE |

GREAT CONDITION | #704598U3

JD 630A | 3 METER GRASS PICKUP | FOR 6000 SERIES SPFH

#52658U2

JD 935 MOCO | 11FT 6 INCH | 1000 RPM | CONDITIONER

ROLL #324134U2

FELLA SM911 (12) & SM310 (11) TRIPLE MOWERS 27FT, 3IN

#290580U2

JD 835 MOCO | 11 FT 6 IN | URETHANE ROLL CONDITIONER |

CENTRE PIVOT | #528094U3

BRANDT VSF-X BALE PROCESSOR | GOOD CONDITION

#099565U1

HIGHLINE CFR960 BALE PROCESSOR | DEMO UNIT | 2015

MODEL | #9899930C1

HIGHLINE | BM1400 | BALE MOVER. 14 BALE CAPACITY

#024960U1

JD 6710 SP HARVESTER | 1465 CUTTERHEAD HOURS | 330 HP

| 3 METRE PU | 4 ROW CORN HEAD #663410U2

@PCEQUIP

@PRAIRIECOASTEQP

/PCEQUIP/

Get Social

KAMLOOPS

250 573 4412

KELOWNA

250 765 9765

CHILLIWACK

604 792 1516

LANGLEY

604 530 4644

toll free 1-877-553-3733 www.prairiecoastequipment.com

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 21

Country Life in BC • August 201622

by TOM WALKER

KAMLOOPS – The BC Association of

Abattoirs (BCAA) held their annual meeting in

Kamloops May 26-28. A full day of workshops

covered a variety of topics including marketing,

WorkSafeBC and illegal facilities.

Member concerns included the potential

dierences in regulation standards between A

and B, and D and E slaughter facilities and

employment issues. Members were told they

would be able to speak individually with the

provincial manager of Jobs, Tourism and Skills

Training.

“Where does the line start?” joked out-going

BCAA president Mike Noullett.

Sandy Vanderbyl of the BC Meats program

gave an overview of major projects to date. The

second phase of the BC Abattoir’s Food Safety

Enhancement program has now been

completed with all abattoirs. Vanderbyl says

they are currently developing Phase 3.

She outlined the recently launched 100% BC

Lamb program that follows the model set up

for BC Beef. BC Chicken will follow. The BC’s

Best Raw Pet Food project is continuing to

develop.

Bonnie Windsor from Johnston’s Pork told

the story of how their successful marketing

campaign has evolved. She said it began with

changing the name from Johnston Packers to

include “Fresh, Local, Quality” and identifying

who their customers were in order to solidify

their position as a niche supplier.

“We are marketing to the consumer who

cares,” says Windsor.

Attention grabbing slogans such as “Don’t

Cook Bacon in the Nude” and “Bacon is a

Vegetable” on t-shirts and aprons has helped to

boost the company’s prole.

“We are in a situation in this province where

we compete with commodities, so we have to

be dierent,” says Windsor. Consumers love the

swag.

“It costs us nothing; they are paying for our

brand.”

“Customers want a relationship with you,”

Windsor says. “Facebook has gone crazy for us.

It has provided a platform where we can have a

humorous relationship with customers, and

provide recipes with very little eort.”

Inspection issues

The dierences in oversight for class D and E

slaughter facilities came under re. Part of the

problem is that A and B facilities are under

Ministry of Agriculture (BCMA) jurisdiction and

Abattoirs struggling with

BC licensing regulations

D and E under the Ministry of Health.

“We should all be playing on the same eld,”

says Noullett.

There are currently 48 class A facilities

(slaughter, cut and wrap) and 22 class B

(slaughter only) operations. At these facilities,

each animal is pre- and post-harvest inspected

by a Ministry of Agriculture ocial on site, and

wholesale, retail and direct-to-consumer sales

are allowed across the province.

Needs of rural areas

D and E licenses were developed to ll the

smaller needs of rural areas that do not have

access to a full scale facility, such as Haida

G’waii. They may only sell within their own

regional district, are restricted in the number of

animals they can process and are subject to

periodic inspections by the provincial health

ministry.

The current 44 D and E facilities have lower

capital and operating costs. Meat processed

can be sold at local farmer’s markets, for

instance, at a very competitive price.

Association members pointed out the cut

and wrap portion of an A establishment is also

subject to provincial health ministry inspection,

which can be intermittent.

BCAA executive director Nova Woodbury

notes that Ministry of Health (BCMA)

inspections are usually complaint driven,

conrming that there is always Ministry of

Agriculture inspector on site for the slaughter

process.

That could indicate inconsistency, say

members.

”If they aren’t checking on us, they certainly

aren’t checking on the D and E guys,” says a

frustrated Richard Yntema.

“You are not going to strengthen the food

safety aspect of the industry if you allow those

places to continue,” added Yntema.

“We have been asking for one agency,” says

Noullett.

Gavin Last, executive director of the Food

Safety and Inspection Branch oered that the

government is working on a regulatory

solution.

“It is changing,” Last promised.

WorkSafeBC reported injuries in the abattoir

industry are two and a half times the provincial

average, according to Manager of Industry and

Labour Services Chris Back. He said that meant

operators were paying more than two times

the provincial base rate to insure their workers.

Please see “WORKER” page 23

Stang BC abattoirs is not a new issue in the industry but it is one that is taking on new urgency as

the industry looks to expand its marketing eorts to BC consumers. (Tom Walker photo)

Make farm work easier.

Quality Pre-Owned Tractors & Equipment

BOBCAT BACKHOE, SKID ST MNT CALL

BOBCAT S570 LOW HOURS . . . COMING

CLAAS 6 BASKET TEDDER . . . . COMING

CLAAS 660 HYDRO RAKE . . . . . . . . . 6,500

FELLA RAKE SINGLE ROTOR . . . . . . 3,500

GASPARDO PLANTER 4 ROW . . . 35,000

JCB 409 WHEEL LOADER . . . . . . . 45,000

JD 7810 CAB, LDR, 4WD . . . . . . . . 90,000

KVERNELAND 3 BOTTOM PLOWS . CALL

KVERNELAND 12’ FR.MT MOWER . CALL

MF 285 2WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,500

MASSEY FERGUSON 298 . . . . . . . . . 8,500

MASSEY 4608 4X4 W/LDR . . . . . . . 47,500

MILL CREEK 57 SPREADER . . . . . . . CALL

NEW HOLLAND TM150 . . . . . . . . . 47,000

RINIERI TRL150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,500

SUNFLOWER 7232 23 FT HARROW 17,500

We service all makes!

In the time it takes to blink, your planter puts a bushel of potential yield into the

ground. Any delay or hesitation by your planter costs you yield and income. A simple

skip, double or depth problem, multiplied across many acres, quickly adds up. White

planters are designed for accuracy. From their low fault positive air system for singu-

lating seeds to our edge drop seed placement, you’ll fi nd White Planters are designed

with precision and simplicity to deliver accuracy from day one .

Two’s a crowd.

Van Der Wal Equipment (1989) Ltd.

23390 RIVER ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2W 1B6 P

604/463-3681 | vanderwaleq.com

It took Challenger® to condense the power, performance and features of a

row crop tractor into a mid-range frame. Dependable and remarkably low

maintenance, the MT500E Series is all about uptime, comfort and

productivity. With multiple power, transmission, cab, hydraulic and PTO

options, the MT500E will conquer any job from field to barn.

POWER THROUGH your entire to-do list.

SUNFLOWER 1000 SERIES DISC HARROWS are the #1 choice for seedbed

preparation.The Sunflower Model 1435 flexible tandem disc harrow combines

aggressive gang angles and weight with superior design and control to achieve

excellent field performance. And it’s available in seven widths from 20’ 7” to

35’10” with the choice of full-concavity 22” or 24” blades.

Ground Breaking Solutions | Sunflower

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 23

WORKER SAFETY From page 22

by PETER MITHAM

ARSTRONG

– Residents who

draw water from the Hullcar

aquifer near Spallumcheen

have won the right to see the

results of government

analyses of local soil and

water.

The province had

steadfastly refused to share

the documents, arguing that

the analyses – which it

required of H.S. Jansen & Sons

Ltd., the farm widely

suspected of being the source

of the contamination – were

commissioned by a third party.

This meant that the

documents, while provided to

the province, were not the

property of the province and

therefore privileged

information which it could not

disclose.

However, the province’s

information and privacy

commissioner, Elizabeth

Denham, quashed that

argument with her order in

late June that the province

disclose documents regarding

the aquifer, which has been

subject to a drinking water

advisory since spring 2014.

Approximately 150 residents

who rely on the aquifer have

been advised not to drink the

water, leaving them with few

alternatives – all of them

costly.

Matter of public interest

“Public bodies [must]

proactively disclose

information that is clearly in

the public interest. In this case,

it is clear that the ongoing risk

to clean drinking water in the

Hullcar Valley constitutes a

matter of public interest,”

Denham wrote. “Residents

Ongoing risk to clean drinking water trumps privacy

have been under a water

advisory for two years; in order

to restore public condence in

the measures undertaken by

the ministry, residents should

have access to the soil test

results and analysis that

support those measures.”

Denham’s order promises to

ensure the province’s

disclosure of materials relevant

to the Hullcar aquifer until

there’s a resolution of the

contamination that triggered

the water advisory.

However, she said good

faith and the public trust

should encourage the

governments candour rather

than the order of a watchdog

such as the province’s privacy

commissioner or the public’s

hounding.

“Public bodies need to aid

applicants throughout the

freedom of information

Back reviewed WorkSafeBC

on-line planning tools that

would help members reduce

their costs.

“Over-exertion and fall from

the same level are the biggest

cost injuries in your industry,”

he says, with 16,000 worker

days lost.

“Bring down the number of

injuries and get people back to

work more quickly,” says Back.

“If you are performing better

than the average of the

industry, you will pay less” (for

your WorksafeBC coverage).

Illegal slaughter is a concern

for the industry. Brent Smith

with the Ministry of

Agriculture’s Enforcement

Ocer Meat Inspection

Program discussed a number

of unlicensed operations,

including a facility processing

1,000 squab a week in the

Lower Mainland.

“The organized high volume

guys that are undercutting

you guys are not hard to nd,”

says Smith. “The diculty is

getting information and

pictures and grounds to do an

inspection.”

Sourcing and retaining

workers is a chronic problem

for abattoir employers,

explained Woodbury. The

association is working to

organize an “industrial meat

cutter” program, likely in the

Kamloops area.

“This is not a commercial

butcher program for someone

who works in a meat shop,”

Woodbury points out. “It takes

a whole dierent set of skills to

take apart a full carcass into

manageable sections and

retain the most value that the

shop butcher can then cut

steaks from.”

Ken Faulk is the new BCAA

president while outgoing Mike

Noullett remains on the board.

