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Postmaster, Please return Undeliverable labels to: Country Life in BC 36 Dale Road Enderby, BC V0E 1V4CANADA POSTES POST CANADA Postage paid Port payé Publications Mail Post-Publications 40012122Vol. 110 No.10The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 OCTOBER 2024 | Vol. 110 No. 10FRUIT Apple growers get access to cold storage 7 POTATOES Moderate potato crop expected 9 BEEF BC rancher brings home esteemed sector award 17 PETER MITHAM ABBOTSFORD – Regulated poultry ocks across the province have been conned to their barns for a third year following a September 17 order from the province’s chief vet. Commercial poultry belonging to any of the regulated commodity groups must be kept indoors until further notice to prevent contact with wild birds. “Based on the recurring Highly Pathogenic Avian Inuenza (HPAI) outbreaks over the past two years and the increased risk of transmission from infected wild birds to domestic poultry during peak wild bird migration in fall, and high local overwintering populations of wild birds, this order is issued to minimize exposure of domestic poultry ocks to wild birds,” the order states. The order does not restrict the sale, transportation or slaughter of poultry, or the disposal of poultry carcasses. No conrmed cases have been reported on BC poultry farms since December 25, 2023. Since April 2022, more than six million birds at 158 premises in the province have been impacted by HPAI. The province remains at a yellow biosecurity level, and growers are asked to remain vigilant. During a September 4 webinar organize by the poultry industry’s Emergency Operations Centre, producers were given an update on preparations for this season, and lessons learned to date. Apple harvest in the Okanagan was in full swing in September. At Sandhar Farms in Kelowna, harvesting with a mechanical platform means less apple bruising and less body aches. Pickers no longer carry heavy apple bags or climb ladders. This crew picks from the ground and from two upper platforms on the machine. Apples are placed on three conveyor belts which move fruit gently into a bin. MYRNA STARK LEADERConfinement order issued for poultry PETER MITHAM ABBOTSFORD – The BC Vegetable Marketing Commission is suspending payments to the BC Greenhouse Growers Association over its “unwavering resolve” to establish a separate marketing commission for greenhouse vegetables. “BC Vegetable Marketing Commission (BCVMC) has made the decision to suspend payments to the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association (BCGGA) until the BCVMC is satisfied that funds are being used appropriately and not used to undermine the purposes of the BCVMC as established by the Not your grandparents’ apple harvestAllegations of bad faith uPreparations for AI uRooted in your community® since 1973www.tlhort.com1-800-661-4559SeedPlant NutritionCrop ProtectionSuppliesServiceBC Veg strikes backGreenhouse levies withheld
2 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCprovincial government,” the commission told growers who received a bulletin September 17 announcing the decision. “This decision was not taken lightly by the BCVMC and was a consequence of actions taken by the BCGGA,” the bulletin states. BCVMC collected $490,786 in levies on behalf of BCGGA last year, and disbursed $509,261 through the BCGGA Research and Industry Development Fund, established to support related industry research and development activities. BCVMC alleges that BCGGA intends to use its research and development funds to support efforts to establish a separate marketing commission. “It appears to the BCVMC this initiative could not proceed past the current survey stage without using funds from the BCVMC,” the bulletin states. “Consistent with directions provided by the BCFIRB, such a use would be inappropriate.” BCGGA president Armand Vander Meulen of Abbotsford’s Bakerview Greenhouses, says the threat amounts to bullying as BCGGA levies aren’t required to be collected through BCVMC. “We as growers are moving forward with this, and it’s clear to me that the commission is doing everything in their power to impede this,” he says. “It’s not legislated that the BCGGA collects their money through the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission. It was just done as a sense of convenience.” Talks between the two organizations to address outstanding issues regarding the use and oversight of levies broke down on September 9, when BCVMC says BCGGA declined further meetings regarding BCVMC’s role. Vander Meulen remains positive that the commission will eventually release the funds, which are usually fully disbursed following a review of the association’s annual budget and work plan. The commission has reviewed the budget and work plan, and its new executive director, Anju Gill, is addressing outstanding questions. “They feel they want to have a little more in-depth look at our budget and what our proposed work plan is for 2024,” he says. “I am confident that we will be getting our monies; it’s not unusual. This is probably year No. 5 that the commission has really dragged their feet on getting the full amounts.” If grower levies aren’t released, then BCVMC is required to return them to growers, forcing BCGGA to collect them directly from growers. The developing schism in the sector stems from allegations of bad faith against a member of the BCVMC executive in 2022 that prompted BCGGA to lobby the province to establish a separate marketing commission for their crops. BC FIRB investigated the allegations and found them baseless, but the idea of a separate marketing commission was raised at BCGGA’s annual meeting in 2023. This past summer, a marketing study outlining the pros and cons of such a commission was presented to BCGGA members to widespread support. Consulting firm MNP launched a survey of greenhouse growers at large regarding the initiative in late July, and work remains ongoing. BCVMC suggests this indicates little appetite for a new commission, but Vander Meulen says it reflects a regional division within the industry between the large commercial growers in the Lower Mainland and those in the rest of the province who largely sell direct to their local markets. “It’s a non-starter for them; it’s irrelevant to them,” he says of interest in the marketing commission among smaller growers.. BCVMC argues the financial impact would be far-reaching, however. “There would be significant costs associated with establishing and maintaining two distinct regulatory entities (two groups of commissioners, staff, offices, legal and other costs, etc.),” BCVMC states. “These costs would not only impact greenhouse producers but also storage crop producers also u Allegations of bad faith between greenhouse growers, commissionThe scale of the initial outbreak in 2022 overwhelmed resources and underscored the need for new structures of collaboration between agencies that could facilitate communication and depopulation. This year, greater testing capacity ready to swing into action. The Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford remained ready for HPAI testing through the summer, anticipating both the rst case this fall as well as a potential surge that could overwhelm sta resources and prevent producers from receiving the test results needed to keep product owing to market. “They have been improving their own workows,” explains Karl Martinson, a senior emergency planning analyst with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food. “Currently they’re looking at automation for some of the testing and doing more cross-training of lab sta for HPAI testing, making sure the lab regulated by the BCVMC. It is likely growers would still want a ‘grower association’ to represent them on other issues and provide separation from the regulator, which would also increase greenhouse grower costs.” A timeline for establishing a new commission has not been established. The grower survey MNP is conducting Family Farm Friendly Financial Planning Services.Holistic financial planning for your family farm now and into the future. Patrick’s proven financial and estate planning program provides income, security, and tax minimization to help ensure the most effective decisions are made now, and on an ongoing basis.Please contact me to schedule your complimentary, no-obligation discussion at 604.467.5321 | patrick.obrien@rbc.com References are available.1.877.272.2002 | www.patrick-obrien.ca#200-11980 227th St. Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 6J2Prudent | Practical | ProfessionalDr. Patrick O’Brien, DVM, FMA, CIMSenior Wealth Advisor | Financial Plannerwill lay the foundation for a proposal and business case for the new regulatory body. The final proposal must go to a vote of greenhouse growers as well as receive the blessing of the BC Farm Industry Review Board, which oversees orderly marketing in BC under the province’s Natural Products Marketing Act. u Preparations for AI underwayABBOTSFORD, BC Bus. 604/807-2391 email: tractorparts4sale@shaw.caWe accept Interact, Visa and Mastercard JOHN DEERE 410E BACK HOE, 4X4, TURBO, 4-IN-ONE BUCKET, EXTEND-A-HOE, GOOD CONDITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,000 WHITE 2-70 FIELD BOSS, 2WD,CAB, 78HP,NEW RUBBER, HD REAR ARENA LEVELER INCLUDED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,500 JOHN DEERE 450 DOZER REBUILT ENGINE, NEWER TRACKS & CARRIAGE. 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It will not, however, name infected premises despite requests from producers keen to avoid the properties. “We can provide that to the marketing boards, but those farm addresses are protected, private information,” Martinson says. “We have a duty to keep that condential and secure, and in reviewing whether we put those out publicly, the potential harms to an individual farm of being named or released publicly outweigh the benets to other producers.” Abbotsford egg producer Cathy Van-Martin has been overseeing training of depopulation personnel. She has trained 49 people to date and hopes to have three teams trained this season. Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinary program specialist Troy Bourque of the CFIA said there have been no major changes to the federal HPAI response plan. Most of CFIA’s eorts over the summer have focussed on preparing for potential cases in dairy, given the rapid spread in US herds. A total of 18 cases were reported in the 30 days ended September 20, most recently in California. Helpingyou growyour Business.
Tim Traber, left, and his partner Katharina have their grading station up and running as Traber prepares to scale up production after being selected to begin commercial egg production by the BC Egg Marketing Board. SUBMITTEDCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 3PETER MITHAM QUESNEL – Commercial egg production is coming to the Cariboo following the selection of a local producer for quota under the BC Egg Marketing Board’s new producer program. Tim Traber of Quesnel was one of two small-lot producers selected in the BC Egg’s new producer lottery in Abbotsford, September 9. Together with Mitch and Breanne Baker of Cawston, Traber will scale up his operations with 3,000 units of quota to provide local eggs to Interior consumers. “There’s denitely a market in this region, for sure, with no egg farms around us,” Traber says. He aims to sell through local grocers and restaurants in the Quesnel area, then broadening his market as production expands. “The program is laid out so you don’t just start with 3,000, you start with 1,000 and then you work your way up to 3,000,” he said. “That’s very important.” The staged growth allows the farmer to gradually grow into the market, and for the market to develop around local supply. Approximately 31 of the province’s 154 registered egg producers are located outside the Fraser Valley. In addition, 98 small-lot permit holders and 3,653 unregistered ocks serve a market estimated at $265.7 million last year on a volume of 84.6 million dozen eggs. In the Cariboo, Traber was one of ve small-lot permit holders with up to 399 laying hens as well as 365 unregistered ocks with less than 100 birds. All told, the region has just 0.6% of BC’s laying hens. While small growers contribute to food security, Amanda Brittain with BC Egg notes they’re unable to supply grocers and restaurants, limiting their impact. “Small-lot permit holders are not permitted to sell their eggs to grocery stores,” she explains. “It is unlikely that small-lot permit holders would be able to provide all the eggs needed in a region such as the Cariboo. Commercial production is needed for regional food-security.” Traber’s existing connections with the community – his family ran the region’s rst large-scale dairy farm – as well as his prole as a professional hockey player for the Vancouver Giants and most recently HC Lugano in Switzerland will be assets in developing a market for his eggs. Traber’s parents Roland and Romy emigrated from Switzerland to Canada in 1989 and began dairy farming. Traber, now 31, left the farm to play professional hockey for 15 years but returned with the idea of developing his own farm. Diversication from dairy into egg production was a long term plan, and Traber obtained a small-lot permit and began learning the ropes. “I paid my dues, so to speak,” he says. This year, he applied for quota as part of the new producer program. Restricted to small-lot permit holders outside the Lower Mainland, each applicant submitted an 80-page business plan and is required to have a grading station in place that allows them to sell direct to retail and restaurants. The total investment required is signicant. “If I didn’t have our family background in agriculture, it would be very dicult to start because it’s so capital intensive,” he says. “You have to build a grading facility, and you have to build a barn and you have to have all the funding in place. It’s not just, ‘Hey, I’m here and I’m just going to start producing eggs.’” Traber will be joined in the new venture by his partner Katharina, but he also has the support of his parents and sisters Vivian and Sophia as well as several mentors. These include Richard and Jacqueline Boer of Brightside Poultry in Chilliwack, long-time friends of his family; Ross Springford of Springford Farms in Nanoose Bay and Kieran (Christison) McKeown of Daybreak Farms in Terrace. The mentorship of others and his experience as an athlete has kept Traber focused on achieving his personal best as a producer. “I’m not competing against anybody; I’m competing against myself. I have to be a better farmer every year; I have to be a better businessman,” he says. “Being competitive with other people is great, but lots of people are competitive for the sake of being competitive. But you have to look in the mirror.” Commercial egg production set to begin in CaribooNew producer gets cracking on developing marketsEinbock Tillage Equipment For Organic FarmingEconomical Reliable Low Maintenance Safe and Proven Order now for guaranteed next season delivery.Tine Weeders Row Crop CultivatorsRotary Hoes Camera GuidanceSystemsOrder now forguaranteed next season delivery.DELTA Drain Tile CleanersImproves Drainage & Conditions SoilEmail us today at: info@reimersfarmservices.com
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.36 Dale Road, Enderby BC V0E 1V4 . Publication Mail Agreement: 0399159 . GST Reg. No. 86878 7375 . Subscriptions: $2/issue . $18.90/year . $33.60/2 years . $37.80/3 years incl GSTThe agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol.110 No. 10 . OCTOBER 2024Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd. www.countrylifeinbc.comWhat a dierence a year can make. Forage yields province-wide have rebounded from the 2023 drought and dodgy weather-induced crop failure. By comparison, our irrigated farm’s rst-cut silage yield this year was exactly twice as much as last year’s. This year’s second cut was available for hay. All of last year’s second cut was needed for pasture. Circumstances in 2023 for producers who could not irrigate were even more dire. Hay prices went as high as $785 per ton, and for many producers, livestock inventory adjustments became inevitable. The province stepped in to help defray some of the added costs with payments made through the 2023 Wildre and Drought Recovery Initiative. While the weather in 2024 brought a return to normal conditions and yields for livestock and forage producers, it showed no such favour to Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen and Creston Valley fruit and grape growers. A summer of devastating wildres in 2023 gave way to early January temperatures that climbed into double gures then plunged to nearly -30ᵒC for several days. The result is a 99% crop loss for grapes and stone fruits, substantially decreased apple yields and a yet-to-be-determined long-term eect on trees and vines. Hard on the heels of all of this comes the closure of BC Tree Fruits that’s left many producers without a home for their crop. The province has stepped in again with nancial assistance to help save the sector, but great uncertainty remains. And we can only wonder, what’s next? Six years ago, it was forage producers in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island who were in the crosshairs of Mythimna unipuncta, a moth whose larvae are commonly called armyworms. The Alberni Valley was ground zero for the outbreak, which reached biblical proportions. At its height, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food sta counted 155 larvae per square foot. Grass crops were consumed from ready-to-cut to stubble in as little as three days. Provincial involvement then was a commitment to fund the placement of pheromone traps to determine the likelihood of another invasion. On top of all the other extremes, 2023 was the hottest year on record – at least until this summer, which was the hottest ever and ensures 2024 will eclipse 2023 as the hottest year on record. Equally certain is that a changing climate will continue to wreak havoc on agriculture. Sometimes on all or most of it, and sometimes on a specic part of it. It is also certain that regular nancial life support will become necessary to save it. This will not sit well with many politicians, I wish it wasn’t so myself, but what is the alternative? Good question. We live in a province that prides itself on legislating the preservation of farmland. Our society, civic and legislative, seeks the holy grail of food security. And with few exceptions, everyone expects to eat three times a day. The answer seems simple enough; get farmers and ranchers to use the farmland to grow enough food to feed everyone three times a day forever: Land x (Farmers+Ranchers) = Food x 3 = Everybody eats in the next 8 hours ∞ As simple and comforting as this might seem, several key components are missing from the equation: reliable water, wildre, climate extremes, disease epidemics, aging farmers and ranchers, decreasing numbers of farms and acreage farmed, missing or failing infrastructure, nancial insecurity, a constantly increasing regulatory burden, increasing public expectations, dicult market access … even those armyworms are lurking out there somewhere. Enduring and or planning for all of this (and more in specic instances) is the daily reality for the industry as a whole. Any or all of it changes the end result of the food security equation. Some of these challenges are beyond the ability of individual operators or sectors to overcome without public investment. Bottom line: The broad social goal of the original equation will not be achieved in any meaningful measure without public investment to overcome the myriad challenges food producers have no control over. In years past, our accountant marked each year-end by asking, “Why do you keep doing this?” It is a question that has probably been considered by every farmer and rancher in the province. Everyone waiting at the end of the food equation for something to eat should consider it too: Why do they keep doing this? And more important, what will happen if they can’t? It’s a big if. Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni Valley. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.4 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCA vote for the futureThe Back 40 BOB COLLINSPublisher Cathy Glover 604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com Associate Editor Peter Mitham news@countrylifeinbc.com Advertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Glover sales@countrylifeinbc.com Production Designer Tina Rezansoff Eight years & counting, PW!A big “if” hangs over the future of farmingThe province’s current government swept to power following an early election call in 2020 that won the BC NDP a majority following the extremely tight election of 2017, which saw the BC Liberals under Premier Christy Clark fail to win the support of the legislature when their agenda was presented to MLAs in the speech from the throne. Seven years on, the province is in many ways better o than it was in Clark’s hands, yet facing a dierent set of challenges as it looks beyond the pandemic to a more dicult future with hard choices on several fronts – including agriculture. When she was agriculture minister, Lana Popham often spoke of operating in a golden age for agriculture thanks to a high level of public interest in the food supply and farming driven by the pandemic and successive environmental disasters from the unprecedented wildre seasons of 2017 and 2018 to the heat dome and atmospheric rivers of 2021. Public sympathies continue to lie with farmers, but political sympathies are a dierent matter. MLAs by and large hail from the big cities, where the majority of votes will be cast on October 19. The rise of the BC Conservatives and the withdrawal of BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) stand to change this year’s political equation. But all politics is local. Ian Paton, the agriculture critic for BC United in the last session of the legislature who’s now running under the BC Conservative banner, points out that he’s the same candidate and will continue to put his constituents in Delta South rst. It’s a perspective voters in rural BC would do well to heed. Which candidate will serve them best? And which party best represents their interests? Governments are charged with navigating the ship of state through various weathers, and farmers more than anyone knows those weathers have been extreme of late. The biggest challenges are often beyond government’s control, forcing them to focus on the set of the sail more than the strength of the gale to ensure a resilient, prosperous outcome. While government frequently cites the big issues driving its agenda, many growers remain in need of grassroots support. Provincial eorts to stabilize the tree fruit industry went far, but not far enough. Support for critical water management infrastructure on Sumas Prairie has provincial backing but continues to await federal dollars. Who will best advocate for the interests of farmers in the next four years? Who will leave the industry better o than it is today? We might not have the right answer on October 19, but all of us need to have our say.