Dave Fernie has re- joined as a

director. Bonnie Windsor,

Jacques Campbell, Dennis

Gunter and Richard Yntema

were all re-elected.

process. Applicants should

never have to defend their

motives for requesting

information,” Denham said.

“This report is a reminder to all

public bodies about their

many obligations to the public

under BC’s access and privacy

laws.”

The reports are available

online at

[https://www.oipc.bc.ca/report

/investigation-reports/].

The information includes

the basis for allowing the

Jansen farm to spread liquid

manure above the aquifer

while the water advisory was

in place. Disclosure of the

information follows

Spallumcheen council

granting the Jansen farm a

permit in late May for

construction of a 33,920-

square-foot expansion to its

barn.

Town had concerns

While all conditions for

issuing the permit itself were

met, Spallumcheen mayor

Janice Brown issued a

statement underscoring the

town’s concerns with the

prospect of an expansion of

the farm’s operations.

“Spallumcheen Council is

very concerned that the dairy

barn addition will

accommodate additional cows

on the farm and produce more

manure to manage,” she

wrote.

Brown noted that the farm

is located above the

contaminated aquifer. While

she acknowledged that hasn’t

been denitely determined to

be the source of nitrates

contaminating the aquifer,

Brown said council felt its

actions showed a disregard for

the community’s concerns.

Disappointed Council

“Council is disappointed

that the building permit

application for this dairy barn

addition has been submitted

when the sources of the high

nitrate levels in the Hullcar

aquifer have not been

conrmed and an action plan

to remediate the aquifer has

not been implemented,”

Brown said in the statement.

Al Price, co-chair of the Save

Hullcar Aquifer Team, pointed

out in his own statement that

the Jansen family didn’t need

to be so antagonistic.

“Aside from doing what the

government allows, the

owners of the dairy farm could

have some consideration for

their neighbours,” he wrote,

adding in a note to

stakeholders: “We will

continue to try to make the

government see that it doesn't

have to be us and them, the

Jansens or the residents. It

could force changes to the

farm's nutrient management

practices, or its equipment,

and we could all get along.”

INVEST IN QUALITY

Matsqui

Ag-Repair

Abbotsford, BC

604-826-3281

Noble

Tractor & Equipment

Armstrong, BC

250-546-3141

Noble

Tractor & Equipment

Kamloops, BC

250-851-3101

Huber

Farm Equipment

Prince George, BC

250-560-5431

KuhnNorthAmerica.com

Download our

ForageXpert

app today to

ƂPFVJGRGTHGEV

tool to optimize

your harvest!

SIMPLICITY. VERSATILITY. QUALITY.

SR 100 GII SERIES SPEEDRAKES

WHEEL RAKES

• Adjust windrow widths independently to match crop pickup widths

• Superior terrain following without the need for hydraulic float

• Rear wheels raise last for cleaner windrow ends

• Fast, easy switching between transport and field positions

8-, 10- and 12-wheel models • 15'10" – 23'4"

Bonnie Windsor

CASE IH TM200

FIELD CULTIVATOR, 26.5’ WW,

REAR HYD HITCH KIT $39,950

JOHN DEERE 512 DISK RIPPER

7 SHANKS, OFFSET DISKS, CLEAN

UNIT $22,500

GENIE 842 TELEHANDLER

PALLET FORKS, 1610 HOURS

$49,500

’06 KRONE BIGX 650 CHOPPER

MOTOR: 2100 HRS; CUTTER HEAD:

1700 HR, CROP PROC $99,950

06 NH TM155

4WD, AC, HEAT, 850TL SELF LEVELING

LDR, 5200 HRS $59,950

AGWAY BF5000

3PT ROUND BALE FEEDER

$9,950

CASE IH CAMO SCOUT, 4X4, MUD

TIRES, RECEIVER KIT, WIND-

SHIELD/CANOPY $9,950

FarmersEquip.com

888-855-4981

LYNDEN, WA

PRICES IN US DOLLARS

#21925

$9,950

#27178

$99,950

#22791

$59,950

#19329

$9,950

#22558

$39,950

#22535

$22,500

#15525

$49,500

$99,950

by TOM WALKER

KELOWNA – If you drive

along the Kelowna lakeshore

on a long weekend, it’s easy to

forget it’s a farm town. You’ll

pass a lot of convertibles on

the road. Sunbathers,

swimmers, paddle boarders

and boaters cram the beaches

and the lake. But with almost

40% (8,621 ha) of the land in

the city within the Agricultural

Land Reserve, Kelowna is

denitely a farming

community.

“It may not be obvious but

what some of the

stakeholders pointed out is

that agriculture is part of the

fabric of our culture,” says

Tracey Guidi, sustainability co-

ordinator for City of Kelowna.

“It is what started our

community and people

denitely embrace it.”

Guidi is leading the

development of a new

agriculture plan for Kelowna

and at this point, it looks

pretty positive for

agriculture.

“The message we get from

farmers is that agriculture is

an industry. It’s not just some

pastoral activity where you go

and pick a bucket of apples,”

says Guidi. “That is what they

would like to see come

across.”

“The ag plan was

innovative in its day,” says

Guidi. “It was one of the rst

ones done in the

province.” But a lot

has changed since

the rst plan was

written in1998.

Agri-tourism and

housing for

temporary farm

workers weren’t

really issues back

then.

“And of course

there has been a

ton of growth since

1998,” Guidi adds.

She says the new ag plan

will play an important role in

guiding the Ocial

Community Plan (OCP). A

revised ag plan will feed into

the next update to the OCP,

which is scheduled for 2017.

Indeed, 55% of city land

(12,000 ha) is zoned A-1

(agriculture and yes, more

than is in the original ALR

classication).

Permanent growth boundary

“We are hoping that the

vision of the new plan will be

to preserve and protect

agriculture land going

forward,” says Guidi. She

explains one of the ways the

most recent OCP has done

this was to create a

“permanent growth

boundary” within the city

limits.

The permanent growth

boundary protects lands that

are outside the boundary as

Country Life in BC • August 201624

Kelowna takes collaborative path in developing ag plan

agriculture and

directs

development for

the city to be inside

the boundary.

“It is actually

saving the city

money by having it

densify,” Guidi

points out.

“There is 365 km

of interface with

that boundary and

pressure to develop

along it,” Guidi adds. “That is

part of the reason we need to

update the ag plan; is to

strengthen that.”

The 18 month process

involves several steps. Firstly,

the city met with the

Agriculture Advisory

Committee several times and

prepared a draft mission

statement. Then, stakeholders

such as the BC Fruit Growers,

the BC Cherry Association,

regional district and First

Nations were invited to a

planning session.

Next were two community

meetings and an on-line

survey.

“We have had over 550

surveys already completed,

which is phenomenal for a

rst kick,” Guidi says. “Mostly,

people really grab on to it

when they have a draft

policy.”

“This rst stage is really

issue identication,” explains

Guidi. The issues are familiar

to other agriculture

communities.

“Non-farm use of course,”

says Guidi, such as running a

transport company from ALR

land.

Farm weddings shut down

With agri-tourism, Kelowna

council has recently shut

down on-farm weddings at a

property that was not

licensed to operate while they

and the Agricultural Land

Commission did allow

ceremonies only and a craft

distillery on a property that

went through the application

process. The ALC noted

“challenges for agriculture

development due to severe

topography” and concluded

the proposed non-farm use

would have “no impact on the

agriculture capacity of the

property.”

Likewise, council has

approved the installation of

mobile trailers for temporary

worker housing but turned

down an application for a

permanent worker “hotel.”

“We have actually initiated

some work (on worker

housing) regionally as well,”

says Guidi. “We are working

for consistency so if we

decline an application, that

same application it is not

going out to the regional

district.”

Water access crucial

With the need for climate

adaptation, water access has

become an issue.

“The recent provincial

agriculture survey showed

that 86% of the farm lands are

being irrigated,” Guidi pointed

out.

Access to land and land

pricing continue the list.

And then there is the

vacant or under-farmed land.

“The province identied

about 1,500 acres that are

underutilized,” says Guidi.

“That’s opposed to being used

as a hay eld that some

people think of as

underutilized but it is an

actual use.”

Kelowna is the site of

numerous “estate” properties

where large homes are built

on ALR property that is un-

farmed or under-farmed.

“There is a denite

opportunity there,” Guidi

adds.

There will be two more

occasions to be involved

again.

“This fall, we go back out to

the public and stakeholders

again saying here is some

draft policy and direction,”

Guidi says. “Then, in February,

we will go back a third time

with the draft plan.“

Tracey Guidi

Sila Grow welcomes you to our

ANNUAL CORN FIELD LUNCH

Bomi Farms [3315 Trinity Valley Rd, Enderby]

in early September

Same enthusiasm, different style!

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR EXACT DATE

Under new ownership

www.SILAGROW.com

1•800•663•6022

SUMMER TIME

is Angus time!

TOM DEWAAL . PRESIDENT . 250.960.0022

JILL SAVAGE . SECRETARY . 250.679-2813

www.bcangus.ca

July 28-30 Showdown Truro, Nova Scotia

August 9-14 Dawson Creek Exhibition

August 19-21 Nechako Valley Exhibition

August 25-28 Bulkley Valley Exhibition

Aug 31-Sept 4 IPE Armstrong (Gold Show)

September 2 BC Angus AGM

September 9-11 Lakes District Fall Fair(Gold Show)

September 24 Pacific Invitational Sale

BC ANGUS

LIZ TWAN PHOTO

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 25

On a recent visit to

Switzerland, I was given the

opportunity with Kathy Mere,

my cousin’s wife, to visit a

small ock of Skudde sheep

owned by Hans Gugger and

his partner Eliane. My German

being rudimentary and

Gugger’s English being equally

limited, Kathy, a professional

translator of many languages,

acted as intermediary between

us. Gugger, it turns out, keeps

the breed records of all Swiss

Skudde sheep.

The farm is located in

Mamishaus, on picturesque

side hills in the canton of Bern.

Electric netting is used to

subdivide specic areas.

Outside their immediate

grazing area, Gugger said he

would be cutting the adjacent

long grass on a steep bank by

hand as soon as it dries up a

bit.

The Skudde is a small, hardy

sheep, with mature ewes

weighing about 25 to 40 kg.

They are white, brown or grey.

They originated on relatively

barren areas where good grass

is often absent and where

lambing ease, resistance to

worms and overall good

health is a high priority. Before

the days of easy access to

purchased feed, veterinary

care, wormers and antibiotics,

these were the essential

characteristics for survival in

these areas. Thus, Skudde

breeders select heavily for

these traits while actively

discouraging inbreeding.

They breed, in part, to

preserve the breed, prevent it

from dying out, to preserve its

original characteristics and, in

case their genetic strengths

may one day be wanted to

impart traditional factors.