BC’s farmers and ranchers are grappling with numerous challenges. These include years of extreme weather reducing crop and forage yields, high interest rates and rising prices for inputs from fertilizer to feed. Among these issues, the challenge of water security for agriculture remains critical. Water is essential for life. That’s why the BC Agriculture Council, BC Dairy, and BC Cattleman’s Association are advocating for new measures to ensure reliable water access for agriculture. As we head into a provincial election, we are calling on the next government to take the decisive step of implementing an Agricultural Water Reserve. For 50 years, the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has provided generational protection for the farmland we rely on to feed ourselves. We need to grow as much of our own food as possible. Land is critical for agriculture, and so is water. Simply put, without water, there is no food. Our changing climate makes water scarcity in summer our new reality. Drought is increasing in frequency and impact, becoming an existential threat to growing local food in BC. The province has implemented water restrictions during several dry summers over the last few years, in some cases even Coalition calls for Agricultural Water ReserveProtecting water is essential as drought becomes more common COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 5curtailing agricultural irrigation. Coming during prime growing seasons, these restrictions on water stunt crop growth and reduce the amount of food BC farmers and ranchers can produce. During the summer of 2023, these restrictions had a very real impact on the amount of hay and other feed BC’s dairy farmers and ranchers could grow, forcing too many farmers to reduce their herd sizes. While this summer was more moderate, scientists tell us hot and dry summers with long stretches without rain will become increasingly common into the future. BC’s farmers and ranchers need guaranteed, reliable access to water in times of drought and water scarcity. Establishing water reserves would protect water in perpetuity, prioritizing agricultural water at the same level as drinking water, ensuring local farmers can grow food to feed their neighbours for generations to come. That perpetual protection is key – just as ALR protection is for farmland. It would ensure we have sufficient food on our tables, but also that our children and their children do as well. The certainty of water supply would also help give hard-working farmers the financial stability they need to plan for the future – and for the next generation of farmers to enter the profession with the certainty they can make a career out of feeding British Columbians. At a community level, it would provide for improved planning and water Viewpoint JEREMY DUNN, KEVIN BOON & DANIELLE SYNOTTEmanagement ensuring agriculture is considered at the table. Without guaranteed access to water, we will continue to lose family farms in BC, threatening our ability to grow healthy, local food. In addition to Agricultural Water Reserves, we are also calling for new legislation recognizing agriculture as a distinct category of water user. At the local and regional level, water sustainability plans should be developed in close collaboration with farmers and ranchers to ensure both food and water security. We will also call on the next BC government to create supports for upgrading and modernizing existing water infrastructure, and to invest in farm and community-level water storage infrastructure. BC gets plenty of water in winter months, but we aren’t storing enough of it to get through dry summers. Decisions on how to store more water should be local, based on local conditions and the knowledge of that community’s farmers and other users. In some regions, new reservoirs for irrigation and other uses could be created at the watershed level, while in others farmers might be allowed to store more water in dugouts on their own farms. Sufficient storage would not just support food security, it would reduce conflict between user groups. We depend on farmers. It’s not just another business – it is very literally about the food on our tables. It is in our collective interest to ensure farming has the water it needs, and will be a key part of our resiliency in the face of climate change. An Agricultural Water Reserve would ensure water access for farming is enshrined in planning processes, infrastructure is maintained and enhanced to meet the demands of our climate and population growth, and storing water away for a dry day. These are also promises to future generations – that we will always grow food here. It would be a legacy we could all look back at in future decades. Let’s act now, while an election provides an opportunity to bring this important conversation to the forefront. Let’s be clear to candidates – food security starts with water security, and you can make that a reality. We are inviting all British Columbians to write a letter to their local candidates in the upcoming provincial election supporting our call for Agricultural Water Reserves. To sign the letter and add your voice, please visit [nofoodwithoutwater.ca]. Jeremy Dunn is general manager of the BC Dairy Association. Kevin Boon is GM of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. Danielle Synotte is executive director of the BC Agriculture Council. %PXOUPXO3FBMUZtOE4U7FSOPO#$t0óDFPat | 250.308.0938QBUEVHHBO!SPZBMMFQBHFDBThea | 250.308.5807UIFBNDMBVHIMJO!SPZBMMFQBHFDB6475 COSENS BAY RD, COLDSTREAMwww.FarmRanchResidential.ca “Farmers helping farmers with their real estate needs”Flat 10.89 acres with 4 bed/2 bath home, in-ground pool and hot tub. 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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 7Bins await apples that will benet from cold storage this season following an emergency lease of the former BC Tree Fruits Co-op's cold storage facility to Novem Pharmaceuticals. MYRNA STARK LEADERPETER MITHAM KELOWNA – BC apple growers left out in the cold by the closure of BC Tree Fruits now have cold storage for their apples. An emergency lease of the co-op’s 150,000-square-foot cold storage facility on Sexsmith Road in Kelowna was granted to Kelowna-based Novem Pharmaceuticals on September 6 by Alvarez & Marsal, the court-appointed monitor overseeing the winding-down of the co-op under the federal Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act. “Novem will lease the facility on an emergency-basis to allow the tree-fruit industry to avoid the loss of as many as 25 million pounds of apples,” the company said in a press release. “We believe Novem can also play a role in helping farmers create a modernized version of the Canadian fruit tree industry here in British Columbia.” The lease is an interim measure pending Novem’s acquisition of the facility as part of the court-ordered sale of the co-op’s assets. Novem says government funding is required to complete the purchase. The purchase and lease agreement was reportedly struck September 6, but bids on co-op assets are being accepted until October 18 as part of the court-ordered sale process. Court approval is set for November 15, with transactions closing by November 30. Novem CEO Colin Davison was not made available for comment, but a company spokesperson speaking on background described the lease arrangement as “pretty irregular.” Novem describes itself as specializing in cold chain storage, processing, packaging and supply chain services. Davison is also CEO of McIntyre Creek Cannabis, a product that has its own highly regulated and specialized product handling protocols. “One of the reasons Novem was able to be successful in this instance is that it has all of the Health Canada and food inspection licences, accreditation, that allows it to operate the facility,” the spokesperson explains. “Other folks just didn’t have the ability to do that.” Novem plans to expand its operations on Sexsmith Road next year to include freeze-drying and bulk and nal packaging of freeze-dried fruit products marketed under its Big Air brand. Payback Growers owed money by the co-op will not only have a place to store their apples this harvest, but nancial relief from the province. Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC is receiving $4 million to assume the position of the 289 growers listed among the co-op’s unsecured creditors. When the co-op closed its doors July 26, it owed $4.8 million to its former growers. IAF will disburse the provincial funds to growers in the coming weeks, recouping the money as the co-op settles accounts with creditors following the sale of assets such as the Sexsmith Road facility. Growers who still nd themselves short of cash and faced with repaying loans under the federal government’s Advanced Payment Program now have until March 31, 2025 to settle accounts. Growers of cherries, grapes and plums who received advances will have until December 31, 2024 to repay the loans. The nancial support follows on enhancements to the provincial AgriStability program in August that raised the compensation rate to 90% and doubled the compensation cap for all Apple growers get access to cold storageSupports coming on strong following co-op’s demiseField support uTaking your safety program to the next level?Certificate ofSAFETYCORRecognitionYou may already be on the path to COR.Contact AgSafe to find out!
8 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCu Field supportPRINCE GEORGE | KAMLOOPS | KELOWNA | CHILLIWACK | LANGLEY | NANAIMO WWW.PCE.CA | 1-877-553-3373John Deere compact tractors are here to help you achieve the best results for your garden, orchard, fields and more!MEET YOUR NEWBEST FRIEND*0% financing available for Fall 2024. Please speak to your PrairieCoast equipment sales representative for all pricing details.0%For 84MonthsOn Select Compact Utility TractorsUp toTOM WALKER SUMMERLAND – Two months after the BC Tree Fruits Co-op abruptly closed its doors, the BC Fruit Growers Association is supporting eorts by growers to resurrect a cooperative packinghouse in the Okanagan. BCFGA coordinated a meeting of former co-op growers in Summerland on September 10 to discuss their concerns and actions that could be taken now to investigate the prospect reimagining and restructuring a cooperative model packinghouse for the BC tree fruit industry. BC Tree Fruits shut its doors on July 26, leaving 290 grower families with nowhere to sell their fruit. “A number of former BCTFC members reached out to us wanting a meeting to talk about how the BCFGA could support them through this time,” says BCFGA general manager Melissa Tesche. Tesche says the meeting focused on looking ahead. “We had about 40 growers and seven of our eight board members,” she says. “There was some reection on how we got to the point of the closure, but the majority of the discussion was what can be done now.” Many believe there is a place for a co-op in the industry. “There was discussion of the importance of a cooperative model for smaller growers,” Tesche notes. Scotian Gold, a grower-owned co-op that packs and markets 60% of Nova Scotia’s apples, was cited as an example of a co-op that had reorganized. “There was a sense of if other growers have gone through this, we can, too,” Tesche says. BCFGA sees its role as keeping growers informed and building support for a new co-op. (BCFGA membership was a requirement for members of BC Tree Fruits.) “We have the largest contact list so we are in a good position to let growers know that there is a group looking at a plan,” she says. “The other piece of this is determining what would a model look like for a new cooperative, what the business plan would need to be, and can the BCFGA help them nd a consultant or an organization that could put this together for them.” Amarjit Lalli represents a group of growers who hope to restart the co-op. “We are hoping to revive the co-op in some shape or form,” says Lalli, a former co-op director. “It’s an 80-year-old institution and we really believe there is a place for it in the industry.” Lalli contends that there was no need to close the doors. “The co-op had $109 million in assets and $53 million in liabilities, so there is more than enough equity there to restructure the organization,” he says. “We just spent $50 million on renovating the Oliver packing plant and it has never been operated.” The group is exploring a number of options. “We are not looking for a handout, but we are hoping that the government might come to the table to back a loan for a couple of years until we could restructure the company given the equity,” Lalli says. “We are talking to other nancial institutions to see if they would nance the co-op, and we are also looking for private investors who might want to come in and be a partner with us.” Sam Di Maria is also a former co-op director, and while he agrees with Lalli that the co-op had a place in the industry, he doubts it has a future. “The co-op acted as an anchor to stabilize the industry, but it collapsed due to an inability to reduce overhead and increase grower returns in a changing market,” he says. “Unless they can convince government to backstop a loan, I think the co-op is dead. That 80-year-old cooperative business model will have to be changed.” Growers determined to resurrect co-opBC Tree Fruits is dead, but the cooperative spirit is alivefarmers for the 2024 program year. The change is valued at approximately $15 million. The BC Fruit Growers Association is also supporting growers with eld support, hiring Pearl Agriculture Consulting principal Molly Thurston, a former eld person with the co-op, to do weekly assessments of apple maturity and publish a harvest guide. BCFGA has also launched a bridging program to assist growers seeking food safety certication, another service the co-op provided. “The co-op provided individual growers with a group CanadaGAP certication process that was more streamlined,” says BCFGA general manager Melissa Tesche. “They will now have to apply and complete an individual farm CanadaGAP audit in order to sell their fruit to another packer.” A video tutorial on how to prepare for a CanadaGAP audit is available in English and Punjabi. “By participating in the food safety bridging program, growers may be able to reduce their audit costs, as we will aim to coordinate multiple audits per auditor visit,” says Tesche. – With les from Tom Walker
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 9Moderate potato crop expectedGood growing season up against autumn weatherEveryone has their personal favourites but Sifra one was a stand-out among the white varieties planted in this year’s potato eld trial in Delta. RONDA PAYNERONDA PAYNE DELTA – Feedback at the potato eld day held at Lundstrom Farms on Westham Island, August 21, left growers keen on new varieties but less so on this year’s yields. Rod Burr of Burr Farms in Ladner put 200 acres of potatoes in this year, but he’s not expecting the same high yields that were seen last year due to a late spring and uncertainty around fall harvest weather. “The yield will be down this year because we had such a late spring, so we’ll have to gamble a little bit with the fall,” he says. “I think the yield will be down for everyone.” The late spring meant that seed wasn’t planted until May. This extended the growing season into September, threatening to shorten the harvest window. Uncommon August rains and uctuating September weather may push harvest into October, similar to 2022. Burr has grown potatoes for 55 years and says 2023 was one of the best harvests he’s ever had. Good conditions during the growing season and cooperative fall weather meant good yields and good quality. Statistics Canada reports that BC growers harvested 107,000 tons of spuds in 2023, which was a 34% improvement over the 80,000 tons harvested in 2022. ES CropConsult president Heather Meberg leads the team in the planting, harvesting and showcasing of varieties at the eld day. A total of 82 varieties were planted, 50 of these in replicated plots. The demonstration plots had 90 days of growth and were irrigated three times during the season. Even at 90 days, Meberg described the yields as “pretty good,” adding that some of the varieties were still growing vigourously. Top kill of the replicated plots occurred at 100 to 104 days and then harvest followed one to two weeks after. “Sifra [a white variety] was still owering [at 90 days],” she says. “Quite a few were still owering.” She advised the more than 130 people who attended the eld day to look to the varieties they liked on display from the demonstration plots and nd them in the replicated plots to see if they were still growing and owering. This helps determine the growing time required for a variety as well as gauging if tubers could be larger than what was seen in the harvested piles. Of the 82 varieties at the eld day, 21 had white skin and white esh; one was white skin with yellow esh; 16 had yellow skin with yellow esh; 20 were russet with white esh; three were russet with yellow esh; one had red skin with yellow esh; 17 were red skin with white esh and three were purple skin with white esh. Meberg’s favourites included the yellow varieties Queen Anne, Musica and Camelia; the reds Red Maria and VF180069-26; Stampede and GemStar among the russets; and Whitney, Allison, Audrey and Sifra among the whites. Burr liked a number of the same varieties. “I’m looking for colour,” he says. “How nice they look, the shape of them, how smooth they are and then yield. They’ve got some really nice reds here this year. Red Maria is really nice. Elmo is really nice.” Grimmway Farms agrologist Kelly Kuball from Bakerseld, California, came to the event to get a feel for the varieties grown in BC. Grimmway grows baby specialty potatoes and he liked the quality he saw at the eld day. “I’m here to seek out what options exist,” he says. “It’s good to see all of what grows in North America. I’m looking for smooth texture, shape, colour … it has to have the eye appeal.” Is forestry slash smoke interfering with enjoyment of your property or the operation of your business?-- Class Action Against Slash SmokeDo you deserve compensation for costs which slash smoke has imposed on you, for example by forcing your household to move? If so, consider joining our legal class action directed against the Provincial Crown of British Columbia.For Q&A information, please send an email message to: Slashsmke17@gmail.com Briefly describe the ways in which slash smoke interferes with the use of your home or the land in which it is set, or your way of life, or your business operations.Chilliwack Toll Free 1.877.847.3735 604.847.3737Armstrong 250.546.9174countrywestsupply.com@countrywestsupplyChilliwack & Armstrong Hours: 9am-5pm Monday - Saturday.Check out our Instagram for daily posts & stories.Livestock Cowcone FeedersLivestock Cowcone FeedersPANELS, PANELS & MORE PANELS!PANELS, PANELS & MORE PANELS!