To meet this end, their

paper records note, among

other things, the genetic

presence of each ram as noted

by all its registered lambs and

relatives in Switzerland, with

dierent numbers of points

added for each sibling, parent

and grandparent. To avoid too

much line breeding, the ram is

‘retired’ once the number of its

ospring gets to a certain

count and not permitted for

use on registered ewes again.

A count of 39 ospring is

considered very close to

retirement age.

The degree of inbreeding

can be calculated before each

mating.

Gugger demonstrated a

paper record on one of his

ewes, Mimosa. She has the

usual identifying information,

including the gure 20 for her

genetic presence and four

ratings for dierent attributes

(where six is the highest score)

as rated by a judge who visits

the farm. The rst two gures

indicate general

presence and last two

gures include ratings

for conformation and

eece. They do not go

to ocial shows.

Skudde is classied

as a rare breed within

Switzerland with a head count

of approximately 1,000

including rams, ewes and

lambs. There are Skudde

sheep also in Germany and

other nearby countries but

there is little or no import of

rams.

“Permitted, but not being

done,” said Gugger, noting

also there is no AI of sheep in

Switzerland.

“It is not a meat breed – nor

lucrative,” he added with a wry

smile. But their fertility and

health is good, their eece has

value and input costs are low.

If the lambs are not good

enough to be kept for

breeding or there is no market

for them, they are slaughtered

at about eight months. The

carcasses of the ewe lambs will

yield about three kilos of meat:

two legs, two roasts, chops

and stewing meat.

They have a vet living about

four kilometres from them but

A rare breed of sheep in Switzerland

Columnist Jo Sleigh gets a tutorial on Skudde sheep

Expertise like ours – is Rare

CUSTOM SLAUGHTER SERVICES PROVIDED

PROVINCIALLY INSPECTED ABATTOIR BC#34

PROUD 4-H SPONSOR and CARCASS CLASS

PROCESSOR for the PNE 2016

ashiq@meadowvalleymeats.com

604/465-4752 (ext 105)

fax 604/465-4744

18315 FORD ROAD

PITT MEADOWS, BC V3Y 1Z1

• BEEF

• VEAL

• BISON

• LAMB

• GOAT

• DEER

MEADOW VALLEY MEATS

Wool Gatherings

JO SLEIGH

Hans Gugger looks over his ock of Skudde sheep and a couple of alpacas on his Swiss farm. (Jo

Sleigh photo)

many do not utilize their

services.

“Swiss vets specialize and

many know little about sheep

unless they have done studies

of their own, under their own

initiative,” says Gugger.

He knows of one vet who

had made a point of studying

alpacas but that is unusual.

Few vets are interested in

sheep.

Breeders can send feces to a

lab to have worm counts done

and treatment suggested. He

uses his own microscope to

check his sheep.

In Switzerland, there are

associations for various

specic breeds of sheep, but

others have none. A few

associations run further

education courses but it is

often dicult to get people

together as everyone always

seems so busy.

Some aspects of sheep

breeding and rearing is the

same as in Canada; some

dierent. As a comparison, in

Canada, there is no denition

of the maximum number of

sheep needed to formally

identify a breed as rare. When

a breed is described informally

as rare, the reference is made

only to that breed’s presence

in Canada and not in other

countries.

jeffmc@shaw.ca

250-616-6427 or 250-758-8454

JEFF MCCALLUM

VANCOUVER ISLAND FARM EQUIPMENT

NEW & USED TRACTORS & FARM EQUIPMENT

Make ISLAND Farming Easier!

MCHALE R5 BALE HANDLERS 2 MOVING ARMS . . . . FROM 2800

DEUTZ AGROPLUS 87.SELF LEVELLING LDR, 4X4,

OPEN STATION, 1300 HRS, 85 HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,500

KVERNELAND 7517 WRAPPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOLD!

KUHN KNIGHT PS 150 VERTICAL BEATERS. NEAR NEW 45,000

HIGHLINE 6000T BALE PROCESSOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000

JCB 170 SKID STEER. NEW TIRES. NEW ENGINE . . . . . . . . . 26,000

TAARUP 338 MWR COND, 3.3M W/FINGER COND, GYRO HITCH 4,500

WE HAVE PLASTIC WRAP

& AG-FLEX SILAGE BAGS

in all sizes

ROUND BALING

ANYWHERE ON THE ISLAND

PHONE FOR PRICING

With or

Without wrap

Van Der Wal Equipment (1989) Ltd.

23390 RIVER ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2W 1B6

604/463-3681 | vanderwaleq.com

Visit our showroom to see more!

WL60T

ARTICULATED WHEEL

LOADER WITH

TELESCOPIC BOOM

The WL60T telescopic wheel loader is equipped with a

101-hp turbo charged Perkins diesel engine and features

a telescopic boom for additional height, added versatility

and greater production.

TH522

TELEHANDLER

Country Life in BC • August 201626

by EMILY BULMER

SALT SPRING – Ruckle Provincial Park on Salt

Spring Island has a unique agricultural focus. This

living museum is a showcase for family farming from

1872 to the present day. Nestled inside this 1,000

acre park is a 200 acre working farm which has been

working continuously since 1872.

Henry Ruckle, an immigrant from Ireland, bought

land on Salt Spring Island to set up a homestead

and farm and make his fortune. He purchased his

rst 80 acres at roughly a dollar per acre in 1872. In

the early days, Ruckle produced oats, wheat, peas,

hay, a large vegetable garden, turkeys, cattle, pigs

and sheep. In a matter of about 20 years, Ruckle had

cleared elds and gardens out of raw cedar and

arbutus forests with little more than the tools he

made and his own force of determination.

“A man who understands farming and has a little

capital will do as well or better here than any place

in North America,” he said of Salt Spring Island in a

brochure from 1895.

After working the farm for more than 40 years,

expanding his holdings to 1,200 acres and planting

an apple orchard of over 600 trees, Ruckle died in

1913. His sons remained on the farm until 1930

when his grandson, Henry ‘Gordon’ Ruckle, moved

into one of the houses with his young wife, Lotus,

and continued the farming tradition.

Gordon loved his farm and his land and was a

Provincial park on Salt Spring home to working farm

Mike Lane stocks his farm stand with everything from jams to dried apples, bringing in about $15,000 per year on

the honour system alone. (Emily Bulmer photo)

No excuse not to!

mmm

yyy

>>>

Only rinsed containers

can be recycled

Helps keep collection

sites clean

Use all the chemicals

you purchase

Keeps collection sites

safe for workers

Maintain your farm’s

good reputation

ooo

ffff

ttt

iii

ooo

rrr

ttt

ooo

ﬁﬁ

ﬁ

aaa

ooo

{

{{

{

Now, take your empty fertilizer containers along for the ride!

well known conservationist. He once said, “You can’t

own land – you can only preserve it for future

generations.” And preserve it he did in 1972 when

he turned over a large portion of the land to the BC

government, which then became Ruckle Provincial

Park in 1974. The arrangement excluded the 200

acres of working farm to which the Ruckle

descendants have a Life Tenancy Agreement.

Today, Mike and Marjorie Lane work the farm.

They have raised many of the crops and livestock

raised by the original Ruckles, giving the park a

living history feel. Lane confesses he’s been slowing

down a bit.

“We’re down to 85 ewes. It is a lot of work... I’ve

been at this for 25 years or so.” He laughs, “Its a long

time without a day o.”

The Lanes raise lambs, sell wool and other value

added products, including dried apples from some

Ruckle Historic Farm is

BC’s oldest continuously

running family farm

Please see “WORD” page 27

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 27

drainage is

our specialty

VALLEY FARM DRAINAGE

31205 DEWDNEY TRUNK RD, MISSION • Fax 604-462-7215

604-462-7213 • www.valleyfarmdrainage.com

Proudly supporting Canadian industry

using Canadian product

LASER EQUIPPED & GPS CONTROLLED

TRENCHED AND TRENCHLESS APPLICATIONS

SUPPLIERS OF CANADIAN MADE BIG O DRAINAGE TUBING

FOR SALE

TURNKEY WHOLESALE

SOIL PACKAGING BUSINESS

• With equipment and well established

customer base

• Located in the Lower Mainland

• Gross sales approx. $375K – 400K per year

• Business to move to your location by 2017

For further information reply to

Soilbusiness4sale@gmail.com

All inquiries will be answered promptly

Tractor safety training

for all farmers in BC, at no cost!

www.AgSafeBC.ca

AgSafe

FORMERLY FARSHA

Book toda

Call: 1.877.533.1789

Contact@AgSafeBC.ca

TRAINING CO-SPONSORED BY

of those original trees planted

in 1895.

“We try to make farm

products last longer than they

normally do by dehydrating or

making jam, saving seeds and

herbs. That farm stand does

about $15,000 a year on the

honour system alone over

about four months and that’s

pretty good.” The Lanes have

an excellent reputation for

their products and do no

advertising because all their

products are spoken for ahead

of time.

“There’s one Ruckle left and

I leased the farm from them

about 20 years ago. I started

as the park ranger in the

campground at night and

they needed help so I started

helping and the next thing

you know, I bought a tractor

and was plowing the elds. I

guess about 18 to 20 years

ago, they asked me if I wanted

to lease the farm. I said sure

I’d love to – I’d never been a

farmer. The one way I look at

is the richest guy on Salt

Spring couldn’t aord my life

‘cause this land isn’t for sale.”

Lane works the farm

organically.

“When I rst started here,

the wireworm was so bad I

couldn’t even grow corn. The

larvae of the click beetle is the

wireworm and it eats the roots

o of grass, and these old

elds were full of them. Since

I’ve had the turkeys and

pheasants here, we have no

popular topics of discussion.

While buildings account for

12% of greenhouse gas

emissions in the US, they’ve

won the lion’s share of

recognition for green

practices through certication

programs such as LEED

(Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design).

Least damaging

Agriculture is one of the

least-damaging sectors,

accounting for just 9% of total

greenhouse gas emissions in

the US.

Yet the sector is often

vilied for the deleterious

eects of methane, a

persistent greenhouse gas

whose number one source is

livestock. Cattle gas, as

methane, is a reason why

people should switch to grass-

fed beef, adopt vegetarian

diets and generally see

farming as bad for the

environment.

Vilsack doesn’t deny that

agriculture can do better – but

he also sees better farming

practices as part of a holistic

strategy to reduce human-

related climate change.

“There are other industries

and other sectors that also

have to do their part. But

agriculture needs to be part of

the solution,” he said. “We

need to do a better job of

how we raise livestock and

how we graze to maintain

sequestered carbon. We need

to continue to focus on

energy eciency and

renewable energy.”

The kinds of change

required open “an incredible

amount of innovation, job

opportunities and business

Agriculture may help mitigate changing climate

Ranchers are often vilified for the damaging effects of methane, a greehnouse gas

growth if we do this right. It’s

a lot of dynamic activity

within agriculture to attract

young people whereas before

they were discouraged.”

Ambitious city

The message rings true in

BC, which is home to David

Suzuki, Osetters Carbon

Neutral Society and

Vancouver, a city whose

ambitions to become the

world’s greenest includes

urban agriculture among its

strategies.

Moreover, new entrants to

the sector are frequently

embracing organic and low-

impact farming practices that

were often novelties to their

parents and grandparents.

The federal government,

recognizing the enthusiasm

for such practices, recently

launched the Agricultural

Youth Green Jobs Initiative.

The program aims to fund

internships for post secondary

graduates who are 30 years of

age or younger, meet

citizenship requirements and

are interested in working in

the agriculture industry.

Two options exist, one for

on-farm programs that

provides $10,000 per intern

for placements of at least four

months, and another for

businesses active in the

agriculture sector who wish to

employ an intern “to

undertake environmental

activities, services or research

that will benet the

agriculture sector.” The latter

option provides $16,000 that

funds up to 80% of the

internship (again, of at least

four months).

The internships must

compete by March 31, 2017.

REASON 3: Our Alexander Knives, when paired

with our patented Vertical Knives, create an

unparalleled cutting action. The curved carbide

coated cutting edge and angle of the Alexander

Knives increases the aggressiveness of cut

to improve the processing rate of round baled

forages, especially coarser forages. Our Vertical

Knives, which are mounted on our slide plate,

improve processing and feedout of high forage

rations. Together with our four other exclusive

auger features, we produce a faster and more

uniform mix than sluggish conventional augers,

which typically take too long to process forage,

resulting in too many ﬁne particles in the shaker

ALEXANDER KNIVES

VERTICAL KNIVES

SIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGER

RESISTS SORTING:

www.JAYLOR.com | 800.809.8224

SIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGER

RESISTS SORTING:

REASON 3: Our Alexander Knives, when paired

with our patented Vertical Knives, create an

unparalleled cutting action. The curved carbide

coated cutting edge and angle of the Alexander

Knives increases the aggressiveness of cut

to improve the processing rate of round baled

forages, especially coarser forages. Our Vertical

Knives, which are mounted on our slide plate,

improve processing and feedout of high forage

rations. Together with our four other exclusive

auger features, we produce a faster and more

uniform mix than sluggish conventional augers,

which typically take too long to process forage,

resulting in too many ﬁne particles in the shaker

box. Nutritionists say if you want to resist sorting

you’ll need a TMR with optimum shaker box

results, and with a Jaylor you can deliver that

ration every time.

SIX

REASONS WHY

RESISTS SO

Contact your local dealer for a demo today:

AVENUE MACHINERY CORP

Abbotsford 604.864.2665

Vernon 250.545.3355

SERVICE ANYWHERE!

FREE ESTIMATES CALL

604-530-2412

www.superiorpaving.ca

MENTION THIS AD FOR SPECIAL DISCOUNT!

Replacing gravel or dirt and repaving with

asphalt invari ably guarantees a healthy

increase in your farm’s value, now and into

the future. We have the men and equipment

to do the job right the first time. We own our own asphalt plant and we’ve

been paving BC for nearly 40 years!

Paving the way to 100% customer satisfaction!

www.canadianorganicfeeds.com

FOR QUALITY

CERTIFIED

ORGANIC

FEEDS

FOR BAGGED or BULK ORDERS:

Darren Jansen

General Manager

604/794-3701

organicfeeds@gmail.com

CUSTOM ORDERS

Certified to Canadian National Standards

permission from the ALC.

“The 20-hectare threshold

was determined as a result of

[stakeholder] discussions,

recognizing 20 hectares is

large enough for most

agricultural purposes, and

carbon sequestration projects

would require a larger land

area than that to be feasible,”

the province said in a

statement.

The move promises to shut

down the use of farmland for

carbon sequestration projects,

though monitoring and

enforcement will still be

through the existing

complaint-driven process.

Stakeholders including the

Agricultural Land

Commission, BC Cattlemen’s

Association and the BC

Agriculture Council were

among those consulted as

the province drafted its

explicit guidance for

landowners.

Country Life in BC • August 201632

What were the early days of the COABC like? Just ask this group of COABC veterans: from left to right,

Heather Pritchard, Andrea Turner, Robert Hettler, Paddy Doherty, Carme Wakeling, Linda Edwards

and Joppa Wills. (David Schmdit photo)

Proudly certifying

Producers and Processors

within BC and Alberta.

FVOPA provides year round certiﬁcation

services compliant with the Canadian

Organic Standards (CAN/CGSB) and

in accordance with the BC Certiﬁed

Organic ISO 17065 recognized program.

Products may be sold Canada-wide and

in international markets. FVOPA ensures an

efﬁcient, professional certiﬁcation process

for all farm, processing and handling

operations. Inspectors are lOlA trained

and qualiﬁed making FVOPA a leading

Certiﬁcation Agency.

Message 604-607-1655

Email: admin@fvopa.ca

www.fvopa.ca

Phone 604-789-7586

P.O. Box 18591

Delta, BC V4K 4V7

Phone: 778-434-3070 Admin cell: 604-789-7586

PO Box 19052 Email: admin@fvopa.ca

Delta, BC V4L2P8 www.fvopa.ca

by DAVID SCHMIDT

VERNON – Although the

Certified Organic

Associations of BC (COABC)

and its subsidiary certifying

bodies are now thriving

organizations, it did not start

that way. Seven vanguards of

the local organic movement

reminisced about the sector’s

early days during the recent

COABC conference in Vernon.

“We started farming before

standards,” notes Heather

Pritchard, one of the founders

of Fraser Common Farm and

the Glorious Garnish and

Seasonal Salad Company in

Aldergrove. “Our farm was

considered quite quirky.”

The first farm to grow

arugula commercially,

Glorious Garnish got a big

boost in 1986 when the

Northwest Territories

contracted them to provide a

salad mix for their restaurant

at Expo 86.

“We then went to eight

other restaurants,” Pritchard

recalls.

Harvey Snow came to help

However, growers were

reluctant to get organized so

it took them a long time to

form bioregional associations

and start establishing

standards. Helping them was

Harvey Snow, the BC Ministry

of Agriculture’s organic

extension officer in the 1980s.

Fraser Valley growers

formed the BC Association of

Regenerative Agriculture

(BCARA). When BCARA

insisted on limiting itself to

selling locally, Snow, by then

a BCARA member and a large

organic vegetable grower in

Delta, broke away to form the

Fraser Valley Organic

Producers Association

(FVOPA), which would adopt

the ISO certification required

to ship products outside the

province. Ironically, BCARA

has since also become an

ISO-certifying body.

“It is a testament to the

growth of our industry that

we had to go to ISO-

certification,” says Linda

Edwards, a Cawston organic

orchardist and consultant,

who has also served as

president of both COABC and

the Pacific Agricultural

Certification Society, BC’s

largest ISO-certifying body.

SOOPA one of the first

One of the first

associations to be formed

was the Similkameen

Okanagan Organic Producers

Association (SOOPA).

“We became partners in a

conventional orchard in

Cawston and wanted to grow

naturally,” recalls Joppa Wills.

“We sold organics with a

story,” she says, noting they

sold Woodwards (then a

major Vancouver

department store and

grocery) their first organic

cherries and apricots.

Soon a story was not

enough. After distributors

told them it was getting

harder to sell organic fruit

without certification, Wills

and nine other local

“natural/organic” growers

formed SOOPA with the help

of Harold Madsen, then a

scientist at the Pacific

Agriculture Research Centre

in Summerland, who became

their first third-party

verification officer.

The North Okanagan

Organic Association also

created organic standards

but they were “philosophical,

not regulatory,” recalls Robert

Hettler of Pilgrim’s Produce in

Armstrong. When most

regional associations decided

to unite as the COABC in

1993, he became its first

secretary.

Dedication nonpareil

Despite having “no

budget,” COABC founders

were extremely dedicated.

“People would drive up to 14

hours to attend monthly

meetings,” Hettler said.

Just as with BCARA, the

COABC had a lot of early

internal struggles as not all

growers were initially in

favour. Some even formed a

short-lived second group, the

BC Alliance of Organic

Growers.

“We didn’t want to be part

of COABC and standards,”

recalls Andrea Turner, now

COABC’s vice-president.

But the association

persevered. Paddy Doherty,

an early COABC president,

says it was critical in

developing relationships with

government and building

what has become a multi-

million dollar business.

“We were a happening

group,” Doherty said, noting

they convinced then BC

Minister of Agriculture Corky

Evans to give them a $2

million fund which they used

to develop the BC and

Canadian organic sector.

Everything changed

When Edwards was hired

in the late 1980s to

document what was

happening in the BC organic

sector, there were only 47

acres of certified organic

apples in the Similkameen

region. After Australian

research described the

potential of mating

disruption to manage codling

moths in 1990 and the Sterile

Insect Release facility was

built in Oliver, “everything

changed.”

“We grew to over 400 acres

of organic apples within two

years,” Edwards said.

“Growers didn’t want to

take it over but I am so glad

we got the SIR program,”

Wills added.

Current COABC president

Carmen Wakeling says

COABC’s biggest legacy is the

community it has created.

“We have been lucky to

stand true to our principles,”

she said, adding “this is our

way of changing our food

system.”

Thriving organic organizations evolved from humble beginnings

Seven pioneers of the local organic movement present a retrospective of the sector’s early days

The MK Gravity Box comes in four models, available

with optional extensions. Ranging from 270-745 bushel

capacities, MK Martin has the perfect sized Gravity Box for

your operation. An optional box divider with dual doors is

available on select models.

Available for all Gravity Boxes, the optional Grain Shield

Tarp Kit has a ratchet free locking system which protects

your harvest from blowing away and inclement weather.

For more information contact your nearest MK Martin

dealer or visit us online.