10 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCView over 100 listings of farm properties at www.bcfarmandranch.comBC FARM & RANCH REALTY CORP.Buying or Selling a Farm or Acreage?GORD HOUWELING Cell: 604/793-8660GREG WALTON Cell: 604/864-1610Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI Call BC’s First and Only Real Estate Office committed 100% to Agriculture!PROFESSIONAL SERVICESTrouw opens state-of-the-art, expanded feed millmanager, BC, told Country Life in BC during a tour of the facility while it was under construction. The design incorporates gravity-fed systems for a safer manufacturing and load-out process that’s up to four times more ecient than Trouw’s original mill on the site. “This is a huge step in modernization that no other feed mill in BC will have, most other feed mills in Canada won’t have,” Webster said. Additional capacity also prepares the mill to address local needs in the event of a repeat of the 2021 oods. The old mill had just eight to 10 hours of feed on hand in the event of a disaster. “We’ll have much longer than a week’s worth of raw ingredients in our mill at any time,” Webster said. “We have three days worth of load-out space available as well. It gives us the ability not only to be a lot more ecient, to have feed on hand for our customers when we need it, but to be literally able to weather a storm.” — Peter Mitham Expert farm taxation adviceApproved consultants for Government funding throughBC Farm Business Advisory Services ProgramEnderby 250-838-7337Armstrong 250-546-8665 |t1VSDIBTFBOETBMFPGGBSNTt5SBOTGFSPGGBSNTUPDIJMESFOt(PWFSONFOUTVCTJEZQSPHSBNTt1SFQBSBUJPOPGGBSNUBYSFUVSOTt6TFPG$BQJUBM(BJOT&YFNQUJPOT$ISJT)FOEFSTPO$1"$"-PSFO)VUUPO$1"$"5PMM 'SFF1-888-818-FARM |www.farmtax.comRossworn HendersonLLPChartered Professional Accountants - Tax Consultantsartered Professional Accountants - Tax ConsultanCALL 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 BCRichardson Ranch sale grosses $52,850 The 15th annual online fall production sale at Richardson Ranch of Tlell, Haida Gwaii, saw nine lots and nine embryos achieve an aggregate total of $52,850 on September 20-21. Tlell 569G Marigold 10M was the top-selling of four heifer calves oered, with Skyvirtu Ranch of Leduc County, Alberta, placing the winning bid of $6,000. Two yearling heifers drew the top bids of the four animals oered. Tlell H65 Cindy-Lou 12L and Tlell H65 Daydream 15L each saw bids of $6,500. Cheslatta Cattle of Burns Lake placed the winning bid for Cindy-Lou while Skyvirtu Ranch purchased Daydream. O'Shea Farms of Deneld, Ontario, bid $7,750 for the pick of the 2024 Tlell bull calves. Nine embryos were oered in the sale in two lots, both of which went to ranches in Saskatchewan. Lorraine Serhienko of Brookhill Farms in Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, bid $2,000 for ve exportable embryos while Jessie Procyk of JRP Livestock in Filmore, Saskatchewan, paid $1,600 for four exportable embryos. This year’s edition of Richardson Ranch’s fall sale was smaller than last year’s but more lucrative. Last year’s fall sale saw 17 lots oered and gross proceeds of just $50,860. The online sales are timed and conducted by DLMS. — Peter Mitham Foodgrains Bank receives $100 million B & L Farms in Abbotsford was the venue for a federal announcement of $100 million for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a farmer-driven initiative of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. “The Foodgrains Bank has been built on the support of Canadian farmers, both here in British Columbia and across the country,” says Foodgrains Bank executive director Andy Harrington. The funding, distributed over four years, is a 4:1 matching program. It will provide $4 in matching funds for every dollar the Foodgrains Bank receives from the public. Bud, Linda and Matt Dykshoorn of B & L Farms are long-time supporters of the Foodgrains Bank, including through the annual Make a Dierence Sale each spring. Matching funds from the federal government have helped increase the fundraising event’s impact for several years, and the latest round of funding will ensure that continues. The number of people facing hunger globally increased to 733 million last year, according to the World Health Organization, up from 690 million in 2019, and the numbers continue to rise. In the 2023/2024 budget year, the Foodgrains Bank and Trouw Nutrition opened a new state-of-the-art feed mill at its location in Chilliwack in early September, expanding its capacity by 50% with further room to grow in the future. “This facility not only enhances our production capabilities but also demonstrates our commitment to innovation and sustainability,” Trouw manufacturing and supply chain director for North America, Walker Eliason, told more than 400 guests who attended a ribbon cutting on September 11. The new plant replaces the existing facility, originally built in 1958 and expanded to keep up with growing demand for feed on Fraser Valley farms “They’ve grown around us and we want to keep up,” Jared Webster, regional sales Ag Briefs PETER MITHAMits partners, provided $68.3 million worth of assistance to 974,683 people in in 35 countries. — Ronda Payne Paton survives political shakeup Opposition agriculture critic Ian Paton will run under the BC Conservative banner in this fall’s provincial election. Paton is the incumbent in Delta South, and one of the few ridings in which the Conservatives had yet to announce a candidate prior to BC United leader Kevin Falcon announcing his party’s withdrawal from the hustings on August 28. Paton, who hosted a Beans and Jeans fundraiser for BC United at his farm in Ladner on August 25, was surprised by Falcon’s announcement but says entering the Conservative fold will not compromise his commitment to serving his constituents and the agriculture sector. A newcomer to the Conservative fold, Paton is among those with the strongest agricultural connections. Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman is touted as being a strong defender of agricultural interests, but is not a farmer. Kelowna Mission candidate Gavin Dew replaced vegetable grower Alexandra Wright as the nominee in his riding in August. Dew’s resume says he most recently served chief strategy ocer for “a $5 billion agricultural innovation and food security project” known as the Abbotsford Tech District. — Peter Mitham YOURHelping YouWEEKLY FARM NEWS UPDATEScountrylifeinbc.comSign up for Free today.YOURelping Youelpingpingplping Youlpinoe
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 11Farmers institute reaches impressive milestonePender Island FI receives Century Farm Award Pender Island Museum founder Elizabeth Campbell is anked by directors Linda Wein and Doug Bolton, as the Pender Island Farmers Institute received a Century Farm Award from the province during the annual fall fair. SUBMITTEDServing the Okanagan and Fraser Valley We’ve been proudly family owned and operated since opening in 1976. And with two blending plants, we’re one of BC’s largest distributors of granular, liquid and foliar fertilizers. Our buying power and proximity to the Fraser Valley makes us the logical choice for truckload shipments. OKANAGAN FERTILIZER LTD 1-800-361-4600 or 250-838-6414www.tubeline.ca 1.888.856.6613@TubelineMFGFind us onKATE AYERS & PETER MITHAM PENDER ISLAND – More than a century of contributions to its community by the Pender Island Farmers Institute was recognized August 24 with the presentation of a Century Farm Award. “It brings attention because a lot of people on our island have no idea, including a lot of our members, how long it has been active,” says farmer and institute board member Barbara Johnstone. The oldest community organization on Pender Island, the farmers institute was recognized by the province at the annual Pender Island Fall Fair, which the institute has organized since 1932. The one-day event saw close to 2,000 attendees, over 500 more people than last year, Johnstone says. “The Pender Island Farmers Institute has been bringing farmers together to help improve agricultural methods, manage costs and create community since 1899,” the province said in announcing the award. Other community involvement includes facilitating the local farmers market since 1978, Seedy Saturday events, a school planting program, a bursary and the Farm Food Hub. While institute roles have evolved throughout its 125 years, dedicated volunteers are the crucial pillars that have remained constant, Johnstone says. Today, the farmers institute plays a key role in liaising with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food and other funding sources to maintain and help strengthen existing infrastructure. In addition, a lot of eort is put in to ensure the institute is self-sucient throughout the year. “There was nancial support for farmers institutes in the past by government, which has fallen away, so we nd ways to support our organization,” Johnstone says. Fees from the farmers market and any prots made from the fair are put back into the community and local agriculture through the institute. Also, the organization applies for provincial and federal grants to support critical operations. “Because it's community-based agriculture, there's often dierent types of agriculture happening,” Johnstone says. “The main common theme is helping people with processing or marketing or bylaws with local government and ensuring that we're supported by the community because we're such a minority.” For example, the institute invests in communal and multi-purpose equipment for local producers, including commercial refrigerators and freezers that are housed in a building the institute owns on the fairgrounds. A new purchase this year was livestock panelling to easily set up temporary pens in the event of an emergency. An emerging topic prominent among institute members, who are a mixture of new farmers and those who have been farming on the Island for generations, is the eects of climate change. “We think about the importance of agriculture because of [climate change], but also the … impact on our health – mental and physical – when we're working in challenging conditions,” Johnstone says. Since 1994, the province has awarded 143 Century Farm awards, including eight farmers institutes, 118 family farms, one women’s institute, and 16 agricultural organizations such as fall fairs and producer groups.
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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 13Strategic plan reflects blueberry grower interestsNew initiative gives voice to grower concerns and goalsThe BC Blueberry Council’s new ve-year plan is meant to be grower-centric. “Ultimately, it’s a growers association, so we’ve got to keep their concerns at the forefront,” says new BCBC executive director Paul Pryce. RONDA PAYNE595 Acre Active Ranch 5 Titles | $3,250,0005770 Spring Lake Rd, 100 Mile, BCLEADER IN AGRICULTURAL SALES IN THE FRASER VALLEY WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE4 lots - 4.5 +/- Acres of Blueberries | $530,000 - $610,000T 604 793 8138 | bryanvanhoepen.com | 23.85 Acres | $2,340,0002689 Sutherland Road Agassiz, BC Custom home 5 acres w/horse barn & 7,000 hedging trees | $2,850,00010862 McSween Rd Chilliwack, BCSOLDSOLDSOLDSOLDLot 21, 24, 26 & 27 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BCSOLDRONDA PAYNE ABBOTSFORD – Putting the nishing touches on a new ve-year strategic plan was the rst order of business for Paul Pryce when he took over as BC Blueberry Council executive director in July. “Most of the work had been done when I came into this role,” Pryce says. “Some parts needed to be eshed out. This should guide us from 2024 through to 2029.” The plan was approved September 18, although Pryce says many of the goals were already being addressed or fast-tracked to ensure they were prioritized for the benet of growers as the council played catch-up on its work plan. “It’s high-level stu,” Pryce says. “It helps to really allow the board to zero in on some specic issues and focus.” Board chair Humraj Kallu of family-owned CanWest Farms in Richmond says the plan assists with measuring the work of the council while also providing a resource to look back on and reect on accomplishments. “It’s important, because today we see there’s a big connection between what the BCBC sees and hears from the growers individually and what the full, over-arching industry needs and wants,” Kallu says. A key priority of the plan is ensuring more grower engagement with the council. “It’s great that you’re able to benet from that boots-on-the-ground knowledge,” says Pryce. “It’s also good to have a diversity of views and that people are able to put their shoulder to the wheel and push through some initiatives.” He feels the numerous committees within the council’s structure can help growers be heard while contributing to the council’s activities. The committees work through a number of industry issues, and a new governance committee may be set up. “We’re also looking at ways of dealing with the linguistic and cultural barriers,” Pryce says. An increased focus on translating information into growers’ rst languages may make tools more accessible and may also make contributing to the board and council’s work possible. The plan also includes advocacy. While the BC Agriculture Council represents all commodities, Pryce says each association has a role to play. “There’s the realization that we need to engage more in advocacy. There’s also distinct needs in blueberries,” he says. “Meeting with the right people at the right time on the right issues is going to be quite key for us.” Kallu agrees. “You’ve got to raise your hand or approach at some level to get a light shined on some issues to get some actual funding or some help,” he says. Advocacy is a great way to promote what’s happening in the industry. “We want the ability to promote, ‘hey we have this issue,’” Kallu says. “That could translate even to direct help to growers.” Pryce says other priorities noted in the plan are nding ways to improve pollination services, improving crop management practices and promotion of BC blueberries as a whole. This may include nding new markets as a way to diversify and reduce potential political impacts on exports to certain regions with protectionist policies. “There needs to be good opportunities for growers to pivot if they do encounter challenges getting their products to market, wherever that may be,” says Pryce. A survey of members between June and September 2023 contributed to the plan’s development, and input is ongoing. “It’s more of a never-ending thing rather than a deadline thing,” says Kallu of how input is obtained. “Our strategic plan will guide a lot of our activities going forward. I think maybe there is a need for a touch-base once we are about halfway through,” says Pryce. Across North America, Little & Large, Local & Long, Port to Dealer, Farm to Farm and anything in between.Call or email Dave for freight solutions.Versatile Ramp -to- Ground capabilityRecommended Transportation Supplier for
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About a dozen local producers took part in the association’s business meetings in the morning and guest speaker presentations in the afternoon. “We have short summers up here and so everyone's got lots to do,” says BCGPA director Amias Dirks. “It's hard to get away and make it to those meetings.” Dirks grows wheat, oats, yellow peas, canola, forage seed and hay for his cattle herd. But the producers who participated were engaged and asked a lot of questions, says Peace Region Forage Association coordinator Nadia Mori, who helped BCGPA host the AGM. (The association hopes to hire a new general manager this fall.) In the afternoon, former BC Agriculture Council policy director Paul Pryce provided an overview of BCAC’s work and provincial soil specialist Dieter Geesing facilitated a soil compaction presentation and workshop. Pryce talked about some of the issues that matched closely with the challenges that producers brought up during the AGM discussions, Mori says. “One of them was land use and how do you protect agricultural land so that it’s there for the next generation, but also make it practical for young farmers who might need some o-farm income,” she adds. Director Ernest Wiebe provided an update on federal right-to-repair legislation, which passed unanimously last November. Geesing provided theoretical information about soil compaction and best management practices that can minimize risk as well as a hands-on demonstration with two in-eld soil pits. “He's not overly familiar with the country up here, but he's got some of the theoretical [information] down pretty well. I think it's good for guys to hear that and see that,” Dirks says. Geesing recommended ensuring soil is dry enough in the spring before driving equipment on it and looking for compaction in the entire soil prole, beyond the rst 10 to 15 centimetres at the surface. The former has been less of a concern the last couple years with the ongoing drought. Despite the persistent dry conditions, which had the East and South Peace regions at Level 5 and the North Peace at Level 4 as of September, harvest was about 75% done though yields were highly variable. “We've had some timely rains in June, so visually they look okay, but I would say it's variable across the region, too, because there's been such spotty rains,” Dirks says. “We're on the drought side of things so that's denitely a concern for probably everyone.” Geesing’s soil tests found that moisture levels weren’t “too shabby.” But the soil tests from his two soil pits were not representative of the entire area. “The plants weren’t actually overly stressed at this point,” he says. “I think if they get at least one or two nice rainfalls, the wheat might actually make it well to the end.” BC Peace drought concerns raised at AGMVariable conditions, variable yields as growers finish harvestAt the BC Grain Producers’ Association’s annual general meeting on July 10, provincial soil specialist Dieter Geesing provided producers with some tips on how to reduce the risk of soil compaction throughout the growing season. “Issues like compaction, it's never an easy one. There is not one solution that ts all,” he says. Most of the risk in the Peace is generally from heavy clay soils and heavy equipment, Geesing says. “We also need to understand that farmers need to work on soil. They have to drive on it. And there's almost no way to avoid that,” Geesing says. “But we denitely talked about things to minimize the risk.” Geesing encourages growers to look at the whole soil prole, not just the rst 10 centimetres, because heavy equipment can compact soil two to four feet deep. Geesing’s tips for limiting compaction include proper timing of eld work. “There are moments during the year when soils are more susceptible to compaction than others,” he says. Geesing suggests producers monitor moisture content and ensure good drainage. “If you can wait, wait a couple of days,” he says of spring operations. Overall, a structured and planned approach to eld operations can help producers limit compaction. “When I go on a eld anywhere in the province, every soil is as unique as the owner, so you need to know strategies to improve soil health [that] are very site specic and then they depend on the year, climate, crop, management and so on,” Geesing says. “But if you have a good soil structure, that is basically your best insurance that you can do as a grower to minimize the risk.” Remaining within existing planting and spraying tracks will reduce the compaction footprint, while cover crops will maintain living roots that aerate the soil. Reducing compaction in Peace soils