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 33

COMMITTED TO AGRICULTURE in the FRASER VALLEY

www.rollinsmachinery.ca

TRACTORS

FORD 6640 – U30091 .............................................................. $14,900.00

KUBOTA L4630 – U30107..........................................................19,800.00

FORD 545A – U31132 – 2WD-LOADER-INDUSTRIAL.......13,300.00

NH L170 SKIDSTEER – U31143.................................................16,500.00

NH TZ25DA – U31086 – 4WD-LOADER-25HP ....................13,900.00

QUALITY USED EQUIPMENT

NH 278 BALER, 1975, FIELD READY ........................................ 6,500.00

NH 320 BALER, 1984, FIELD READY ........................................ 6,500.00

MF 1051 ROTARY CUTTER, 1996, GOOD CONDITION .......... 700.00

KUHN/KNIGHT 5127 MIXER WAGON;

SINGLE VERTICAL SCREW – U31246 .................................... 17,900.00

NDE 1502 FEED PROCESSOR; FAIR COND. U31244 ....... 14,000.00

LOEWEN 580 MIXER WAGON – U30093...............................11,500.00

WALLENSTEIN GX900 – CNS504 – 3PT BACKHOE ............ 6,500.00

JD 3970 FORAGE HARVESTER – U31194................................ 5,000.00

JD 3950 FORAGE HARVESTER – U31195................................ 4,000.00

QUICKE ALO 980 LDR – CNS602 – 3 FUNCTION-SOFT RIDE 5,900.00

JD 450 MANURE SPREADER,

HYD END GATE, UPPER BEATER (U31187) ........................................ 6,500.00

FELLA TS 456T ROTARY RAKE (U31222) .......................................... 8,600.00

“Serving British Columbia proudly since 1946”

Machinery

Limited

ROLLINS

YOUR AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR

CHILLIWACK •

1.800.242.9737 |

44725 Yale Road West • 604.792.1301

LANGLEY •

1.800.665.9060 |

21869 - 56th Avenue • 604.533.0048

Wilf Smith

WILLIAMS LAKE STOCKYARDS

250.398.0813

Cheryl Newman

KAMLOOPS STOCKYARDS

250.320.0870

DeCody Corbiere

VANDERHOOF STOCKYARDS

250.524.0681

Al Smith

BC WIDE MARKETING

250.570.2143

Shawn Carter

OK FALLS STOCKYARDS

250.490.5809

by RONDA PAYNE

LANGLEY – The summer

was already looking hot for

the Finley family before spring

had even arrived. The owners

of Laurica Farm were booking

more events (including this

year’s Feast of Fields) than

most farmers would sanely

agree to. According to Cathy

Finley, she does it because

meaningful conversations

about farming happen when

people are having fun on the

farm.

Laurica was founded about

three years ago when the

Finleys bought ve acres with

a house and barn in south

Langley. From there, it has

grown into an adventure in

running a farm on mostly

recycled materials and a

passion for engaging people

with their food.

“Dairy is the only thing we

buy once a week,” says Finley

of the ability to feed her

family of four o the land

while also hosting events,

oering CSA boxes and selling

to restaurants and at farmers

markets whatever might be

left over.

“[Farming] has become

more important to me,” she

says. “I just wanted to be

sustainable, just wanted to

feed my family organically,

but now it’s more. People

come here to see it. They want

to be involved in the journey.”

It’s a mix of old-style

farming where there are

vegetable crops, an

orchard, pigs,

chickens, ducks and

sheep all on the

same land but with

a new take – a look

to sustainable,

educational farming

that gets people interested in

how their food is grown. It’s

an exercise is symbiotic

relationships that is easy even

for non-farmers to

understand.

“We found that we could

build a farm on reclaimed

materials,” Finley notes. “70%

of what you see here is from

reclaimed materials.”

Most of the buildings, the

greenhouse, even the

meshed-in orchard are

constructed from things

destined for the dump. Yet

it goes beyond the

buildings. Other items that

may otherwise go to the

landfill are fed to the pigs

which the Finleys are now

Old farming

practices for new

ways of thinking

Country Ways

breeding on site.

“They get no commercially

created feed at all,” says Finley

of the Berkshire and Berkshire-

cross heritage pigs’ diet.

They also churn up the

earth and fertilize it for crop

planting in a three-eld

rotation. They deliver a great

deal of nutrients to the soil,

allowing for the fast pace of

farming demanded at Laurica.

“The vegetables always

follow the pigs around,” she

notes. “I don’t know why

anyone farms without pigs.”

The pigs are even lining the

duck pond by digging it up

and creating a natural clay

lining.

The emphasis is to make

use of animals instead of

machinery, but a balance

between selling the meat and

making use of “animal labour”

has to be found. The Finley’s

pigs are so popular they have

been used at their

neighbour’s (Fraser Common

Farms) long table dinners with

chef Chris Whittaker.

Even the method of

heating the greenhouse is

based on reclaimed materials

and will allow for winter

vegetables. The cob clay

rocket mass stove is made

from earth, straw, clay and

rocks. There’s also a plan for a

cob pizza oven.

“You can burn all sorts of

things in it,” Finley says. “Just

Laurica Farm’s Cathy Finley keeps a watchful eye on her menagerie of farm animals at her

demonstration farm in Abbotsford. (Ronda Payne photo)

Please see “MIXED” page 35

Country Life in BC • August 201634

www.AgSafeBC.ca

WORKER SAFETY

SHOULD BE YOUR

TOP PRIORITY

Cherry growers prove there is life after retirement

by SUSAN MCIVER

NARAMATA – There’s no

doubt that Joe and Trish

Ciaramella, owners of CC

Orchards in Naramata, are

crazy about cherries.

“I love the romance of the

traditional cherry orchard,”

says Joe, who picked cherries

on the Niagara Peninsula in

his youth.

When Joe retired as an

executive with Suncor, the

Calgary-based energy

company, and Trish no longer

taught French, the Ciaramellas

went looking for a cherry

orchard.

“I didn’t want to be re-

organizing my wife’s kitchen

when I retired,” Joe says.

In 2007, he and Trish

purchased their 10 acre

property, of which 3.5 acres

are planted in cherries.

“The orchard is nestled

between a natural waterfall

and a gully. It’s a peaceful

piece of paradise to me,” Joe

says.

The orchard contains

plantings of the white-eshed

Rainier variety and ve red

varieties – Stella, Lambert, Van,

Lapins and Sweetheart.

“Rainiers are very sweet and

are especially popular with

Asians. But they are delicate

with a high cull rate,” Joe says.

The Ciaramellas produce

more Lapins than any other

variety.

“These are some of the

largest, juiciest cherries that

grow on trees,” says cherry

connoisseur Joe. Lapins were

named in honour of Karlis

Lapins, a scientist at the

Summerland research station

who created the variety by

crossing Vans and Stellas, Joe

explains.

Joe’s favourite variety is

Vans.

“They produce magnicent

blossoms and deep-red, sweet

fruit. They’re typically used in

Black Cherry ice cream,” Joe

says.

He and Trish sell about half

of their crop as fresh fruit on

either a U-pick or We-pick

basis. Ciaramella cherries are

also juiced, dried, covered

with chocolate and made into

preserves, jams and salsa, to

name only some of their uses.

“We try to make everything

you can from a cherry tree.

That includes a dried cherry

stem tea infusion, cherry oil

and teacher to fruit growers

came with challenges, starting

with how to raise cherries.

“The former owner, BC Tree

Fruits and Charlotte Leaming

have all been very helpful,”

says Joe, who also had to learn

how to operate and maintain

farm equipment.

Orchard employees are

primarily university students

and other young people from

Quebec.

“They come as a rite of

passage to pick fruit like their

parents and grandparents

did,” Joe says.

Increasingly more

employees are from Western

Europe.

“We even had one fellow

from Siberia,” Joe says.

The Ciaramellas are keen

promoters of agri-tourism and

enjoy telling visitors about

how fruit is produced and

processed. In addition to a

current vacation rental on

their property, they are

converting the upstairs of

their barn into a B&B.

Looking to the future, Joe

said, “We want to continue

operating our orchard and

keeping the tradition of

Okanagan of cherry

production alive,” Joe says.

and balsamic cherry

reduction,” says Trish, who will

prepare gift baskets on

request.

Fresh-pressed CC Orchard

cherry juice is used at Bad

Tattoo Brewing in Penticton

to make R&B Cherry Wit beer.

“Cherry pits make good

landscape cover,” Joe says.

Trish and Joe sell their

cherries and cherry products

at Penticton Farmers’ Market

and farm-gate. Fresh cherries

are also sold to BC Tree Fruits

along with the various cherry

products at outlets in Calgary.

The switch from executive

Trish and Joe Ciaramello, owners of CC Orchards in Naramata, grow six varieties of cherries including

the light-eshed Rainiers and dark red Lapins shown above. (Susan McIver photo)

Armstrong BC

117

Annual IPE

August 31

September 4, 2016

AGRICULTURAL DISPLAYS & DEMOS

.,'¶6:25/'

0,':$<

%$51'$1&(

/,*+7+($9<+256(&203(7,7,21

29(5&200(5&,$/9(1'256

3$5$'(6$76(37$0

7+(5$0758&.086,&67$*(

75$&72538//

,1',(086,&67$*(

3/8608&+025(

Win a 2016 Dodge Truck!

Prize ~

2,500 Cash

Prize ~ Armstrong Shopping

Spree

1,000 value

Grand Prize

Only 8,000 tickets available

Draw takes place September 4

at 8:30 pm

-IPE Front Gates

Chances are 1 in 8,000 (total tickets for sale) to win a grand prize.

BC Gaming Event Licence #85861

Problem Gambling Help Line 1-888-795-6111

www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca Know you limit, play within it. 19+

2016 Dodge Ram 1500

Only $10 per ticket

For info call 250 546-9406 or go to www.armstrongipe.com

PLUS

&35$:5$1*/(535252'(2

)5(('5$:6

0,1,&+8&.:$*215$&(6

:(67&2$67

/80%(5-$&.6+2:

(

7$*

(

(

(

(



www.tjequipmentllc.com

360-815-1597

LYNDEN, WA

ALL PRICES IN US FUNDS

ARTEX CH-4-02

DRY MANURE SPREADER, 18 FT,

TANDEM AXLE $18,000

LOEWEN 3600 LIQUID MANURE TANK

TANDEM AXLE, 28L-26 TIRES $15,000

2003 NEW HOLLAND BB960A

BIG SQUARE BALER, 964 HOURS,

37,286 BALES $27,500

BODCO 7200 LIQUID MANURE TANK

TRIPLE AXLE, 28L-26 TIRES

$29,000

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 35

MIXED FARM From page 33

Community is more than the dictionary’s definition

According to the dictionary,

community is dened as “a

group of people living in the

same place or having a

particular characteristic in

common.” That’s it, a neat

packaged version of what it

means to live in the same

locale as other folks or to share

a common trait, hobby or just

anything else for that matter.

Over my years of living in both

urban and rural parts of this

country, I’ve discovered that

true community involves both

these things, but it goes far

deeper than a verbal

or written denition

and adds one more

vital component: a

genuine concern for

others.

Born and raised

for the rst 25 years of

my life in suburban or city

areas of the West Coast,

moving to a tiny country town

on the prairies wasn’t the

shock that I or others

imagined it might be. In fact, I

A Wannabe Farmer

LINDA WEGNER

immediately fell in love with

most aspects of my new life.

For the next three decades,

hubby and I discovered the

joys and frustrations of

residing in rural agriculture-

based communities with

populations of less than 1,500

people. It was an environment

that I described this way: Here,

everyone knows all your

business and what they don’t

know, they make up. On the

other hand, if you’re in an

emergency, the folks are right

there to help. If it’s during

harvest, the farmers will even

shut down their own

operations and take o the

crop for you. (To this

observation, my suburban

dwelling brother once

responded with a grin, “Oh

they do that here, too. They

just don’t tell you they’re

going to take it.” A true cynic,

he is.)