Chinese process bears fruit on Richmond farmNo. 1, No. 2 help farmers deal with the same from their livestockXinhua Song (left) and Harold Steves share an interest in the potential for composted manure for soil health and farmer wealth. RONDA PAYNECOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 15RONDA PAYNE RICHMOND – Manure is a well-known source of nutrients, but its transformation into a benecial soil amendment is long process and some of the good can leach into the environment with harmful eects. Long-time Richmond councillor and agroecologist Harold Steves was working on ways to reduce greenhouse gases and ammonia emissions from manure composting on his Richmond farm when a chance meeting last year with another senior, Xinhua Song of Shanghai, China, changed everything. Song was walking along the dike that runs next to the Steves homestead with his son Marco, who was then attending UBC. The three struck up a conversation; Marco translating what his father (who doesn’t speak English) was saying about his work. Steves had been trying to nd a way to reduce emissions from manure, while Song was trying to nd Canadian farmers interested in his solution to a dry, odourless, quickly composted manure. “The two together are amazing,” says Steves, who decided to give the process a try. In as little as ve weeks, Song’s process converts manure into an odourless, nitrogen-rich, dry soil amendment. No pathogens, ammonia or harmful bacteria – just benets to the soil without the lengthy, smelly process. The only equipment required is a shovel, a hose and a cover, plus Song’s two special ingredients, simply called No. 1 and No. 2. No. 1 is a sack of small greyish pellets of natural minerals and No. 2 is a sack of yeast powder. Steves uses a supply Song brings with him on visits to BC, which Canada Customs has inspected and declared safe. “It’s a process he’s been using in China for many years,” says Steves. Now in the second year of trials on Steves’ farm, the process has been put to the test by sta at independent testing lab SGS, which found rates of ammonia in treated manure from 2023 of less than 1 ppm whereas the control sample of manure that had been composting for six years had more than 960 ppm. The treated sample also has more than two times the volume of dry matter. “You want the nitrogen released into the soil,” Steves says. “[Song’s process] prevents the ammonia from being produced. It remains as nitrogen. It doesn’t have time to form ammonia.” The process is simple. No. 1 Manure uHelp us advocate more effectivelyon your behalf. BCAC is seekinginput from those actively farmingand ranching in B.C.Survey closes October 15, 2024WIN 1 OF 4 $500 GIFT CARDS!B.C. Farmers& Ranchers:THE BC FARMER & RANCHERPRIORITIES SURVEY IS RUN BYBC AGRICULTURE COUNCILOpen your Camera app and point it steadily for 2-3 seconds towards the QR Code above. Wheneverscanning is enabled, a notification will appear.SCAN ME!Your opinionmatters!LEARN MORE AT: BCAC.CA
16 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCu ManureIt’s Better with Beekman!Beekmanauctions.comFALL AUCTIONOct. 17thThe Best way to Buy & Sell Farm Related Items!October 12/14/15th: ConsignmentOctober 16th: Viewing & FREE DinnerChilliwackB.C.PETER MITHAM VANCOUVER – Developing new markets for BC milk has been a hot topic for BC dairy producers over the past three years as people have shifted from drinking milk to eating it. “Fluid milk is, unfortunately, a declining market,” BC Milk Marketing Board policy director Zahra Abdalla-Shamji told the BC Dairy Industry Conference in Vancouver last fall. “People like to eat their dairy, they don’t like to drink it.” This has put the spotlight on the components of milk, which can be valuable products in their own right. Abdalla-Shamji described them as “a great opportunity” for the BC dairy sector, a factor driving the construction of Dairy Innovation West, a milk concentration plant in Blackfalds, Alberta, owned by producers across the four western provinces set to complete next year. The plant will use ultraltration and reverse osmosis membrane technology to produce a range of components. It will be operated by Vitalus Nutrition Inc., which received $25 million earlier this year from the province to develop its own state-of-the-art plant in Abbotsford. Vitalus product management and technical sales director Marcela Cota Rivas says milk and dairy ingredients are in demand for both food and beverage, infant formula and medical uses. “You couldn’t ask Mother Nature for a better raw ingredient,” she said. “[Milk] is one of the most versatile ingredients that exists.” New and emerging technologies that allow for the isolation of the various components in milk are creating opportunities capitalize on the value each oers. “Unlocking the nutritional value of milk is what we do at Vitalus,” Cota Rivas says. “All of the components in milk – lactose, protein, fat, minerals – all have very dierent but very important roles when it comes to new product development and innovation.” The protein in milk is complete, oering all the essential amino acids. It achieves the highest scores in nutritional quality versus other protein sources. The branched-chain amino acids in milk help build muscle mass and reduce its loss as people age, Cota Rivas says, attributes that will be sought after by an aging population. Casein, meanwhile, is a slow-digesting protein with uses in weight-control products. Whey protein, on the other hand, digests quickly and is in demand by the sport nutrition market because it helps build muscle faster. “The nutritional value of milk is further enhanced by the presence of milk minerals,” Cota Rivas says. “They’re more bioavailable than the ones you buy in supplement form.” Then there’s milk fat, which is both a source of energy and is also being found to have benets for those facing heart issues, obesity and diabetes. It also has various functional traits. “Milk fat today is a high-value milk component,” Cota Rivas says, noting that it can be broken down and recombined for various uses. ... I see a future for the milk fat component beyond butter, especially in the speciality nutritional formulations and new product development. It’s still in its infancy.” But there are also more mainstream opportunities as companies respond to the shifting demographic mix in Canada and serve up products that meet the desires of new immigrants. Punjab Milk Foods Inc. of Surrey is building a 296,000-square-foot plant that will consolidate its four existing locations into a single, state-of-the-art plant. Since its launch in a 1,500-square-foot facility in 1997, the company has grown its production of paneer, ghee and other South Asian products now sold across Canada as well as in the US and 15 international markets. Working with the BC Milk Marketing Board, Arneja was able to secure the additional milk needed for the facility. It would have been much harder back east, he says, where processors are more numerous. With the Lower Mainland being both a hub for dairy as well as uniquely positioned on key transportation routes, Arneja says BC is a good place for a processor. “The milk is received, processed and shipped out in 24 to 36 hours,” he said. “[Our location] gives us a good hub for transporting down south, and east.” Parts greater than sum for dairy processorsNew technology helps producers home in on milk componentsand No. 2 are applied to manure and more manure is added on top. Water is poured over the pile to aid in the fermentation process and a plastic sheet covers it. This sits for a couple of days, then it is turned and more water is added. The process is repeated every few days until there is no manure odour – as little as four and a half weeks. The treated manure is then uncovered and left to air dry. Song puts it through a wire sifter and the result looks and smells like dirt. Song has a farm in China and has been studying this form of converting manure since 2006. “This is very helpful for our Canadian agriculture industry,” Song says, via a cell phone translation app. “It brings a lot of value. [The cow’s] excrement is completely able to create wealth for you.” Both Song and Steves see an opportunity to restore nutrients to soil. “Tomatoes grown using the amendment on Steves’ farm have been sent to SGS for Vitamin C and other analysis. “There is a lot more to do and we have contacted some of the local farms,” says Song’s son Marco. “It is exciting. They are amazed and interested about cooperation.”
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 17Cassie Marchand, centre, receives the Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award from Reg’s son Coy, daughter-in-law Lauralie, wife Shannon and grandchildren Ella, Nora, Ty and Faye. SUBMITTEDKATE AYERS VERNON – Vernon’s Cassie Marchand is the second recipient of the Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award. She was recognized at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon on August 20. “It's very special for sure; having that recognition to be a leader in the industry. I honestly don't think of myself in that light,” says Marchand, the fourth generation on the Clifton Ranch in Keremeos. “I always try to get information and share that information with people and bring dierent people together and support people as much as I can.” The award is named for former Canadian Cattle Association president Reg Schellenberg, who died in 2022. It honours individuals who embody the spirit of humble leadership, mentorship, collaboration and dedication to the Canadian cattle industry, and mirror Schellenberg’s dedicated leadership. Marchand, a 2023 nalist in the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program, employs this knowledge-sharing approach on the ranch. She helps with marketing and social media for the family operation, and o-ranch as an agricultural lender with the Bank of Montreal. “This award is more or less to recognize upcoming, future leaders of the industry that possess the attributes that Reg [had], and he held close to his heart,” says CCA past president and Canadian Cattle Foundation chair Bob Lowe. “He lived by the motto that the industry is only as vibrant as we make it, and one of the ways of making it vibrant is to have a lot of youth engagement.” Marchand was nominated for the award by her 15 CYL program peers. Following interviews with a judging panel, Marchand was selected from four nalists. The award includes a travel bursary to attend the 2025 Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference along with a belt buckle donated by the Schellenberg family ranch, Perrin Ranching 19960 Ltd. Reg Schellenberg’s family presented Marchand with the award, which she says made the recognition even more special. “Reg was a big advocate for this program, getting youth involved and giving youth a seat at the table,” she says. “To see how much [the program] gives everybody a really good foundation and it’s like a diving board to leap into things. I would say that the program is very successful … and I see the program just getting better and better.” The CYL program oers learning opportunities that serve participants long into their careers in the beef sector. “It's been a great experience. There's just such a broad number of dierent ways that you can go with the program and it's ages 18 to 35, which is a huge age range. And I’m actually on the latter end of that,” Marchand says. “For myself, [I went] at the later end where I am now, where I'm a little bit more established, know my direction, and am involved how I want in the industry.” Marchand believed her timing was perfect to get the most out of her experience. She was paired with Sarah Wray, a social media strategist with a small family farm and marketing agency called Story Brokers Media House. When Marchand started her one-on-one mentorship, her focus was building public trust with the day-to-day consumer. But as she progressed through the program, that focus shifted to larger corporate partners who rely on the beef sector, including McDonald’s Canada. Marchand says it was an eye-opening experience to see what goes on behind the scenes and the eort that the beef sector puts into sharing its story at that level of the beef value chain. Throughout the year Marchand took part in events across the country. As a semi-nalist, she started at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary last year with feedlot and farm tours. Then, as a nalist, headed to Ontario for the annual Spring Forum. Participants experienced three days of industry tours, classroom learning sessions and networking opportunities. This summer, Marchand attended the Calgary Stampede to participate in an inuencer tour as part of her eorts in building public trust and beef sector advocacy. For Marchand, the biggest takeaway from the program is the expansive network she’s built. “If you have a question, if you want to learn something, there are people who want to share that information with you,” she says. “As long as you're not afraid to put your hand up, reach out, people want to help you. They want to see you succeed.” BC rancher brings home esteemed sector awardCassie Marchand highlighted as humble leader Helpingyou growyour Business.
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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 19Lumby rancher embarks on building dream William Gamache selected as CYL finalistMatsqui Ag-Repair Abbotsford, BCNorth Valley EquipmentArmstrong, BCVisit your local KUHN TMR Mixer today!Invest in Quality®www.kuhn.comVT/VTC 200 SERIES VERTICAL MAXX® | Twin-Auger Mixers800 – 1,320 ft3 mixing capacities • truck, trailer & stationary modelsFAST, COMPLETE MIXING AND PROCESSING Heavy-duty wear components ensure dependable service and long life Stationary models available for a variety of mixing applicationsTruck mount models – minimal maintenance drive system, simple controls & advanced diagnostics Flat/incline chain and slat, or 昀at belt conveyor options availableUP TO $4,000 OFFNEW KUHN TMR MIXERSCONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER:Offer ends: December 6, 2024LANGLEY CHILLIWACK CHEMAINUS KELOWNA rollinsmachinery.com 1-800-665-9060USED TRACTORS NH T5070 cab, loader, no bucket, 6,335 hours, 2012 (CNS830)............... 68,000 NEW HOLLAND T3.60F ROPS, 1,200 hours, 2020 ..................................... 39,000 NEW HOLLAND TN60SA super steer, turf tires, 2004 (U40235) ............. 20,000 FORD 7740 cab, 2WD, one owner, 11,300 hrs, new tires, 1992 (U33681). 19,500 FORD 1200, SL ldr, weight block, blade, new turf tires, 1982 (CNS831) ...... 12,500 QUALITY USED EQUIPMENT MCHALE FUSION Vario baler-wrapper, 14,000 bales, spare belt (U32135) CALL POETTINGER NOVACAT 301 + A9 triple DMC, rubber roll (U33674, U33675) ........................................................................................... 79,500 NH FP240 chopper, 3PN corn, crop proc [CNS786] ............................... 47,500 SUPREME 500T mixer wagon, good shape, 2017 (U33686)..................... 45,000 NH BC5070 small square baler, 2019, like new [U33470] ......................... 42,000 VERMEER TM1400 mower, 18’, 2015 (U33591) .......................................... 37,800 CLAAS VOLTO 1320 T tedder (U33680) ...................................................... 33,000 CKATE AYERS LUMBY – William Gamache of Lumby was the sole BC resident selected as one of 16 nalists for this year’s Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Program, a national youth initiative of the Canadian Cattle Association. “I’m trying to gain as much knowledge and experience as I can and then put it to work on our farm,” says Gamache of his reasons for participating in the program. “There are so many intelligent people there that you can learn from and if you can just grasp a little bit of the knowledge that they have, that would be a huge, huge win.” The annual selections event took place at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon on August 20, with 24 semi-nalists competing for a spot in the 2024 mentorship program. As a nalist, Gamache will be awarded a $3,000 budget for learning opportunities and will be paired with a hand-picked industry leader for a nine-month mentorship in his specic area of interest. Gamache would like to be paired with a mentor who can provide guidance on cattle selection and business protability. Gamache learned about the program through his brother-in-law Brett Squair, who was selected as a CYL nalist last year. “Having a mentor and getting to meet professionals out there would be a huge, huge part of building that foundation to start working towards the end goal of being self-sucient full-time farmers,” Gamache says. “My big thing is building that foundation and working from there.” Gamache grew up on a small cow-calf operation in Westwold. His wife Katie comes from a ranching background, too. While Gamache went away for school to Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for heavy duty mechanics, he wanted to get back into farming. “When I came back to BC, we were nally able to aord our own farm and now we're just kind of getting going on building a cow herd,” Gamache says. The couple bought their Lumby property in 2021 and have since been preparing the land for cattle. “We've been spending the last couple of years ripping down old fence, putting new fence up and building pastures and getting everything fenced o so we can start building a herd,” Gamache says. “We kind of missed the boat on getting cows at a decent price, because now that we're getting established, cattle prices are through the roof. So, it's been slower than we expected.” The Gamaches have three bred cows and hope that with the sale of the calves this fall they can buy some heifer calves. Moving forward, they will select Black Angus cows with good feet and stout frames to handle the mountainous terrain in the area. Gamache looks forward to sharing his journey with his young family and providing his daughters with the lifestyle he was privileged to be raised in. “We are a very small operation getting going, but we're very, very fortunate that we have this opportunity to be where we're at,” he says. “We have three young girls that get to enjoy the ride with us. That's what it's all about.” Canadian Cattle Young Leaders nalist Will Gamache and his wife Katie have big plans for their new ranching operation in Lumby and are looking forward to the mentoring opportunities provided by the program. SUBMITTED
20 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCKELLY SINOSKI SODA CREEK – Leah McAllister’s 10-acre farm in Soda Creek is a work in progress. She can see the potential in the overgrown hayeld, the large vegetable plot and even the decrepit root cellar. But she needs help, and hopes to nd it this fall as a student in Thompson Rivers University’s Regenerative Agriculture Program in Williams Lake. The diploma program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, oers students the ability to gain practical experience by living and working on local farms or ranches. “I’m really excited,” McAllister, 42, says. “After reading about the program, I thought it would be an awesome t for our farm. I want to learn the skills we need to make this a successful homestead, so we can make a living o our plot of land.” Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that prioritizes enhancing ecosystems through natural agricultural practices that include such things as no tillage, reduced use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides, introduction of livestock and a diversity of plants and animals. Program coordinator Gillian Watt says the program aims to give students a solid foundation in business and enterprise management as well as teach them how to practice regenerative agriculture in a variety of ecosystems and production systems. Business courses include strategy, financial management, marketing and human resources while natural resource science courses include biodiversity, soil health, range ecology, grazing management, riparian management and many others. “I’m concerned about soil health across the planet,” Watt says. “In BC, we’re lucky as we have a lot of perennial forage crops, and the cattle are grazing on the range in the summer so we’re already practicing a lot of regenerative agriculture.” Dual credits The program attracts between 12 and 15 students a year and offers a dual credit for those in high school. Mature students are also eligible to take a single three-credit course rather than the whole program. More than 100 students have participated in the program since 2014. Students live and work on a variety of host farms, from those with beef and sheep production to pastured poultry or pork as well as greenhouse vegetables. Megan Glen, who graduated from high school in 100 Mile House this year and participated in the dual credit program, spent her time on Spring Lake Ranch and says the course really opened her eyes. “Even just going on a drive, I notice the little things and everything I learned; how everyone deals with their cattle differently, like pasture grazing,” she says. “We had a couple of workshops about stress-free cattle handling so it’s interesting to see how people handle it.” Although she’s not sure what she wants to pursue, Glen says she’s leaning towards different farming practices, new enterprises or cattle. Whatever she chooses, she says she feels “almost ahead of the game now,” as she has her certificate in Regenerative Agriculture and has met a lot of people working on farms. “I definitely will pursue something in this area,” she says. McAllister says she can’t wait to learn everything from soil health and pH balances to techniques to reduce the grass and weeds from her vegetable garden, which she has been slowly rehabilitating since she and her partner Mike Lloyd moved to the farm last year. The parcel had previously been abandoned, and McAllister says for the past year she has been “working at getting it habitable and bringing it back to life.” She has already planted a section of the garden with potatoes, corn, onions, peas, beans, beets, carrots and parsnips. She and Lloyd have also added chickens to their homestead and are looking at introducing cows to help their three horses and donkey keep the grass down in the pasture. Beehives are also being considered. Can’t wait “There are things I can’t wait to learn about, like soil and range management, and everything from animal health to production to hay crops to root cellaring,” she says. “I feel there’s something in every aspect in every course that I want to learn and take out of it. “With the price of groceries and things on the increase, we feel being self-sufficient and in future being able to supply our families or sell at farmers markets would be a huge thing for us.” TRU’s Regenerative Ag program turns 10Ground-breaking program gives farmers an edgeSUBSCRIBE TODAYTRACTOR TIME VICTORIA 250.474.3301 | 4377C Metchosin Rd. 30 mins from Victoria & 15 mins from Hwy#1 in Metchosin.HANDLERS EQUIPMENTABBOTSFORD 604.850.3601 | 339 Sumas WayHOUSTON 250.845.3333 | 2990 Highway CrescentHYUNDAI HL955Ahandlersequipment.comtractortime.com0%FOR 84MONTHSOn Select Models. Financing programs are subject to change at any time.MAHINDRA 2638