Population alone isn’t the

determining factor of a real

community. I’ve lived both in

cities and rural towns where,

as a newcomer, I immediately

felt welcomed; conversely, in

other areas it took far longer

before that happened. No

matter how large or small, it’s

important to remember that

populations are comprised of

individuals.

Some measure of

uniformity is also a

determining factor and that’s

dened as a “feeling of

fellowship with others as a

result of sharing common

attitudes, interests and goals.”

In other words, be it bake

sales, painting in oils, quilt

making or sports teams,

community members are

linked by mutual support for

something.

More than a decade ago,

we left an area comprised of

agricultural behemoths to be

closer to family living on the

West Coast. Decades ago, this

town was home to Canada’s

largest goat dairy farm; not

now but we can boast a

commercial chicken hatchery

and, equally important, a

growing and vibrant small-

farm component. The

common goals of

encouraging, supporting and

consuming local food

production are principles

supported by many – from our

mayor to the backyard

gardener (that’s me).

“The people who farm care

about their animals and their

crops. They nurture them,

protect them and nourish

them from babies until it is

time to harvest them. Like

artists, farmers care; they take

pride in their work and their

signature is on everything

they grow.” (Isabelle

Southcott, editor, Powell River

Living)

Last but far from least,

community is about being

there in both the good and

the bad. And honestly, who of

us hasn’t had days when it

seemed that anything that

could go wrong was going to.

Or, in some cases already had.

There is no better time than

those times to have a friend or

friends step in to oer support;

there’s no better feeling than

to be part of community that

truly cares for each other.

No matter who or where we

are, let’s keep growing, keep

eating and keep caring. We all

need each other!

sticks and twigs that fall to the

ground.”

Some composting is done

in the lasagna method to

make use of discarded

packaging materials. Bee hives

on site take care of pollination

needs from the fruit and

vegetable crops to the herb

garden (run by a local

herbalist) and one of the

Finley daughter’s cut owers

garden. Finley describes

chickens as the farm’s natural

insecticides as well as egg

providers and a rainwater

collection system to help

compensate for the dry

summers is well underway.

Down to business

It all sounds rather

idealistic, but as much as the

Finleys love the lifestyle

they’ve been able to create,

they recognize the business

aspect of what they do as well.

For example, they’ve chosen

to not be organic certied in

order to avoid the costs.

“I prefer for our customers

to come here and see how we

do things. They can decide on

their own,” she says. “I don’t

want to pass that cost onto

my customers. I think that

when people come out to the

farm and try the food, they

have an interest in it – in

farming as a whole.”

Part of the plan is to

encourage other farmers, both

those on their own land and

the herbalist and sheep farmer

on the Laurica site.

“They give up hours

working on the farm in return

for the space,” Finley explains.

About three acres of the

site are planted with crops in

what Finley describes as spin

farming on a larger scale. She

is looking to nd more land to

expand the operation and the

barn, which once housed

family games and activities,

will be converted back into a

barn.

“We grow a lot in a small

space,” Finley says. “And we’re

building a root cellar so the

root vegetables will last

longer. It’s very intensive

growing. A fast ip.”

It’s a lot of work but

something that Finley sees as

important, not just for fellow

farmers, but for everyone.

“If we don’t change

something, the future

generations aren’t going to

be able to live the same kind

of peaceful lifestyle we do,”

she says. “Having people

come out [to the farm] for a

meal tells its own message. If

we can use this as a platform

to change the way people

think about food, then let’s

do it.”

NOW accepting applications for the

Provincial Livestock Fencing Program

along travel corridors

Provincial Livestock Fencing Program

Eligibility Requirements

• Schedule 2 Highways, Schedule 1 Highways, and Railway Corridors.

Secondary (sideroad) paved routes may also be considered.

• Must be a livestock producer.

• Fence must be part of an existing fencing system to contain livestock.

Application forms available at:

http://www.cattlemen.bc.ca/fencing.htm

Call TOLL FREE 1.866.398.2848

to have an application mailed to you.

Application Deadline

August 31, 2016 for consideration for the 2017 construction year.

FINAL

CHANCE TO

APPLY

www.oyfbc.com

2017 Outstanding

BC AND YUKON REGION

YOUNG FARMER

Now accepting nominations!

Do you know an OUTSTANDING

young farmer between the ages

of 19 and 39 who derives two thirds

of his or her income

from their farming operation?

We want to know about them!

Nominate them NOW to be

eligible to compete as one of

BC’s OUTSTANDING

YOUNG FARMERS in 2017!

www.oyfbc.com

Outstanding

BC AND YUKON REGION

YOUNG FARMER PROGRAM

Nominee’s Name:

Nominee’s Phone Number:

Nominated by:

Phone Number:

MAIL nomination to

HEATHER CARRIERE, 36376 STEPHEN LEACOCK DR., ABBOTSFORD, BC V3G 0C2

Email: zamacaconsulting@gmail.com

2016 REGIONAL SPONSORS:

GOLD

FARM CREDIT CANADA

SILVER

CLEARBROOK GRAIN

& MILLING CO. LTD.

INSUREWEALTH

BRONZE

BC BROILER HATCHING EGG

COMMISSION

WHOLE FOODS MARKET

NATIONAL SPONSORS

AGRICULTURE &

AGRI-FOOD CANADA

ANNEX BUSINESS MEDIA

BAYER CROP SCIENCE

BDO

CIBC

FARM MANAGEMENT CANADA

JOHN DEERE

MEDIA

ADFARM

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

2016 OYF winners Brian & Jewel Pauls

Country Life in BC • August 201636

by GINA HAAMBUCKERS

VERNON – Twenty-one

outstanding 4-H members have been

awarded scholarships on behalf of

the 4-H British Columbia program

and its generous partners. The worthy

recipients are headed for post-

secondary education in disciplines

ranging from agriculture to nursing,

literature and fashion.

The overall amount awarded in

scholarships this year is $54,500.

“We are thrilled and delighted to

be awarding scholarships to such a

deserving group of young people.

Congratulations to all our recipients,”

says Claudette Martin, 4-H BC

manager.

Chernoff Family Foundation ($5000

renewable over two years)

• Rachel H. (Elementary Education

Program, University of Victoria)

• Katrina J. (Foundation Year

Programme, University of Kinds

College)

• Aimee T. (Faculty of Science &

Horticulture, Kwantlen Polytechnic

University)

Chernoff Family Foundation ($1000

renewable over two years)

• Danika Z. (Applied Sustainable

Ranching, Thompson Rivers

University)

• Taylor V. (Fashion Business &

Creative Arts Diploma, John

Casablanca Institution)

• Paige T. (Animal Science

Technology, Lakeland College)

• Erica B. (ARCT Teachers, Royal

Conservatory of Music)

• Clay K. (Applied Sciences, University

of British Columbia)

BC Youth in Agriculture Foundation

($2000 each)

• Christine K. (Bachelor of Journalism,

Thompson Rivers University)

• Hannah F. (Bachelor of Science,

Thompson Rivers University)

Wim & Annie Zylmans Agriculture

Memorial Fund Scholarship ($500 each)

• Neila S. (Associate of Science, North

Island College)

BC Agriculture in the Classroom

Foundation ($1000)

• Abigail T. (Animal

Bioscience/Agriculture, University of

Saskatchewan)

BC 4-H Foundation ($1000)

• Jeremiah L. (Music – Piano

Performance, Kwantlen Polytechnic

University)

Mutual Fire Insurance ($1000 each)

• Steven D. (Faculty of Science,

University of Victoria)

• Rachel G. (Bachelor of Arts in

Political Science, University of

Victoria)

Western Producer ($1000)

• Victoria F. (Bachelor of Science in

Nursing, University of the Fraser

Valley)

Saanich Fruit Growers ($1600 each)

• Angela K. (Management: Wildlife

and Fisheries, University of Northern

British Columbia)

Saanich Fruit Growers ($800 each)

• Orrin W. (Bachelor of Kinesiology,

University of British Columbia)

• Cliff C. (Basic Certificate of Christian

Studies, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom)

MNP ($1000 each)

• Mackenzie K. (Natural Resource and

Environmental Technology, College

of New Caledonia)

• Brandon K. (Animal Science

Technology – Beef Production,

Lakeland College)

BC 4-H proud of its scholarship winners

Twenty-seven

senior 4-H

members from

across BC

competed at the

4-H BC

Provincial

Communication

nals in

Kamloops,

July 7-9.

Rising to the top. Matthew S. (left), Jeremiah L. and Sara-Kate S.

show o their public speaking awards after competing at the 4-H

BC Provincial Communications Finals. (BC 4-H does not provide

surnames for participants, citing privacy concerns.) (Photo

courtesy of 4-H BC)

by DAVID SCHMIDT

PRINCE GEORGE – The BC Cattlemen’s

Association (BCCA) is receiving up to $144,000

from the federal and provincial governments

to develop a business and marketing plan for a

new mid-size federally-inspected beef

processing plant in the Prince George area.

BCCA general manager Kevin Boon stresses

this is only a viability study and does not mean

a plant will be built.

“This is to see if it’s worth trying,” Boon says.

Currently, BC has only two federally

inspected plants capable of processing small

numbers of cattle and several dozen

provincially-licenced abattoirs, but the majority

of cattle are processed in Alberta or the US.

Boon readily admits a lot of processing

plants failed during the BSE crisis “for a

number of reasons” and the study is intended

to ensure a new plant does not suer the same

fate.

Although “there is money there right now”

to build a plant, the BCCA has cautioned

against moving too quickly.

“Our biggest fear is that someone will build

it (without first determining what is needed

to make it successful). This isn’t about a

packing plant – it’s about a whole industry,”

Boon says, noting interested investors

(primarily retailers and exporters) “aren’t that

familiar with the cattle industry. They just

ostm

aster

, Please return

delive

rable labels to:

oun

y Life

in B

112

ast 13

nco

uve

, B

T 2M

osta

ge p

aid

ort p

ayé

blication

s M

ost-pu

blica

tio

212

Vol. 1

o. 8

Farm tour City in the Country showcases innovative agriculture 11

Poultry Practice codes hope to establish baselines 13

Dairy National ingredient strategy could spur growth 29

Life

in BC

The agricultural news source in

British Columbia since 1915

August 2016 • Vol. 102 No. 8

Chicken board

ready to sign on

the dotted line

Feasibility study for northern abattoir

Please see “FEEDLOT” page 2

COUNTRY

by DAVID SCHMIDT

ABBOTSFORD – The BC Chicken

Marketing Board (BCCMB) was expected to

sign Chicken Farmers of Canada’s new

operating agreement at the CFC summer

meeting in Toronto in late July, after nally

getting approval to do so from the BC Farm

Industry Review Board.

FIRB issued its approval on June 30 but

told the BCCMB to hold o until after July

15 to give BC processors another chance to

appeal FIRB’s decision. The processors

waited until the last minute before deciding

against further appeals.