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 21Forage growers hit the road for regional field days Producers take advantage of peer-to-peer learningRancher Lloyd Lintott discusses functional summer watering strategies. On his farm, the cattle have learned how to use a frost-free nose pump system. SUBMITTEDKATE AYERS POUCE COUPE – On a beautiful June day, over 60 producers gathered in the South Peace for the Peace River Forage Association’s summer tour. With the theme of “Weathering the Drought,” the tour oered ample opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. At Fred Schneider’s ranch in Pouce Coupe, attendees learned about his experience fertilizing pasture and hay land. “We are trying to improve our land and soil with rotational grazing. And we produce all our hay by ourselves,” Schneider says. He runs about 150 cows, down from 250 because of the ongoing drought and feed shortages. To improve a low-performing pasture, Schneider tested three fertilizer scenarios last year to see if yields would increase. In one area of the eld, Schneider applied a leftover canola fertilizer blend on May 21 plus a recommended hay fertilizer formulation on October 30 to have two fertilizer passes in the same year. Another area of the pasture received only the canola blend and a third area had only the hay blend, with both applications made on May 21. “I was hoping to see a little bit of dierence, but because it was so dry this spring on our farm, I couldn't see a dierence at all,” Schneider says. PRFA coordinator Nadia Mori tested soil and plant tissue samples, conrming that low application rates and low moisture likely contributed to the lack of response. While the result was not ideal, Schneider wanted to learn more about the benets of fertilizing hay ground so brought in an expert to talk about it. Glyn Evans of Evans Farms and Evans Agronomy in Dawson Creek provided some helpful insights. Farm & Rural ResidentialProperties in the Peace Country are our specialtyAnne H. ClaytonMBA, P App AACI, RIAppraiserJudi LeemingBHE, P App CRAAppraiser250.782.1088info@aspengrovepropertyservices.ca www.aspengrovepropertyservices.caEfficiencies help uHelping you grow your business.Helpingrowbus
22 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCu Efficiencies help weather the droughtGREAT DEALS ON NOW“I know it's worth it for nitrogen, but some people say because phosphorus is not moving in the soil, it's a waste of money spreading phosphorus,” Schneider says. “But [Evans] demonstrated with very knowledgeable advice that it would be worth fertilizing the hay field because if you take off the hay, all the nutrients are getting removed and then there is a deficiency of phosphorus.” Forages, and grasses in particular, are good at mining the soil because their fibrous root systems allow the plants to access phosphorus over time, Mori says. Evans’ takeaway message is that fertilizing hay fields is not a lost investment, she adds. Watering strategies At Lloyd Lintott’s ranch, tour participants learned about functional summer watering strategies, including a frost-free nose pump system. The device uses a mechanical piston pump to draw water from a shallow depth but below the frost zone. It does not require a power source because the livestock effectively pump their own drinking water. At Gellings Farms Ltd. in Dawson Creek, producer and award-winning stock dog handler Dennis Gellings put on a sheep herding demonstration with his three border collies. Gellings started training stock dogs in 1988, and between 1992 and 2010 he led training clinics at the University of Lethbridge’s Fairview College. At that time, he farmed in Alberta and could pen 300 cows and their calves by himself with three dogs. In 2000, Gellings began herding competitively and in 2008 bought property in Dawson Creek. “Some people want to learn and really get into it,” Gellings says. “There’s quite a bit of work to it. You have to have sheep to start dogs on.” Gellings starts teaching puppies basic skills at eight weeks old. He has a five-month-old dog that he’s just introduced to sheep in the field. “There's absolutely no comparison,” Gellings says of herding livestock with dogs compared to motorized vehicles. “The dogs have natural abilities to bring them to you. … If they respect you as top dog, they'll go around and bring the stock to you. And then you have to train them to chase away. But there's no comparison. I mean, one dog will do what 10 people can't do usually.” Other tidbits of information that tour attendees learned about were cover crop benefits and corn as livestock feed. “I learned that if you have the equipment, it's worth [growing] corn,” Schneider says. “And it would be nice to have a stock dog.” Producers were happy to have the opportunity to meet up. “It was a very well-organized day and I'm glad a lot of people showed up at that event,” Schneider says. “It was nice to see new faces and especially young people.” Drones focus of field day On July 9, the Alberta-based Peace Region Forage Seed Association gathered to tour sites near Rycroft, Alberta. About 65 producers attended the event, including forage seed growers, research scientists and industry representatives from both Alberta and BC. One of the sites they visited had a spraying drone demonstration. “That was really nifty. Everybody … got to see a variety of different drone options for spraying and for just doing field scouting,” says association coordinator Talon Gauthier. The association showcased a variety of trials in one of its member’s fields. “We've been doing a lot of work with growth regulators in forage seed crops, fungicide trials and herbicide trials and then doing an integrated management approach where we are trying to see if we can apply some of these things at the same time,” Gauthier says. “Growth regulators are quite new in our industry. And so, we've been playing around with the timing to see if it's possible to apply the growth rate regulator at the same time that a grower would do their herbicide or fungicide [applications], so that they're not having to do an extra pass through the field.” Information on the timing of field operations is valuable for forage producers because it’s a niche sector, Gauthier says. “A lot of companies don't do the work to get herbicides registered or labelled for a forage seed crop and then the same with fungicides and growth regulators,” Gauthier says. “We do all of that work ourselves. So that was the exciting part of showing … off the results that we're getting with some of the herbicides and some of them aren't even on a label yet, but we're working towards that.” The association is looking to obtain minor use registrations for some of the products it is testing. The afternoon sessions saw attendees visit meadow brome and crested wheatgrass fields. “The grower that we went and saw, this is their last season and so they were extremely open and encouraging people to start growing meadow brome and sharing the success stories,” Gauthier says. “It's a really difficult crop to grow, which is why not very many people grow it. They shared their knowledge and some of the things that they've found to make it easier for them to manage it and grow it and so that was really, really cool, because that doesn't happen very often.”
Producers had an opportunity to view the 59 different species of pollinators collected on Vancouver Island by Bonnie Zand as part of a study she has undertaken. THOM O’DELLCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 23-- www.youtube.com/@LEPSLangley - agriculture@leps.bc.ca KATE AYERS MERVILLE – A eld day at Smith Lake Farm in August showcased the importance of pollinator refuge areas to support species health and diversity in operations. About 25 attendees – beekeepers and livestock farmers – visited Clea Adair’s mixed operation in Merville to see how she and her mother Deborah Acheson manage pollinators and cattle to benet production and the environment. “It was highly successful,” Acheson says of the farm tour. “For the people who did come, they learned a tremendous amount about the intersection of beekeeping, cattle ranching and wild pollinators and the way you can take a farm and make it protable for all three.” They have a 13-acre planting seeded into an existing grass pasture that their cattle will rotationally graze starting next year when the forages are fully established. The forage mixture includes buckwheat, sainfoin, bird’s-foot trefoil, clovers, vetch and alfalfa that their cattle will strip graze throughout the summer. The mix provides long-season blooms for the bees and high-protein forage for the cattle. “It’s an example of a farmer-to-farmer learning activity that came about because I heard they were trying a novel practice,” says BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food regional agrologist Thom O’Dell. “I thought it was a good opportunity to invite people, with the farmer’s support, to come and learn from each other about what they’re doing. This is the best type of learning that you can have in agriculture.” Bonnie's Bugs IPM founder and Vancouver Island Pest, Pollinators and Benecials project lead Bonnie Zand reported ndings from her two-year study as part of the day. “I was able to let people have the rst look at the checklist that I've been making of all the bees that we recorded in 19 dierent farms in 2021 and 2022,” Zand says. “We had 59 dierent species on the list and so [it’s] letting people know about the amazing diversity of dierent bees that we do have on Vancouver Island farms.” Six species of bumblebees made the top 10 list. Another interesting nding was the presence of the threatened Western bumblebee. “It used to be really important in agricultural pollination, but had really drastic population declines over a large part of its range, and we still found that [species] in almost half of the farms,” Zand says. “That was also pretty cool to see.” Zand also found that each farm surveyed has a distinct bee fauna. “That diversity really helps to ensure that there are pollination services available for dierent crops. Even if one species isn't necessarily present, there are a bunch of other species on those farms that can step in and help to keep those crops pollinated,” she says. “Specically what species are there is going to depend on what crops are growing on the farm and what the surrounding ecosystem is around the farm and the soil types and all of those factors that make our farms unique.” Weather patterns over those two years impacted when species became active and how many were present throughout the season, but the study was not long enough to note signicant year-over-year changes to pollinator populations. While no plans have been made to repeat the study, Zand thinks doing this sort of project again in 10 or 20 years would be useful for producers and the public to compare to this baseline data set. Right now, producers can make management decisions that will help pollinator populations thrive on their farms year-round, such as increasing the number of Farmers can promote pollinator healthPlants in bloom, natural areas provide year-round fodderblooms on their property. “Where they've got a forage crop or a hay crop, being able to add things like clovers and other legumes into that are going to be blooming and providing pollen sources for bees,” Zand says. Cash-crop producers without large pastures can plant cover crops that bloom, including buckwheat, which can also be used between cropping cycles. Overall, being aware and intentional with land management practices will pay dividends in pollinator species health. This includes maintaining forested areas that provide nesting and overwintering habitat for bees. Producers can leave irrigation ditches, ponds or eld margins in their natural states. Dead tree snags and Bees need undisturbed soil uFOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO GO UPVAN DER WAL EQUIPMENT (1989) LTD. 23390 RIVER ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2W 1B6 604/463-3681 | vanderwaleq.com 5080T TELESCOPIC WHEEL LOADER
24 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCProducers attending a eld day at Smith Lake Farm in Merville this summer were encouraged to select forages that were pollinator-friendly. THOM O’DELLu Bees need undisturbed soilPRE-OWNED EQUIPMENT CASE IH MAXXUM 5250 Cab 2WD . . . . . . . . . . . Call for Details CASE IH FARMALL 95A MFD Rops Tractor with Loader . . . . . Call CLAAS JAG 870 SP Forage Harvester 10’ pickup & 6row cornhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Call for more details/Pricing CLAAS ORBIS 600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Call for Details www.caliberequipment.ca MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8-5 | SATURDAYS, 8-12604-864-2273 860 RIVERSIDE ROAD ABBOTSFORD Unstoppable. For more than 50 years.CLAAS 880 Center Delivery Rotary Rake . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23,500 KUBOTA DMC8536T Mid Pivot Mower Conditioner . . . $31,900 MCHALE R6878 Center Delivery Rotary Rake . . . . . . . . 45,000 NH T4.75 Tractor ROPS MFD with Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . $47,500Fall Deals on CLAAS Haytoolsweed stems, for example, can be important habitat features to protect and incorporate into the farm. In addition, undisturbed soil is important for the 70% of native bee species that nest in the ground. “Having access to soil that is not being tilled and not covered in weed mat or plastic mulch is also really important,” Zand says. Pesticide timing is a signicant factor for maintaining healthy species. “Native bees need to be in that farm ecosystem all year round and so they're always going to be there in some stage. That's why blooming weeds are really important because even after the main crop is nished, those bees still need something to eat,” Zand says. For native bees, spraying at any time of year could have impacts. “Sometimes farmers do have to apply insecticides, but that's one of the reasons why having natural and unmanaged areas near your farm is important,” Zand says. “Those areas won't be sprayed and then bees can re-establish populations from those safe areas.” Eastern bumblebee escapees arrive on Island The discovery of an Eastern bumblebee in the recent Vancouver Island Pest, Pollinators and Benecials Project could indicate the species is establishing in the area, thanks to greenhouse escapees. The species was brought to the Lower Mainland in the late 1990s to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers when the Western bumblebee’s population crashed. Western bumblebee populations have declined more than 90% over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, a study between March and August last year found that the Eastern bumblebee was the most abundant of those captured in the Lower Mainland; more than double the next most common native species and representing about 40% of the bees caught around Metro Vancouver. These results indicate that the Eastern bumblebee is breeding in the wild and as close relatives to BC’s native bees, could result in strong competition for resources. “As of right now, it's not a serious issue on Vancouver Island,” Zand says. “But it is clearly somewhere on the Island. Presumably the individual we caught was a greenhouse escapee, but it could also be the beginning of a population establishing here.” This baseline data could be helpful in a few decades if the study is repeated. “It'll be really good to have this data to compare and see what changes that new species might create in the composition of the other pollinators on Vancouver Island,” Zand says. — Kate Ayers
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 25Pastured livestock take centre stage at field daysPigs and poultry are the focus for small-scale producersSteve Meggait showed how he uses electric fencing at Fresh Valley Farms in Armstrong to rein in his turkeys and other livestock. TOM WALKERUSED EQUIPMENT NH 1036 BALE WAGON, 70 BALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 SHAVER #10 POST DRIVER, SKIDSTEER MOUNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,500 JD 568 2012 ROUND BALER, 17,000 BALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL JD 348 SMALL SQUARE BALER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,500 KUHN FC 353GC 11’ 6” CENTRE PIVOT MOW/COND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CALL KUB RTV900 2008, 3,200 HRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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Hosts Annelise Grube-Cavers and Steve Meggait raise organic beef, chicken, turkey and heritage pork on pasture and sell direct to consumers across the Okanagan. They have a licensed poultry abattoir on site for their chickens and turkeys, while hogs and beef are slaughtered off farm in a licensed facility. They cut and wrap all of the meat themselves. “Fresh Valley is an ideal spot for this kind of a field day as Annelise and Steve run the kind of small-scale mixed farm that is representative of much of our industry,” says Julia Smith, executive director of the SSMPA. Smith says this is the fourth such day so far this year, with others held in the Lower Mainland, in Duncan and on Salt Spring Island. “We focus on a range of best management practices,” says Smith noting support from the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund. Participants spent the morning touring the various stock operations, learning about the infrastructure for pastured chickens and turkeys, electric fencing to support rotational grazing of cattle and the effects of pastured pigs on the land. Afternoon workshop presentations covered pastured pork production, small-scale pastured poultry operations and highly pathogenic avian influenza. “It was a good mix of practical and class instruction,” Smith says. “In the workshops, we were able to refer directly to the examples that we saw in the morning. Apart from the main topics, there is an overall emphasis on biosecurity in all of our workshops.” Howard and Coral Kettner were typical of the 16 attendees, who Smith described as “mostly beginning farmers.” The Kettners moved onto 15 acres east of Kelowna three years ago. “It was a completely derelict property and we have spent most of our time repairing and rebuilding, particularly the fences.” They have a large greenhouse, 50 chickens, eight goats and six hogs that will be nished this November. They will take in three Highland heifers next June. Two horses oversee the operation. Six sons and one daughter and nine grandkids keep them busy and part of their vision is to help feed them. “Our family is pretty health-conscious; they want to know where their food comes from,” says Kettner. “A couple of our sons already buy a side of beef every year and we want to support them in that.” The Kettners have a neighbour who will help them with on-farm slaughter for family consumption and they have a butcher lined up in town to do the cut-and-wrap. “After spending the day at Fresh Valley and connecting with the people there, Coral and I really have the condence that we can do this,” he says. Kettner says his top take-away from the day was the emphasis on regenerative farming and how the various livestock interconnect with each other. “We learned how to get the grazing sequence correct with chickens following the cattle so they can feast on the insects in the dung they leave behind,” he says. “We have laid out seven separate grazing sections on our nine acres of pasture, planned a rotational sequence and included time for the grass to regenerate.” Electric fencing demonstrations gave them a practical knowledge of how to make those rotations work. “Steve’s electric fencing talk was excellent and it really helped us understand what could work for our property,” Kettner says. But the biggest benefit of the day was the networking. “That was the eye-opener for us, and totally different from the formal training that I experienced in my professional life,” he says. “SSMPA is a whole community of like-minded people who are so willing to share their experiences and support others to succeed.”