“This is very good news,” said Chicken

Farmers of Canada chair Dave Janzen, a

Chilliwack chicken grower, and BCCMB chair

Robin Smith, almost in unison.

Clay Hurren, 12, a junior member from the Armstrong Beef Club, parades his Simmental cross steer, Gus, in front of a

captive audience of buyers at the annual 4-H Stock Show at the IPE fairgrounds, July 9. (Cathy Glover photo)

Proud as punch

1-888-675-7999

www.watertecna.com

PROVINCE WIDE DELIVERY

Growing more

with less water

FREE PTO PUMP

See our ad on page 37

for details!

1-888-770-7333

Quality Seeds ... where quality counts

YOUR COMPLETE

SEED SOURCE

Please see “CHRONIC” page 2

Eight years of negotiations

over allocations at an end

It’s time

for a change.

The publisher of

Country Life in BC is

ready to retire and

this publication is now

offered for sale.

For more information,

contact Peter Wilding

604.871-0001

countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca

COUNTRY

The agricultural news source in

British Columbia since 1915

Life

in BC

Helping BC farmers

GROW THEIR

BUSINESS

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 37

When we left o last time,

Henderson got himself into yet

another rage over the snow-

covered roads, and threatened

to sell the house and move back

to the city. Deborah said if he

did that, he’d better get a good

lawyer. Rural Redemption (part

75) continues ...

The Department of

Highways truck plowed the

road an hour and a half after

Kenneth spun his way out to

the main road and drove o

to the city. Shortly after, a

white pick-up drove up Tiny’s

driveway.

“It’s Mr. McLeod!” said

Christopher. “Maybe he’s here

to tell us there’s no school

tomorrow.”

Doug McLeod broke the

sad news that it was all

systems go on the school

front to Christopher at the

back door.

“Sorry, Chris. I’m here to talk

to your mother and sister

about the spring musical. Are

your mom and dad home?”

“Just my Mom. C’mon in.”

Doug apologized for the

intrusion and said that Cec

Montgomery’s passing had

kind of derailed Gladdie and

the spring musical plans and

he was touching bases and

trying to ll in some of the

blanks before the meeting at

Gladdie’s on Wednesday

evening. He wanted to make

sure Deborah was still on

board to play Daisy Mae and

he wondered if Ashley would

take on two or three smaller

parts that called for singing.

Ashley agreed reluctantly

and Deborah agreed

wholeheartedly but wondered

how he could possibly come

up with enough volunteers to

ll the whole cast and crew.

“Oh, you’d be surprised

how folks get together behind

something like this when push

comes to shove. If we’re really

Oh, what a tangled web we weave ...

short of performers, we’ll skip

a scene or two and have a

narrator tell it instead.

“Tyler Koski and his wife,

Jade Song, volunteered to

help out. Tyler is going to look

after the sets. Lisa Lundgren

and Cynthia, her mom, are

going to give him a hand and

they were kind of thinking

that Chris might like to help

out, too.”

Chris said he’d phone Lisa

and check it out.

“Jade oered to play the

piano and Eddy

Eberhardt’s always a

willing whiz on the

accordion. Turns out,

Jade has a music

degree and she’s willing

to make the music work

with whatever players we can

scratch up.”

“How do you get away with

just talking your way through

some of the scenes?” asked

Deborah.

“That’s not a problem. I

think we’ve done it with

almost all the musicals. Glad’s

a master at it and remember,

the audience are your family

and friends and neighbours.

They just want to come out

and see folks they know take

to the stage. It would be hard

to disappoint them.”

Doug stayed for coee and

said he was really looking

forward to another spring

musical. Deborah said she

was really looking forward to

it, too. Doug noticed that no

one said anything about

Kenneth.

“Do you think your

husband might want to get

into the act?”

Deborah looked him in the

eye and shook her head.

“I can guarantee you he

won’t want anything to do

with it.”

***

Kenneth sent a text

message to Janice on his way

back to the city. They

arranged to meet for coee at

six. Kenneth was drinking his

third cup when she arrived.

She looked radiant. Kenneth

held her chair.

“You can’t imagine how

I’ve missed you. I need to talk

to ...”

“You need to listen

carefully before you do any

talking,” said Janice. “This

conversation never took

place, understood?”

Kenneth gave her a

troubled nod.

“Good. The committee

chair will be announced in the

morning and you’ll wonder

about the choice but it

doesn’t really matter because

someone in the ministers’

oce will be pulling all the

strings through a special

assistant to the chair. That’s

who everyone, you included,

will be taking their marching

orders from.”

“Do you think they’re

considering me for the special

assistant?”

“Don’t you think you’d

know by now if that was the

case?” asked Janice.

Kenneth nodded.

“Who do you think it will

be then? And how do you

know about all of this?”

“It’s me. I’m the special

assistant.”

“You?”

“Yes, Kenneth. Me. Don’t

you think I’m good enough

for the job?”

“Sure, sure you’re good

enough. I’m just surprised,”

stammered Kenneth. “How

long have you known?”

“Since they tossed

Linderman.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t

tell me.”

“I was going to tell you at

New Year’s.”

“I would have told you if

the shoe was on the other

foot,” said Kenneth.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t

have lied to me?”

“Why would I lie to you

about something like that?”

“You know, that’s exactly

the question I’ve been asking

myself. Why did you lie to

me?”

“What lie are you talking

about?” asked Kenneth.

Janice gave her shoulders a

shrug.

“Gee, I don’t know. How

many lies did you tell me?”

“If you mean the ski trip

with the kids? I was just trying

to make things easier for

you.”

“Give me a break, Kenneth.

You were trying to make

things easier for yourself.

You’ve been around politics

too long.”

“What does politics have to

do with it? That was between

us.”

“It was a lie between us.

Lies, the lifeblood of politics.

Eventually, you can’t tell one

from another.”

“Deception is the lifeblood

of politics, not lies.”

“Oh, really,” said Janice.

“What’s the dierence?”

“A lie speaks its own truth;

deception can be

interpreted.”

“Do you have any idea how

stupid that sounds? A lie

speaks its own truth?”

“Think about it. It’s like that

blended tax thing years ago.

The government said it was

unfair and regressive and they

wouldn’t have anything to do

with it. They said it too

concretely. When they

imposed it a couple of

months later, everyone

remembered exactly what

they said and saw the truth

that it was a lie and the whole

thing blew up in their face.”

“And a deception is what?

A lie without details? A

bundle of lies that might not

all be true? Something the

spin doctors can weasel out

of? So, explain why you lied

to me about having to take

your kids on a ski trip so you

could deceive me about

spending New Years with

your wife so that you could

deceive her about planning

to spend New Years with me?

I’d be interested to hear how

you dance around all that.”

Janice stood and pulled her

coat on.

“See you at work,” she said.

To be continued ...

The Woodshed

Chronicles

BOB COLLINS

EVERY PURCHASE COMES WITH A

FREE PTO PUMP

1-888-675-7999

www.watertecna.com

MODEL 9300

TURBINE DRIVE

SPRINKLER | INLET HOSE

DIGITAL TACH

$24,800

MODEL 100/400

TURBINE DRIVE

SPRINKLER | INLET HOSE

DIGITAL TACH

$29,400

MODEL 110/400

TURBINE DRIVE

SPRINKLER | INLET HOSE

DIGITAL TACH

$35,490

SUMMER SAVINGS ON REELS

GET REEL THIS SUMMER!

PROVINCE WIDE DELIVERY

MANUFACTURED BY

CIDC

Check-off

BCID

Fund

Work

Beef

Check-off

CIDC

eck-o

ork

Fund

BCID

Producer Check-Off Supports Beef Industry Projects.

www.cattlefund.net | 1-877-688-2333



¶V

DQD&



%GH



IHH%



¶V

DQD&

Producti



%GH

on Progr

Producti

mpleSi

ed fopvelDe



IHH%

ust

cal. ctiar. Pmple

, by psruceodpror ed f



ed.ust

.sroducer, by p



1:hP -866-398



398- emeltBP@cat V:ilam E8482

mthbp./vac.bc.nemelttac.www



ac.bc.ne

Let

rkema

ioseb



ement pl you imelp

trke - rds ndatadriven s

on- ty safed foormfa

carlmani a&ty curiiose



ement

forrds

e car .

Country Life in BC • August 201638

Garden treasures

Substitute raspberries for blueberries and these scones take on a whole new avour. (Judie Steeves photo)

I was worried they’d ﬁnd something

Mammograms save lives. Make an appointment, not an excuse. Get expert advice and

share your stories at

gohave1.com

Lisieʼs Blueberry Scones

For those who love to cook and eat, August in this part of the

world has to be one of the most exciting and rewarding

months of the year as we harvest so very many fresh fruits and

vegetables from our gardens and farms.

The diversity of the agriculture sector in BC is astounding. It’s

no wonder chefs from around the world tend to gravitate to

this province, passionate as they are about the opportunity to

focus on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients with which to

showcase their talents.

In our home kitchens as well, we have the opportunity to

take what’s ripe today as our cue to prepare delectable dishes

for those we love while

the harvest is underway.

Instead of canned

mandarins or mangoes

imported from halfway

around the world, we

can use fresh peaches

from the tree in ours or our neighbour’s backyard or fresh

berries instead of frozen.

We can pick beans right from the plant to toss in a stir-fry,

steam in a pot or just eat raw, and the same can be said for

juicy tomatoes, still warm from the sun and full of avour that

bursts in the mouth. It’s in sharp contrast to the sad, avourless

orbs available out of season, imported from another country

and likely picked green and ripened en route.

So, enjoy the bounty while it’s available this month and

preserve what you can’t eat for a taste of summer in the o-

season, when freshly-harvested avours are only memories.

I love to freeze tomatoes whole on sheets, then toss them

into bags in the freezer to remove in the quantity I need for

winter’s sauces or to add to casseroles. It preserves the avour if

not the texture.

Most herbs are best dried or allowed to steep in vinegar or

oil for use in winter, while canning such appetizer treats as salsa

and antipasto can ll the pantry shelves for o-season

entertaining.

In addition to garden-fresh vegetables, we have our pick of

fruit fresh from Okanagan orchards and the berry elds of the

Fraser Valley, perfect for adding to baked goods, salads, pies,

desserts or breakfast cereal or smoothies.

They also make excellent nger food for the lunch box, along

with a few fresh, green snap beans, carrots, celery, peppers,

cucumbers and patio tomatoes

Flavour, convenience, economy and nutrition all at once!

These are delicious for breakfast, brunch or for lunch, served with chunks of sharp cheddar.

The second day, split them and put in the toaster to freshen them up.

2 2/3 c. (650 ml) our 4 tsp. (20 ml) baking powder 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt

1/3 c. (75 ml) ground ax seeds 1 orange, zest only 1/2 c. (125 ml) cold butter

1/4 c. (60 ml) sugar 1 c. (250 ml) blueberries 1 c. (250 ml) milk

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Measure dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Cut butter in (using a pastry blender

or two knives) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add blueberries. Mince orange peel and mix in. Add milk slowly and mix until just blended.