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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 27Pivots stand out at irrigation workshopPivot practices the focus of field days in Westwold, Rock CreekNigel Pedersen, right, from Southern Irrigation discusses pivot efciency with Doug Fossen (second from righ)t at the pivot eld day at Fossen's Bar 7 Ranch in Rock Creek. TOM WALKERTOM WALKER ROCK CREEK – The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food has sponsored a series of irrigation eld days and workshops led by Southern Irrigation to improve farmers’ and ranchers’ knowledge and tools to implement ecient irrigation practices in their operations. Southern Irrigation recently led two ecient pivot practices days in Westwold and Rock Creek in conjunction with the ministry. “Water and drought resources are a high priority for the government,” says regional agrologist Lindsay Hainstock as she led o the eld day at Bar 7 Ranch in Rock Creek, September 4. “Irrigation eciency doesn’t only mean pivots,” says Hainstock as she outlined the various government cost-share programs aimed at improving irrigation practices. But pivots were the focus of the day, with good reason, says Nigel Pedersen from the Kamloops oce of Southern Irrigation. “Correct irrigation practices apply the right amount of water, at the right time, for the needs of the crop and the soil it is growing in,” he explains. Pedersen designs and sells Zimmatic pivot systems, and says the attraction of a pivot irrigation system is that it does the job with the greatest eciency. Standard sprinklers on a wheel line system deliver about 72% of the water they emit into the soil, he explains. That’s better than the big gun you often see attached to a hose system ring an arc of water into the sky. “Those guns only deliver about 65% of the water to the soil,” he says. “A pivot system equipped with rotator sprinkler heads can deliver between 80% to 90% of the water to the soil.” Eciency isn’t the only thing a pivot has going for it. “They are simply far less work,” says Pedersen. Bar 7 Ranch owner Doug Fossen recalls having one full-time employee whose main summer job was moving their previous pipe-and-wheel irrigation systems. “Now I can set and monitor our pivot systems on my phone,” he says. The chances of over-watering or under-watering are greatly reduced. “With the old system, if you were caught up in town you might have applied too much water,” explains Fossen. “And if you got home late, you might be too tired to go and move pipes in the dark.” During a hot spell or directly after a hay cut, a pivot system can get water out over a eld in as little as 24 hours. But it was the savings in electricity that led them to consider a pivot in the rst place, Fossen says. Less power “All of our water is pumped and we use signicantly less power now than when we had hand lines,” he explains. “One season we ran hand lines for 66 days in a row on a eld just to keep things going and it was between $160 and $180 a day for hydro. Now with a pivot we run three days a week and shut o for four days.” Besides the energy savings, Fossen says his elds are more productive. With the old hand line system, they were able to get one cut of hay o a eld, or about 40 round bales a year. “With the pivot, we are now able to grow corn on that same 16-acre eld, which is a much higher-value crop and Pivots save money uProducer Check-o Supports Beef Industry Projects.www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333Quality Pre-Owned Tractors & EquipmentCASE 3800 16’ disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 FORD T25 tractor cab, 2WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 FORD TW5 platform 2WD tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 JAYLOR 4575 Mixer Wagon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500 JBS VMEC1848 manure spreader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,000 JD 348 baler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,000 KVERNELAND MZ3 conventional plow . . . . . . . . . . . 6,500 KVERNELAND LD85 3 bottom roll-over plow . . . . . 12,500 MASCHIO C300 tiller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,500 MASCHIO IGM180 rototiller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,000 MF 1740M cab, loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,500 MF 1742 tractor, AWD with cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27,500 MF 4707 4WD, load, low hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70,000 MF 4708 4x4, ldr, 500 hrs, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62,000 MF GC1723E 4X4, loader, low hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000 NH BR730 round baler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000 NH 275 PLUS baler like new . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,000 SHAVER SC50 stump grinder, PTO, 3PT . . . . . . . . . . 7,000 TECKUCHI TS60V skidsteer (low hours) . . . . . . . . . 50,000 TURBOMATIC 600 lt sprayer with side cannon . . . . 8,500 WN WL60T articulating loader 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85,000 WACKER NEUSON 8085T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,500CHECK OUT THEwww.masseyferguson.usWe’ve invested heavily in the future, and the new Massey Ferguson® 6700 Series tractors are unlike any mid-range we’ve ever built. 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28 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCThe ability to control pivots from an app on your phone has made them more efcient than ever. TOM WALKERu Pivots save money in a good year we can get about 8.5 tons of dry matter for a value of around $42,000,” he says. “The system was about $100,000 and another $40,000 installed, so it pays for itself in about three years.” Pederson says it’s hard to predict actual pivot costs and return on investment but it should range from three to ve years. “The factors that inuence this include the type and value of the crop, input costs, yield, and operating costs such as electricity and labour,” he notes. The costs will also vary depending on machine size and area covered. “Half-circle pivots are very common in BC due to eld dimensions and topography, which also impacts the cost per acre,” he adds. Being able to deliver nitrogen through the pivots also saves time and money. “I apply all of my nitrogen through the pivot,” Fossen explains. “Plants use the liquid N better and where I used to use four tonnes of granular nitrogen, I only need one tonne of liquid.” The basic technology of a pivot system arrives with a controller and growers are able to go out to the eld each day and program how fast they want the unit to drive across the eld. “Everything is going to be eyes on the ground,” Pederson emphasizes. Adding the FieldNet remote irrigation management app allows growers to dial-in management. The basic level of Fieldnet allows growers to monitor the system. “If it gets out of alignment, stops in the eld or something goes wrong, you are going to get an alert on your phone and you can go out and nd out what is wrong,” says Pederson. The second level of management allows growers to control the system. “You still get all the warnings, and you are able to start and stop the unit, change the speed of the pivot to adjust the amount of water being applied and turn the end gun on and o,” Pederson explains. Fossen adds that he has this level of FieldNet on ve of his six pivots that together cover 200 acres. At the top level, FieldNet Advisor provides predictive modelling, Pederson says. “It takes all of the variables that go into an irrigation decision, such as weather events, when you have irrigated, the soil current, soil moisture and the crop you are growing, and gives you some predictive information of when you should irrigate,” he says. Precision VRI (variable rate irrigation) is another technology that can be included with or added to the existing pivot. “This allows automated control of each individual sprinkler, so the right amount of water is applied to the right places in the eld,” Pederson explains. The program takes into account soil type and topography. “You could avoid an area of wetland, for instance, or increase water for gravelly soils,” Pederson says. Helpingyou growyour Business.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 29Progress on water storage a slow drip Reducing red tape can increase water availabilityForage producers were still encouraged to conserve water heading into fall. TOM WALKERBCHA President Kym Jim 403-358-8935 BCHA Secretary Janice Tapp 250-699-6466 www.bchereford.ca MMORE POUNDS, , MORE CALVES, , MORE PROFITIT Herefords are known as the eciency experts Used in a crossbreeding system Herefords boost pregnancy rates by 7% and add $30 a head in feedlot profit Hybrid Vigor, Longevity and Disposition Book your Workshop orWebinar Training today! vbp@cattlemen.bc.cawww.vbpplus.caHELLO BC CATTLEPRODUCERSThere is no need to run your cows through two or three times for lice control. Let a Lewis cattle oiler do the work for you.Time to think about lice control.TOM WALKER WESTWOLD – A blend of good weather, good practices and good luck spared forage producers across the province this year from curtailment orders under Section 88 of the Water Sustainability Act. A year ago, the province slapped four watersheds with orders preventing the use of water for irrigation of forage from mid-August through September 30. While drought levels were severe, curtailment orders were not imposed. “I’m not going to seek a water protection order now,” Water, Land and Resource Stewardship minister Nathan Cullen told more than 20 producers participating in a video call on September 10. “I think our work is best done when we do things together.” The show of restraint followed Premier David Eby’s pledge to avoid curtailment orders this year, following the outrage that accompanied the province’s compliance and enforcement tactics a year ago in the midst of a feed shortage. “The law … requires me to give due consideration to the needs of the agriculture users, which we have been trying to do,” Cullen noted. Cullen acknowledged the lack of communication leading up to last summer’s Section 88 fish protection orders on the lower Salmon River, along Bessette Creek as well as the Koksilah and Tsolum watersheds on Vancouver Island. “Hopefully with our friends at the agriculture ministry we have had more frequent and earlier conversations about water levels on the Salmon River,” he told Westwold producers. “These water protection orders are never our first choice because they have such an impact on you and on the communities that you serve and feed.” In a letter sent to the ministry, Westwold producers estimated the cost of a mid-August shutdown at $500 per acre. “That would be a $17 million loss to Salmon River producers,” Andrea van Iterson of Westwold View Farms says. The voluntary reductions the province requested and periodic rain through the summer helped, Cullen says, though he encouraged producers to continue limiting water use through the end of September. The province has led numerous drought workshops across the province over the past year to help producers understand water legislation and weather and climate challenges. It has also sponsored workshops aimed at improving irrigation efficiency with an emphasis on pivot systems. But the province has made it clear that responsibility for solving issues in the Salmon and other watersheds is squarely on the backs of farmers. “We really hope that Westwold and other groups will get together, find your way through to do an application to look at some measures and options for water storage if possible,” says Michelle Koski, the ministry’s assistant deputy minister, who joined the call with Cullen. “Some other communities have come together, they have formed a bit of a non-profit, an entity that has made an application to the program which will allow them to access a much higher amount of funds through the Ag Water Infrastructure program or [Beneficial Management Practices].” “We’ve got studies going back 70 years,” agrees Kevin Boon general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. Water u
30 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCu WaterI took a week o in August. I went to what seemed like a dierent country: Ontario. I didn’t bring my work with me. The broad themes of the holiday were, in random order: family, swimming and ice cream. I wish there had been room in that busy schedule for looking around at Ontario farms, but alas, ‘twas not to be. I took in as much as I could to and from the airport. I’ve never seen so much corn, soybeans and weed-free lawn. August is typically the third-busiest month of the year on our farm, and not one that accommodates holidays. In my middle age, however, I am experimentally dabbling with the practice of taking summer holidays and planning them in advance. I’ve never done a week in August before. I’ll call it a success: I feel ready to engage with September and October, the very busiest months on the farm, and the ones with the heaviest lifting. Normally I go into these months much wearier. One of the big August features is Slow Food Cycle Sunday. This is the event where people get on their bikes in town and ride up the Meadows Road visiting a few dierent farms that have turned (contorted?) themselves into farmers market/entertainment venues for the day. This year, it was just shy of 2,000 people, well o the 5,000 record a few years ago. At our farm, we hosted a baker, the local gelato truck, a nearby mixed vegetable farm and a couple of crafts people. We also had a team of Very Fancy Chefs preparing our potatoes very deliciously. Riders come well prepared to shop and ll their panniers, packs and baskets with all kinds of merchandise, including bags of potatoes. There are so many more e-bikes and of course these riders can load up even more. Yay e-bikes. Anyhoo. Long story short, it rained. Participation plummeted, morale tanked and we all stood around looking rather glumly at one another until the sun came out and the people appeared. We made bank for two hours before the rain started again and everyone went away. The hot potatoes were a major hit, inspiring protable potato sales. The gelato was less busy. I nd it takes a lot of work to host agri-tourism events, and very little of that work has anything to do with farming. I spent a lot of time tying back the honeysuckle, for example, and trimming the lawn edges, and applying for a Temporary Food Permit. I stacked everything unnecessarily neatly, power-washed the barn oor and tastefully shrouded anything I could not clean. It’s two weeks later and I am still putting everything back where it needs to go. All this event preparation and clean-up happens right around the same time we start the potato harvest. Concurrently, the beets, parsnips and carrots reach peak irrigation. Toss in a few mechanical breakdowns (so many of these this year), a solid heat wave, busy markets, and we’ve got ourselves a lively month. Every August, I wonder who on earth thought that hosting a few thousand people on the third Sunday of the month would be a good idea? And this year I also wondered who thought it would be a good idea to add in a week’s holiday? The answer is me. I started the event. I thought it would be a good idea to get people onto bikes and out to the farms. I also thought it would be a good idea to go into the heavy lifting of fall with some rest under my belt. I think theoretically I am right on both counts. The price to pay is that I am not on top of my work. At all. This year, I am not weary though, and I like that. Anna Helmer farms in Pemberton with her friends, family and as many others as possible. A change is as good as a restFarm Story ANNA HELMER“They all say the same thing.” They call for further assessment of the ‘water bank’, the total amount of water that is available in the watershed, and how surface water, groundwater and aquifers are connected and how they influence a watershed. They suggest establishing a range of upland storage options, including damming headwater lakes, to provide both freshet control and water storage that can be released in times of low flow. Boon says there are locations on the Salmon where previous dams have been removed. BC Cattlemen’s has identified storage sites on the Salmon River and will take steps to increase storage capacity this winter. “It's not rocket science, we have to quit talking about it and be proactive not just active,” he says. But action takes money, and the regulations governing dams and other measures need to be changed to facilitate the steps needed. Cullen said the province will look at what it can do to reduce the red tape holding back improvements to water storage. 1 Kamloops Calf & Regular Sale2 Williams Lake Calf Sale (Exotic Influence)3 Williams Lake Regular Sale4 Vanderhoof Regular Sale8 Kamloops Calf & Regular Sale9 Williams Lake Calf Sale (Angus Influence)12 Williams Lake Regular Sale15 Kamloops Calf & Regular Sale16 Williams Lake Calf Sale17 Williams Lake Regular Sale18 Vanderhoof Regular Sale21 Okanagan Falls Calf & Regular Sale22 Kamloops Calf & Regular Sale23 Williams Lake Calf Sale24 Williams Lake Regular Sale25 Vanderhoof Regular Sale29 Kamloops Calf & Regular Sale30 Williams Lake Calf Sale31 Williams Lake Regular SaleYour BC Livestock Marketing Team Has You CoveredWe bring the most competitive prices on all classes of cattlewith guaranteed payment and selling exibility. 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Brassbell Farm owner Amber Rowse-Robinson shows professional agrologists Greg Tegart and Mike Witt recent soil test results at the South Island livestock drought management eld day. KATE AYERSCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 31email: audreycifca@gmail.com395 Kinchant Street, Quesnel, B.C. V2J 5A3Producers can apply for an advance on calves, yearlings, lambs, bison, forage and grain up to $1,000,000.00 with the rst $250,000.00 being interest free. Plus, interest relief through the Advance Payments Program is available to association members on their feeder cattle purchases.BEEF | VEAL | BISON | LAMB | GOAT | DEERALL SIZES MARKET GOATS & LAMBS Provincially Inspected Abattoir info@meadowvalleymeats.com (604)465-4744 EXT 10518315 Ford Road, Pitt Meadows BC KATE AYERS METCHOSIN – Over 20 South Vancouver Island producers attended the livestock drought management eld day held at Brass Bell Farm in East Sooke and Parry Bay Farm in Metchosin on September 12. The sessions were facilitated by North Okanagan farmers and professional agrologists Greg Tegart and Mike Witt. The day started at Brass Bell Farm where owner Amber Rowse-Robinson gave attendees a tour of her 108 leased acres where she raises heritage sheep, pigs, broilers and cows using regenerative practices. She and her family have been on the property full-time for two years and over the last year Rowse-Robinson has put in a concerted eort to restore neglected pastures to provide quality feed for her livestock. Brass Bell Farm is undergoing pasture rejuvenation due to such challenges as compaction, creeping red fescue, thistles and low soil pH, which limit the growing season and forage quality. To raise soil pH, Tegart and Witt proposed applying lime and increasing soil organic matter. “Try to build organic matter through various practices with your livestock feeding program or you can acquire it via compost if you’re able to use compost,” Tegart says. “The beauty of adding organic matter is that it acts as another buer against the pH and provides nutrition along the way to feed soil microbes.” To kickstart the pastures back into a productive state with minimal equipment, the agrologists suggested Rowse-Robinson use her pigs to disturb the soil before broadcasting an annual grass seed mix while keeping an eye on animal performance and health. This is consistent with regenerative concepts that recommend managing grazing to maintain a photosynthetic area that feed the soil microbiology. “Doing that with a broad species of plants means you’ll have dierent root depths, dierent growth periods and you go longer through the season with more diversity,” Tegart says. Fighting invasive weeds At Metchosin’s Parry Bay Farm, John and Lorraine Buchanan run about 240 sheep and have been dealing with such invasive weeds as wireweed, creeping red fescue and spear grass in their hay elds and pastures. These species thrive in droughty summers and wet winters, conditions common on southern Vancouver Island. One attempt to clean out a pasture was to grow barley, which the couple harvested, and they will plant cover crops for fall grazing. High grazing pressure can help manage problematic weeds as long as animals are able to maintain conditioning, Tegart says. When the group arrived at Buchanan’s irrigated and thriving annual grass pasture where sheep were grazing, Tegart highlighted frequency, intensity and rest as the three main components that contribute to forage regrowth. “You can lose tillers o those plants with pressure, whether it’s grazing, weather, haying,” Tegart says. “You’re managing those individual tillers and the growing points within them.” Each plant has a specic rest period after which, in good growing conditions, the plant will have enough vegetative material that it is no longer using stored energy to initiate growth and has enough photosynthetic area to support above and below-ground growth. If tillers get chewed o again within that crucial rest period, the plant must use stored energy for vegetative growth, which will result in no root growth and a weakened stand if that continues with long-term grazing, Tegart says. When producers remove 80% to 90% of physical biomass with haying, for example, root growth may stop for at least two weeks, Tegart adds. If producers grazed this same eld, regrowth would happen much more readily because root growth decline is not as dramatic, and tillers don’t need as much stored energy to re-grow. Management intensive grazing allows farmers to reduce stress on individual species. In addition, a forage mixture of grasses and legumes oers a longer season of palatable and nutritional vegetative matter due to the species’ diering emergence timing, growth point locations, and protein and starch contents. Also in his presentation, Tegart recommends that producers who buy hay regularly request feed tests and ask about harvest timing, species composition and storage methods to ensure it meets nutritional requirements. While the eld day oered general recommendations, Tegart urged producers to contact their local extension coordinators or agrologists for tailored strategies that t their specic goals. Tegart and Witt also facilitated eld days that same week at Courtenay’s Hillcrest Farm and Cowichan’s Keating Farm and Promise Valley Farm. These events were brought to producers by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food in partnership with the BC Cattlemen’s Association. The ministry’s Livestock Drought Management Guide and workbook will be available online this fall. Experts provide drought management tipsIsland producers discuss pasture and animal health
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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 33Former chefs Josh Mateschitz and Thalia van der Holt have partnered to create a protable market garden in Nelson. TRACEY FREDRICKSON• Increase milk production• Increase heat detection• Reduce hoof & leg injuries• Reduce cull rates1.877.966.3546www.agritraction.com | CHILLIWACK, BCProudly certifying Producers and Processorswithin 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 604-607-1655Email: admin@fvopa.cawww.fvopa.caPhone 604-789-7586P.O. Box 18591Delta, BC V4K 4V7Phone: 778-434-3070 PO Box 18511 admin@fvopa.ca Delta, BC V4K 4V7 www.fvopa.ca Proudly certifying Organic Operators across Canada Fraser Valley Organic Producers Association (FVOPA) offers organic certication services for producers, processors, packaging and labelling contractors, distributors, and various organic service providers. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and we welcome new members year-round. FVOPA certies to the Canadian Organic Standards and to the Canada Organic Regime (COR). Certied products may bear the Canada Organic logo and be marketed Canada-wide and internationally. TRACEY FREDRICKSON NELSON – The fall bounty of more than 100 crops at Kootenay Corner Gardens near Nelson shows what can happen when two accomplished chefs leave their careers to get their hands in the dirt. In just three seasons, Thalia van der Holt and business partner Josh Mateschitz have created a protable and sustainable business on two acres. The two connected at the Pitchfork Eatery, a well-established restaurant in historic downtown Nelson with a modern, French-inspired menu. After 20 years working his way from Montreal to Nelson as a chef, Mateschitz became head chef at Pitchfork in 2017. Van der Holt, also a professional chef, grew up in Nelson and was hired as sous chef at Pitchfork in 2019. During the year she and Mateschitz worked together, they had plenty of conversations on the restaurant’s back porch about their shared desire to become farmers. When COVID set in and restaurants everywhere were struggling, van der Holt decided to leave the industry. She and her husband purchased a two-acre plot on her parents’ property in a spectacular setting on the Kootenay River. They moved onto the property and van der Holt started a small CSA program with Mateschitz helping out in the mornings before going to work. Mateschitz eventually left Pitchfork to work with van der Holt and moved into a renovated barn on the site. They formed a business partnership and soon realized how the skills they had developed as chefs were assets in their new venture. They knew how to plan and budget, build an extensive supplier network, and understood rst-hand the high standards chefs insist on for the produce they buy. “We once had a request for 180 carrots all perfectly the same for a chef’s artistic creation the next day. If we can’t meet a request like that, we source what we need from other local growers and we do the same for them,” says Mateschitz. The partners follow the no-till approach to market gardening using standardized 30-inch beds and consistent processes and systems. The method is well-publicized by Quebec farmer Jean-Martin Fortier and other proponents, but terms like biodiversity, regenerative farming, organic and sustainable are used so often they lose their true meaning, van der Holt says. “It’s all really about harmony with nature.” “Our practices are natural and simple, from weeding and fertilizing to pest control and harvesting”, Mateschitz explains. “We build the soil every year with organic fertility, amendments and crop rotation. No tilling is essential to avoid disturbing the soil and maintains the insects, micro-organisms and essential bacterial life that is vital to our ecosystem. “The only machine we have is a walk-behind BCS tractor, which digs the rows and gently mixes the soil and amendments. The most valuable tool we have is healthy soil,” he adds. The chicken coop – also referred to as the Mansion – houses 55 chickens raised mainly for compost as well as eggs. They have free-roaming time in the gardens with all the other life forms while also helping with pest control. Two hives support about 80,000 bees, ensuring virtually every plant on the farm is pollinated. A walk through the meticulously maintained garden beds, the 120-foot greenhouse and half-acre food forest reveals the care and thought behind the farm’s amazing produce. Chefs cook up a diversified farming ventureKootenay Corner Gardens uses few inputs for rewarding harvestsAttention to detail u
34 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCu Attention to detail includes accurate record-keeping www.GroberNutrition.com | 1.800.265.7863 |C.J Brookes Chilliwack (604) 846-2100Dares Country FeedsLangley (604) 856-1611Smithers Feed Store Smithers (250) 847-9810Four Rivers Co-operativePrince George (250) 564-6010Agri-Supply LTDKamloops (250) 372-7446Barriere Country Feeds Inc. Barriere (250) 672-5256Beavervalley FeedsWilliams Lake (250) 392-6282Country West SupplyArmstrong (250) 546-9174Chilliwack (604) 847-3737Find Grober products at the following DairyCrop B.C. area dealers:Top Shelf FeedsCourtenay (250) 897-3302 Duncan (250) 746-5101 Powell River (604) 485-2244Victoria (250) 478-8012Contact the DairyCrop teamGerry DeGroot (604) 819-4139James Robinson 236.986.7693Evan Davidson (604) 991-6708YOUR YOUNG ANIMAL SPECIALISTS SINCE 1974High quality products backed by 50 years of research, knowledge and dedication to young animal nutritionVan der Holt handles the administration work including cost of production, which goes beyond basic record-keeping by using constant monitoring and adjustments as expenses and revenues change. She has a talent for working Excel spreadsheets, which she uses with sophisticated accounting software. “With the extensive data we collect, we can determine the current market value of every vegetable we produce,” van der Holt points out. “We monitor what we spend on compost, twine and other supplies and if we think we can nd something cheaper, we may change products or look for a better deal. This level of eciency ensures minimal or no waste and keeps our prices aordable in a rural area where our customers are committed to buying local.” One of the most interesting areas of the farm is the food forest, which mimics a perfectly balanced natural forest environment to produce food. With its layered approach to planting, a food forest also sequesters carbon and promotes pollination, soil building, microclimate creation and water retention. Fruit trees and mature sunowers make up the forest canopy while shrubs and berries form the next level down, and perennials and self-seeding herbs comprise the next. Clover and other cover crops spread out over the forest oor. Despite the impeccable farmscape, the 2024 season presented a number of challenges. “It had a ‘Build it and they will come’ feel to it,” van der Holt says. “All the creatures moved in; voles snacked on our sweet peppers, cutworms sliced into our newly planted tomatoes, and aphids attacked our carrots. And then there was the raven that snuck into the chicken coop and consumed 30 eggs in one day!” The partners were patient and creative in dealing with the pests. They wrapped toilet paper tube rolls around the tomato stems to deal with the cutworms and applied diatomaceous earth (a type of powder made from the sediment of fossilized algae). They used a peppermint spray to deal with the aphids. Traps were set for the rodents and the chicken coop door was kept shut. “These are all gentle and small attempts to keep things at bay but everything ended up just ne,” van der Holt says. “We are always at the mercy of the elements, but I have a funny sort of well-being and gratitude about it. We are constantly learning what creates balance and how to ll in the missing pieces.” The farm sells its produce to several local restaurants, at the Nelson farmers market, and through its weekly CSA program and online store. It opened its rst roadside stand this past September. “This year we really turned the corner as an ecient, sustainable business,” van der Holt says. “With so many crops, we will always have a harvest.” Diverse revenue streams contribute to the farm’s sustainability. The riverfront setting is available for wedding ceremonies and other events, and the partners do catering, demonstrating the farm to table concept rst-hand. Kootenay Corner’s annual May seedling sale connects people with the farm and inspires them to grow their own food. It all happens with the help of two full-time seasonal employees, Sarah White and Madelaine Jollin. Future plans are focussed on spending more time growing more food within the same amount of space, continually dialling in to increase eciency. “Small farms can change the food industry, moving us away from a monocrop system and empowering communities to take care of ourselves,” van der Holt says. Impeccably kept vegetable beds yield picture-perfect produce at Kootenay Corner Gardens. SUBMITTED
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 35Joe Lomond at the Lomond apiary at the Desert Hills Ranch melon patch in Ashcroft. DIANE DUNAWAYorganicfeeds@gmail.comPremium Feeds for Poultry, Hogs, and Dairy Cowscertified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd. CANADIAN ORGANIC FEEDSwww.hlaattachments.com 1-866-567-4162 Job Done Right.BALE GRAPPLELIGHT DUTY ROOT RAKEHIGH DUMP BUCKETSINGLE ARM LOG GRAPPLEHYDRAULIC BROOMS STONE FORKSKELLY SINOSKI SAVONA – Joe Lomond has retired from commercial beekeeping, but he can’t imagine a life without bees. The longtime beekeeper and his wife Marg have downsized their operation at Thompson River Estates near Savona to just three hives – one more than they started with more than 40 years ago. “It gets into your blood; it’s addictive,” says Joe, 84. “Once you start, it’s hard to stop.” The Lomonds got into beekeeping decades ago when it was still “fun,” Joe says, before they had to worry about varroa mites and other diseases that can rip hives apart. Their rst two hives quickly grew to 500, producing thousands of pounds of honey they marketed as Lomond’s Ashcroft Honey. The pair managed all of the hives themselves for about six years, with some help from Joe’s brother. But now, Joe says, it’s time to scale back. “I’m getting too old,” he says. Beekeeping has its sweet rewards, but it can be hard work, especially during extraction time when they must lift honey boxes weighing 70 pounds or more. When they rst started beekeeping in Ashcroft, Marg says, they had giant pails of honey in their honey house. Joe and Marg, 80, worked together throughout the years; she helped in the yard as well as ran the business side of things. She says beekeeping gave Joe something to do when he retired from the mines after 32 years. “I help him as much as I could,” she says. “I do the bookkeeping, the banking … keeping track of everything. I prefer that, better than being in the hot sun checking bee hives.” Bees play a vital role in the environment and to BC’s agriculture sector, contributing an estimated $23.5 million to the BC economy in 2023. However, BC beekeepers, like many beekeepers around the world, are currently facing declines in honeybee health and challenges with overwintering. “The biggest thing people should do is learn something about the bees before they invest in them, how to take care of them, what works and what doesn’t,” Joe says. “It’s easy to make mistakes with beehives. “I don’t really understand a lot about bees, and I’ve been in it for 40 years. It takes all your life to learn what you need to treat bees properly. Every time you talk to a beekeeper, you learn something new,” he adds. Interest in beekeeping continues to grow across BC, with the number of registered beekeepers doubling over the past 10 years to about 5,000 today, according to provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp. The province’s free online beekeeping course, which van Westendorp teaches, draws between 700 and 1,000 participants per year. Van Westendorp says many people get into beekeeping without training and knowledge and can become overwhelmed. Others get into bees by default, inheriting hives from family members. Their success or failure is dependent on being prepared. “Beekeeping is one of the most complex forms of animal husbandry,” van Westendorp says. “Successful beekeeping is far more complicated than if you had a herd of dairy cattle.” He suggests that people don’t need to own a hive to save the bees, they just need to plant bee-friendly plants – especially in urban areas. Joe says his bees have helped pollinate many local gardens and ranches. “Nobody turns down a beehive on their property, especially if they have a garden or fruit trees. Even ranchers like it for pollination for alfalfa,” he says. “People don’t realize bees forage a circle, eight kilometres radius from where the hive is.” The Lomonds travelled frequently to the US, as well as Edmonton and across BC, picking up bee knowledge and pointers, which they share with local “wanna-bees” who are interested in starting some hives or guring out what’s right or wrong in their bee yard. “You always learn something when you go to these conventions and meet up with other beekeepers,” Marg says. The Lomonds have also experienced their own special moments. Marg says they have been called to rescue swarms, and in one instance had to take a side of a barn after the bees built a hive in the wall. In 1996, they had a visit from a tour bus with 30 Japanese beekeepers. Marg says she won’t miss beekeeping, but Joe doesn’t sound as convincing. “When they die o, I’m not sure if I will get anymore,” he says but then quickly adds, “I might try and catch a swarm. There are lots around this part of country. It gives me something to do; a little entertainment, as they say. “I’ve got to keep my ngers in it. The bee stings are good for you I think, and the propolis is good, too.” Longtime Thompson beekeepers downsize their hivesBees delivered long careers and sweet memories