As the mixture makes eight scones, you may divide the dough in half and pinch o a quarter

of each side for each scone.

Use your hands to press each at and roughly shape it into a round. Don’t over-handle the

dough, though. Place each on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

You may wish to brush the tops with milk and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, then check if browned. Leave in a few minutes longer if needed.

Variations: substitute lemon peel for the orange peel; substitute 1/2 c. each of chopped apples

and walnuts for the blueberries; or 1 c. cranberries for the blueberries; or use 1 c. raspberries plus

a half cup of chopped chocolate, white or dark; or fresh peaches instead of blueberries.

Makes 8 scones or more smaller ones.

Spiced-up Snapper

Reminiscent of sh dishes from down Mexico way, this delicious sauce is perked up with a

jalapeno. I'm betting the sauce would be delicious with prawns or chicken instead of, or in

addition to a white-eshed sh. Use of the eshier plum or Italian type tomatoes is better than

Jude’s Kitchen

JUDIE STEEVES

Please see “SPICED” page 39

Spiced‑up Snapper

Please mail your application to

1120 East 13th Ave Vancouver, BC V5T 2M1

604.871.0001

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

The agricultural news source in

British Columbia since 1915

COUNTRY

Life

in BC

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

POSTAL CODE

TEL FAX

o NEW o RENEWAL | o 1 YEAR ($18.90) o 2 YEAR ($33.60) o 3 YEAR ($37.80)

(Prices include GST | Cheque or money order only please)

NEWS & INFORMATION YOU NEED!

Join thousands of BC farmers who turn to Country Life in BC each and

every month to find out what (and who!) is making news in BC

agriculture and how those events (and people!) may affect their farms

and agri-businesses!

SWEET IRON PHOTOGRAPHY

August 2016 • Country Life in BC 39

SPICED UP SNAPPER From page 38

Reminiscent of sh dishes from down Mexico way, this delicious sauce is perked up with a

jalapeno.

I'm betting the sauce would be delicious with prawns or chicken instead of, or in addition to a

white-eshed sh.

Use of the eshier plum or Italian type tomatoes is better than beefsteak-types so the sauce is

thick rather than runny.

1 lb. (454 g) red snapper 1 onion 1 tsp. (5 ml) cumin

1 tbsp. (15 ml) lime juice 2 garlic cloves 2 tbsp. (30 ml) cilantro

1/2 tsp. (2 ml) coarse salt 1 lb. (454 g) tomatoes 2 tbsp. (30 ml) white wine

1 tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil 1 jalapeno pepper salt and pepper, to taste

Prick the white sh llets (you could substitute cod for the snapper) on both sides with a fork

in a glass baking dish and sprinkle with the salt and lime juice. Refrigerate for an hour or two.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Heat olive oil in a fry pan and sauté onion until soft, adding garlic near the end. Add skinless,

chopped tomatoes, minced jalapeno and cumin.

Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and add the minced cilantro, white wine and salt and pepper, to

taste.

Pour the sauce over the sh llets and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or just until sh

is cooked through.

Serves 2 to 3.

Sharon's Mexi Green Beans

Fresh from a holiday in Mexico, this is my friend's version of veggies from down that-a-

way, and it’s a great summer side dish, with fresh local green beans from the garden or

farm.

1 lb. (454 g) green beans 2 tbsp. (30 ml) lime juice 1 chilli pepper

2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter 3 tbsp. (45 ml) cilantro salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. (30 ml) lime juice

Cut fresh green beans into two-inch pieces; mince chilli pepper and fresh coriander (cilantro).

Melt butter in a large frypan over medium heat and add the beans, lime juice and chillies. Stir

about well, then cover for a couple of minutes to steam.

Uncover and add the chopped cilantro, salt and pepper, to taste, mixing thoroughly until the

beans are still crisp, but cooked.

Serves 4.

Sharonʼs Mexi Green Beans

NAME ____________________________________________

OLD ADDRESS ______________________________________

__________________________________________________

PHONE ____________________________________________

NEW ADDRESS ______________________________

__________________________________________________

PHONE ____________________________________________

COUNTRY

Life

in BC

Canada Post will not deliver your

Country Life in BC if they change

your postal code, your street

name and/or address. If your

address changes, please fill out

the form below and mail or fax it

to us, or use email.

Thank you!

1120 East 13th Ave

Vancouver, B.C. V5T 2M1

Email: countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca

Phone 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003

Aug 16

CHANGE

ADDRESS?

Lola!

NEW

POLYETHYLENE

TANKS

of all shapes & sizes for septic

and water storage. Ideal for

irrigation, hydroponics,

washdown, lazy wells, rain

water, truck box, fertizilizer

mixing & spraying.

Call

1-800-661-4473

for closest distributor.

Web:

[www.premierplastics.com]

Manufactured in

Delta by

Premier Plastics Inc.

CLASSIFIED

DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE: AUGUST 20

25 words or less, minimum $10 plus GST • Each additional word: $0.25

DISPLAY CLASSIFIED: $20 plus GST per column inch

1120 East 13th Avenue, Vancouver V5T 2M1

Phone: 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003

E-mail: countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca • Web: www.countrylifeinbc.com

FARM FOR SALE

FOR SALE

LIVESTOCK

MF 2775 TRACTOR, 166 HP, CAB, DUALS,

rear hydraulic outlets, low hours, $7,000.

Call 250/567-2607.

STEEL

STORAGE

CONTAINERS

FOR SALE

OR RENT

jentonstorage@gmail.com

604-534-2775

EZEE-ON

FRONT END LOADERS

#125 Hi-Lift, c/w 8’ bucket, $4,000

#90 c/w Q/A 7’ bucket

& Q/A bale spike, $3,500

Both are in excellent condition.

Call 250/567-2607

(Vanderhoof)

TWO YEAR OLD

PB ROMNEY RAM

imported from S Oregon, available in

October. Also, 20 PB white and coloured

Romney lambs, well grown, correct,

healthy. Flock selected for ease of

lambing, prolificacy, and conformation for

35 years. Discount on 3 or more.

Call Bramblewood Farm

604/462-9465

MASSEY FERGUSON 8450 COMBINE

Hydrostat. Mercedes-Bens engine. 1376

hours. Straw Chopper & Spreader. MF

pick up header. MF 9550 Straight cut

Header with pick up reel. Transport

trailer included. Asking $28,000. Call

604/220-5249.

AQUAPONICS/BIOPONICS

FARM FOR SALE

Well established turnkey operation

including everything - equipment, fish,

plants, pots etc. Solid customer base!

http://EcoProperty.ca/listing=30333

VEGETABLE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE:

carrot harvester, drum washer c/w hoist

and conveyor, packaging equipment, 5

ton delivery truck and more. For photos

and more info, call David at

250/330-4494.

FOR SALE

Toll Free 1-888-357-0011

www.ultra-kelp.com

ULTRA-KELP

Celebrating 30 Years

Serving Western Canadian Agriculture

Congratulations to:

ROMYN HILL FARM LTD

BRAD & JODI ROMYN • SORRENTO,B.C.

2014 & 2015 TOP PRODUCTION HERD

BC HOLSTEIN

Flack’s Bakerview • Kelp Products Inc

Pritchard, BC

LOVELY PUREBRED SHORTHORN HEIFER

(15 months old, not papered). Ready

to breed. Correct conformation, quiet,

friendly temperament. Good home only.

Call Ingrid 604/538-1092 or email

[fourwinds.stevenson@mac.com]

GOTLAND RAM LAMB, $450 WITHOUT

papers, (recordable, 76.6% purebred).

Lovely disposition, silver-grey fleece. Sire is

Mr. Goodyarn, Spinners Choice winner

LMSPA wool sale. Contact: smrussel@sfu.ca.

DeBOER’S USED

TRACTORS & EQUIPMENT

GRINDROD, BC

JD 7400 MFWD c/w cab, 3 pt, ldr 64,000

JD 6410 MFWD, cab & ldr 54,000

JD 6400 MFWD, cab & ldr 49,000

JD 6400 MFWD, w/ldr 29,500

JD 4240 cab, 3pt hitch 18,500

JD 1830 diesel, with loader 10,500

JD 2630 diesel, 65 HP w/ldr,

comp engine rebuild 12,500

JD 1120 diesel, w/ldr SOLD

NH 1032 bale wagon, 70 cap. 5,500

NH 1400 SP combine, diesel w/14’ direct

cut platform, 1400 original hours 8,500

JD 220 20’ disc, ctr fold, complete new

set of blades 16,500

Ed DeBoer • 250/838-7362

cell 250/833-6699

Curt DeBoer • 250/838-9612

cell 250/804-6147

EQUIPMENT DISPERSAL:

2011 CASE IH MAGNUM 180, 4 WD,

Michelin rubber, c/w duals, CVT, deluxe

cab leather, 846 hrs., mint, $129,500.

NH 790 harvester, grass head, metal

detector, nice condition, $3,500.

NH 900 forage harvester, c/w grass

head, metal detector, good condition,

$5,500.

TWO BADGER 16’ TANDEM AXLE silage

wagons, w/roofs, shop stored, excellent

condition, $6,500 ea.

Call Tony 604/850-4718.

Country Life in BC • August 201640

IF ONLY THE WEATHER

CAME WITH A 6-YEAR WARRANTY

At Kubota Canada we make exceptional quality products. To prove it,

we’ve introduced our best warranty ever: Enjoy a Free 6-year warranty

or 3,000 hours

on BX, B and L Series tractors, and 6 years or 5,000

hours on applicable M Series tractors. Because we’re not only conﬁdent

in our products, we’re also committed to providing our customers

with the best possible experience.

>OPJOL]LYJVTLZÄYZ[;OPZ^HYYHU[`PZVUS`]HSPKPU*HUHKH[V*HUHKPHU4HYRL[7YVK\J[ZKPZ[YPI\[LKI`2\IV[H*HUHKH3[K(]HPSHISLVU)?)34?44HUK4:LYPLZ[YHJ[VYZ:LL`V\YKLHSLYMVYJVTWSL[LKL[HPSZ

Your BC Kubota Dealers ...

ABBOTSFORD AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 604/864-2665

COURTENAY NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR 250/334-0801

CRESTON KEMLEE EQUIPMENT LTD 250/428-2254

DAWSON CREEK DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/782-5281

DUNCAN ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD 250/746-1755

KAMLOOPS DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/851-2044

KELOWNA AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/769-8700

OLIVER GERARD’S EQUIPMENT LTD 250/498-2524

PRINCE GEORGE HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/560-5431

QUESNEL DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/991-0406

VERNON AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/545-3355

0.9%

FOR 72 MONTHS OAC