The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915.SUBSCRIBE36 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCKenneth feels the value of horse ownershipand was in charge of hardware and horseware. The only thing she’d been at longer than the feed store was horse riding. She started when she was three and was still in the saddle at some point almost every day. Barrel racing was her passion, and she was the odds-on favourite at any competition within 100 miles. She initiated a generous commission on sales in the horseware department and was on a first-name basis with every horse owner in the district. She was checking invoices in the office when Geena, the garden lady, called from the front desk. “Kelcey, there is a gentleman here asking for you.” Kelcey stepped out from behind the counter. She was wearing Wrangler jeans and a snap-button shirt. There was a large silver championship barrel buckle at her waist. She extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Kelcey.” “My name is Henderson. Kenneth Henderson. I was told to ask you about horse stuff.” “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Henderson. What can I help you with today?” “I’ve got a horse and I’m going to start doing some riding.” “I hear that once you get started, you’ll never want to leave the saddle. How long have you had your horse?” “A few years now.” “Oh good, so you’re not a beginner then. Maybe you could tell me a bit about your horse and what kind of riding you are looking to do.” “He’s black and his name is Duke of Connaught, and I want to do cowboy riding.” “What a beautiful name, and he sounds gorgeous. I’ll bet you’ll make a handsome pair.” Finally, thought Kenneth. Someone who really knows about horses. Someone who can see the Duke of Connaught for who he truly is. “What in particular can I help you with today?” “Lots of stuff.” “Okay, how about you tell me what you already have and then we can try to fill in the blanks.” “I think there’s a fly-mask. All of the other stuff got lost the last time I moved him. I didn’t worry about it because I wanted to get better stuff anyhow.” “What a shame, but you are wise to buy better. There is no substitute for quality when it comes to horse tack, is there? My great-uncle Cyrus always used to say that cheap tack was the downfall of many a good horse. Where do you have your horse When we left o last time, Kenneth was trying to make amends with Delta by convincing her he knew a thing or two about horses, at which point Delta suggested they should go riding together. Rural Redemption, Part 175, continues ... The day after Kenneth told Delta about his horse he found Newt and Susan nishing their breakfast on the back verandah. “Morning,” said Newt. “You’re o to an early start. Help yourself to some coee.” “I was wondering where the Duke of Connaught is?” “Duke of Connaught? You must mean old Rocket.” “I don’t know why you insist on calling him Old Rocket. The man who sold him to me said his name was Duke of Connaught. I can’t image what earthly reason there could possibly be to changing his name.” “For the same reason every old wreck for sale at the used car lot gets called a Classic. He might be the Duke of Connaught to you, but he was always Rocket before you bought him.” “Well, he’s certainly not old,” said Kenneth defensively. “Not compared to the pyramids, maybe, but trust me, as horses go, he’s way into his golden years. Why are you looking for him?” “I want to go riding on him.” “No one has ridden him in years. I’m not sure he’s altogether sound enough anymore,” said Newt. “Why? What is he supposed to sound like?” “When was the last time you went horse riding?” “The next time is going to be the last time,” said Kenneth. “Well, you just might be right about that. Have you ever had any riding lessons? “I watched a thing on YouTube. It seems pretty straight-forward.” “Are you thinking of riding English or Western?” “Both, I guess. What dierence does that make?” asked Kenneth. “Each one needs a dierent saddle.” “How can you tell one from the other?” “The Western ones have that little handle-deally the cowboys use on the front, and the English ones don’t. I take it you haven’t got one yet,” said Newt. “Not yet, but I found out they sell them in the corner of the feed store in town.” “They do at that,” said Newt. “But maybe you should think about borrowing what you need from Ashley so you can give old Rocket a whirl before you go spending a bunch of money.” “Ashley doesn’t need to know anything about this,” said Kenneth. “And no one else does either. Agreed?” “If you are determined to go it alone, the feed store can set you up with everything you need. Ask to see Kelcey. She’s the horse specialist and she’ll help you out.” Kenneth was on his way less than five minutes later. ttt Kelcey Willis could trace her roots at the feed store back three generations to her grandfather Wade’s uncle Cyrus. She started working weekends when she was 13. She was now twice that age Woodshed Chronicles BOB COLLINSstabled now?” “Pullman Stables.” Kelcey didn’t recognize Pullman Stables. Newt was the only Pullman with any horses she was aware of. Could it be that Mr. Henderson’s Duke of Connaught was Rocket, the old barrel horse? Another bit of Uncle Cyrus’ wisdom came to mind: ours is not to reason why; ours is just to sell it high. “I suppose, then, a saddle is where we should start, and I think I might have exactly what you need.” Kelcey showed Kenneth what she assured him real cowboys called the Cadillac of saddles. Her father had been calling it the Red Herring of saddles ever since she ordered it last year. Kenneth quizzed her about the price, but she said it would be like riding on a cloud and reminded him about Uncle Cyrus’ saying about poor quality. Kenneth wondered how many real cowboys would pay $3,500 for a saddle but he caved when Kelsey said it was true there were cheaper saddles, but she just couldn’t live with herself if she let him take one out the door. She assured him the real cowboys would pay it if they could afford to and she would rather not sell him a saddle at all than subject him to the heartbreak of cheap saddle. It was all downhill after the saddle: the saddle blanket, the halter, the bridle, the bits, the lovely nylon halter shank, the hand-braided reins, the little raincoat for the saddle in case it rained, the pearl inlay hoof pick, the genuine horse-pro spray bottle that cost twice as much as the genuine rose-pro spray bottle in garden area, the bottle of Show-Pro Deluxe shampoo that would leave the Duke’s mane and tail feeling soft and lustrous, the Bug-B-Gone fly spray that promised to relive the Duke from the torment of biting insects, the three-piece box set of Stable-Pro professional grade grooming brushes, two tail combs (just in case one breaks), the no-kink horse-washing hose and matching multi-jet adjustable ergonomic spray handle, the genuine aluminum sweat scraper, and a certified all-aluminum pro-style tack box with lift-out caddy, as used by equine professionals, to put it all in. It added up to an eye-watering $5,200 – once all of the taxes were in. In truth, Kelcey felt a brief pang of guilt. She alleviated it by throwing in a free $25 bag of Trainers Magic organic horse treats while calculating the commission on her cell phone. ... to be continued Thousands of BC farmers and ranchers turn to Country Life in BC every month to nd out what (and who!) is making news in BC agriculture and how it may affect their farms and agri-businesses! www.countrylifeinbc.com/subscribeCREDIT CARD # __________________________________________________________________________ EXP _____________ CVV _____________ o NEW o RENEWAL | o ONE YEAR ($18.90) o T WO YEARS ($33.60) o THREE YEARS ($37.80) MAIL TO: 36 DALE RD, ENDERBY, BC V4Y 4J6 subscriptions@countrylifeinbc.com Please send a _______ year gift subscription to ____________________________________________________________________________________ Farm Name _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________________ Postal Code ________ ___________________________________________________ Phone _________________________________ Email ______________________________________________________________________________ Your Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ Postal Code ________________ Phone _________________________ Email _____________________________________________________
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 37Joe Ford grew a pound of garlic seven years ago and was hooked. For the rst time, he marketed his product at the South Cariboo Garlic Festival. KELLY SINOSKIHelping you grow your business.HelpingrowbusGreenhouse Ground CoverGreenhouse FilmProtection NetsMulch Film Landscaping FabricsShade Nets Bale WrapsBunker CoversSilage BagsTwine & Net WrapsHay TarpsForage & Grain Seed1.800.663.6022office@silagrow.com5121 - 46 Ave S.E. Salmon Arm, BCPick Up & Delivery Only 112-18860 24 Ave. Surrey, BCNOW AVAILABLETrellis NettingsandPolycarbonate Panelssilagrow.comGarlic festival celebrates successful seasonCrop delivers good returns to growers KELLY SINOSKI LAC LA HACHE – Seven years ago, Joe Ford balked at paying $10 a pound for Red Russian garlic at the South Cariboo Garlic Festival. But a Keremeos grower convinced him the garlic was worth every penny and – unlike the braid of cheap garlic he could buy at the grocery store – It would yield more of the same year after year. Ford put that theory to the test, planting Red Russian bulbs side-by-side with garlic from the store-bought variety. The grower was spot on, Ford says. The store-bought variety grew to three inches and died. His one pound of Red Russian, in comparison, turned him into a garlic growing fanatic. “I bought one pound and this year I’m going to put in 7,000,” says Ford, a millworker who lives in Lac La Hache and runs Galloping Gecko Garlic. Ford was among 15 garlic growers who participated in the two-day South Cariboo Garlic Festival in Lac La Hache, August 24-25. The growers came from throughout the province to hawk their homegrown garlic or garlic-infused products to an estimated 7,200 visitors who came through the gates over the two days. Most vendors, including Ford, were selling bulbs for up to $15 per pound, depending on the size. By the end of the weekend, there was little product left. “It’s been a good year,” Ford says. “I don’t know why but everybody is raving about their garlic, even across Canada.” In 2023, Canadian farmers planted a record high 950 hectares of garlic. Despite the increase in planted area, fresh garlic production was down 1.7% from the record high a year earlier to 1,918 tonnes in 2023, according to Statistics Canada. However, this was still 80.4% higher compared with a decade earlier. Canadian farmers received $22.9 million for their garlic in 2023, down 0.9% from the record high in 2022, but over double the $11.1 million received a decade earlier. In BC, marketed production fell by almost half (46.1%) between 2014 and 2023. BC growers acknowledge growing garlic can be costly and time consuming. Growers usually plant their garlic bulbs before the rst hard frost in the fall and harvest it in summer, or closer to fall for more northern growers. Ford says it takes him about 50 hours to dig up his garlic and he had to work late into the evening to harvest this season’s bounty before the rains came to the South Cariboo. He spends about the same amount of time to plant his 5,550 bulbs and then sorting and cleaning them. But in a good year, nothing beats garlic’s protability. “It’s an expensive crop to grow,” says Doug Saba of Curly Willow Farms in Grindrod. “But it brings in more than anything else I can grow per acre, so I make more from garlic than all my squash, all my mixed vegetables and my strawberries.” Saba says it costs him about $6,000 in labour and hay – he uses 20 round bales as mulch – to put in 9,000 pounds of certied organic garlic on his 0.5-acre parcel. He credits the hot, dry weather in the Shuswap for producing a good crop of large garlic this year. For the past 20 years, he has been hawking his product at BC garlic festivals and has a contract with a store in Vernon. The South Cariboo Garlic Festival is one of the best festivals, he says, in terms of crowds. “I won’t grow something if I don’t have a market,” Saba says. “The size is good, and size means a lot because people want big garlic.” Saba says garlic is easy on the land. Once he digs up his crop, he plants vegetables on it. Ford agrees and expects to keep growing garlic once he retires from his job later this year. He usually harvests about 40% of his crop and puts the remaining 60% back in the ground, producing as much as he can for the consumers who are willing to pay for it. Demand, he says, is always growing. “It’s good for everything,” Ford says. “Home remedies have never been bigger than they are now.”
38 | OCTOBER 2024 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCIt doesn’t take much thinking on my part to realize how very much I have to be thankful for as Thanksgiving rolls around again. It’s taken nearly a year, but our garden and home are now nearly repaired after being damaged during the 2023 wildre season. It’s been a hot summer, so the vegetable harvest has been phenomenal this year, and colourful displays at produce stands of squashes, apples, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, berries, onions, potatoes, chard, broccoli, cauliower, pears and corn show I’m not alone in harvest success this season. I am missing my apricots but everyone who grows soft fruits in the Okanagan Valley got hit hard by last winter’s cold spell. I often nd I am inspired by the colourful bounty displayed at this time of year Let’s give thanksBeans deserve to look their best on a Thanksgiving table. | JUDIE STEEVESThis tasty appetizer is a good way to use up an abundance of cherry tomatoes. | JUDIE STEEVESJude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVESDRESSED-UP GREEN BEANSCouple of stfuls of fresh green beans Two inches of hot pepperoni 1/4 small Walla Walla or other sweet onion A few gratings of fresh Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper, to taste Dab of butter • Trim green beans and arrange in a bowl that suits both the microwave and the table. • Mince pepperoni and sprinkle over beans. Dice sweet onion in small pieces and scatter over beans. • Microwave for a couple of minutes or until the beans are just tender but not soft. • Top with gratings of fresh parmesan and a dab of butter and serve. • Serves 4 or so. Fresh, baby green beans are delicious all on their own, but it’s fun on occasion to dress them up for dinner.SHRIMP STUFFED TOMATOES4 oz. (114 g) cream cheese 2 tbsp. (30 ml) mayonnaise drizzle of white wine squeeze of lemon juice 1 green onion 1/4 tsp. (1 ml) Worcestershire sauce few drops hot sauce sprinkle of sea salt few grindings of black pepper 4 oz. 114 g) shrimp 24 or so thumb-sized patio tomatoes fresh minced parsley, to garnish • I use whipped cream cheese, but if you use a brick, warm it up a little to soften it rst. • Beat it with mayonnaise, dry white wine, lemon juice, minced green onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed. • Reserve enough fresh shrimp tails to top each of the tomatoes you have (24 or so) and cut up the remainder of the shrimp meat and mix with the cream cheese mixture. • Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving, so the avours mellow. • Carefully slice a smidge o the bottom of each tomato so they sit at, then cut a cross in the top, to open a bit and stu with your lling. • Spoon shrimp cheese mixture into the top of each tomato and top with a reserved shrimp tail. • Garnish the plate with fresh, minced parsley. • Makes 24 or so. • Serves 4 This is a fun way to dress up some of those patio tomatoes that have survived summer. Or buy a basket at the store to make these for a Thanksgiving appetizer.at local produce stands, farmers markets and even grocery stores, which makes it more of a challenge to plan meals ahead and stick to the plan. Better perhaps to allow yourself to plan meals based on what’s fresh and exciting –after shopping. Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October (October 14 this year) and some of us still have vegetables ripening in the garden we can harvest to accompany the big bird on that day. Birds seem to be traditional fare in the way of meat on the Thanksgiving table, but whether that’s a big turkey, a duck, a grouse, game hen or a chicken doesn’t seem to matter much as long as it’s local. Our stung for the bird always has onions, apples and spiced sausage sprinkled through it, along with a handful of aromatic sage fresh from the garden. Dressing is my favourite thing about turkey dinners. Cranberries, sauced with a bit of sweet, are the favourite of others around our celebratory table, and as we eat them, growers are just beginning to ood their elds and harvest them in the Fraser Valley, Richmond and on Vancouver Island. Let your table be stued with the bounty of the gardens and elds of BC and may everyone have as much to be thankful for as my family does.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2024 | 39IN PASSINGTRACTORS/EQUIPMENTREAL ESTATEFOR SALEFOR SALEHAYBERRIESIRRIGATIONFLORISTFor Tissue Culture Derived Plants of New Varieties of Haskaps, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Saskatoon Berries and Sour Cherries, Please Contact:DISEASE FREE PLANTING STOCK OF NEW BERRY CROPS 4290 Wallace Hill Road, Kelowna, BC, V1W 4B6info@agriforestbiotech.com250.764.2224www.agriforestbiotech.com NEW POLYETHYLENE TANKS of all shapes & sizes for septic and water storage. Ideal for irrigation, hydropon-ics, washdown, lazy wells, rain water, truck box, fertizilizer mixing & spray-ing. Call 1-800-661-4473 for closest distributor. Manufactured in Delta by Premier Plastics premierplastics.com DON GILOWSKI 250-260-0828 Royal LePage Downtown Realty Ltd BUYING OR SELLING OKANAGAN FARM, RANCH OR ACREAGE? COURTENAY HEREFORDS. Cattle for Sale: yearling bulls and bred heifers. John 250/334-3252 or Johnny 250-218-2537.PYESTERDAY’S TRADITION - TODAY’S TECHNOLOGYMANAGERS Phil Brown 250-293-6857 Catherine Brown 250-293-6858 ccr.princeton@gmail.com www.coppercreekranch.com PRINCETON, BC Raising registered polled & horned Herefords & F1s. BREEDING BULLS FOR SALE.LIVESTOCKJD 348 BALER $16,500 FARMHAND BALE ACCUMULATOR W/PUMP 2,500 FARMHAND GRAPPLE 950 JD 6405 2WD, OPEN PLATFORM, 16 SPEED TRANNY 26,000 NH BB960A 3X4 BIG BALER, LOCAL UNIT, RECONDITIONED AS NECESSARY 28,000 JD 315 13’ HD DISC, 21” BLADES, FRT & REAR 9,500 JD 940 12’ ROLLER HARROW, CROW FOOT FRONT, SOLID REAR 8,500 JD 3155 4WD CAB 265 LDR 105 PTO HP 42,000 JD 6300 4WD OPEN PLATFORM W/640 LDR 36,000 JD 1630 W/LDR 15,000 WANTED: TANDEM MANURE SPREADER ED DEBOER 250/838-7362 cell 250/833-6699 CURT DEBOER 250/838-9612 cell 250/804-6147CUSTOM CUTTING &BALING 3x4 BIG SQUARES SILAGE BALING/WRAPPING ED DEBOER 250/833-6699 CURT DEBOER 250/804-6147EDVENTURE HAY SALES ENDERBYZcXjj`Ô\[j7Zflekipc`]\`eYZ%ZfdfiZXcc1-'+%*)/%*/(+C@E<8;J1),nfi[jfic\jj#d`e`dld(*gclj>JK#\XZ_X[[`k`feXcnfi[`j%),;@JGC8P8;J1),gclj>JKg\iZfclde`eZ_M[WYY[fjcW`ehYh[Z_jYWhZi$ADVERTISING THAT WORKS!AVAILABLE NOW Fire suppression systems, pumps, protection for farms, 2 - 1/4 mile Used Valley 2015, low hours clean, 1 - used Zimmatic 1,600 ft , Used Hose reels, 2,000 ft 12 in 25,000ft 10 in HDPE, 10,000 ft used steel pipe in all sizes. "New" Pierce Pivots, T.L Pivots, lease available , New Hose reels RM Brand, Idrio, Diesel Pumps, End centrifugal pumps, submersible pumps, freq drives, Pump stations, plug and play water treatment systems, 30 years experience. Talk to Brock @ Dynamic Irrigation Kamloops 250 319 3044FEEDERS & PANELS that maintain their value!ROUND BALE FEEDERS BIG SQUARE BALE FEEDERS FENCE PANELS CATTLE & HORSE FEEDERSHEAVY DUTY OIL FIELD PIPE CRADLE FEEDERS. Single big square or 2 round bales Outside measurement is 8 feet x 12 feet Silage bunk feeders For product pictures, check out Double Delichte Stables on Facebook www.doubledelichtefarms.ca Dan 250/308-9218 ColdstreamLIVESTOCKDEAN SPADY, Presidentspadylivestock@gmail.comGARY WOOD, Vice Presidentsemiahmooshorthorns@shaw.caCRAIG ELACHIE SHORTHORNSPurebred Registered SHORTHORN STOCKBulls, Cows, Heifers and Calves AvailableGrant & Barbara SmithBALMORAL FARMS 250.253.0133 1802 Tappen Notch Hill Rd. Tappen, BC V0E 2X0‘Pride in Traditional Quality’USED TRACTORS & EQUIPMENT GRINDROD, BCDeBOER’SNOVEMBER DEADLINE OCTOBER 19$15$301976 CHEV C65 Tandem Dump Truck, Aluminum box, 427 on propane, runs good. $6,500; Manure Spreader, JOHN DEERE Model 40T, $2,600; Hay BALE SLED, bunches up approx. 40 bales, $900; HAY RAKE, 4 wheels, $700; HAY WAGON 16’6”, $800. CATTLE SQUEEZE, like new, $3,500; MF 135 tractor w/loader, $5,000. Call Shawn (604) 615-3646Top DORPER RAM LAMBS ready to go for sale. Bryan, call or text 250-706-7077 Offering Grass Fed GeneticsJerseys, Lowline Angus, and commercial cattle.Contact Melanie 250-793-4742www.butterkupfarms.comREGISTERED TEXEL AND CANADIAN ARCOTT RAM LAMBSREGISTERED OR COMMERCIAL EWE LAMBSALBERT & DENA FINLAY 250-546-6223finlaysfarm@gmail.com www.finlayfarm.comADVERTISING THAT WORKSFairbanks balance beam platform LIVESTOCK SCALE, 7.5 ft x 17.5 ft 20,200 lbs. We are looking for the fol-lowing to purchase (WANTED): ap-prox. 80 inch good used rotovator 3PH (Howard or ?) info@ranchland.ca, 250-378-7820Alexander (Alex) William Turner passed away peacefully September 6, 2024. Alex was born in Victoria April 10, 1937 to Alexander Turner and Amy Lizzie (Cooper) Turner. He joined older sisters Eileen and Edith and the family made their home on a small farm in Sidney, BC. The family later moved to Goldstream where Alex and Alex Sr raised sheep and cattle. At 10 years old, Alex purchased his first Aberdeen Angus cattle. Alex left school at 15 and began farming full time. Alex married Lucille Mae Hull April 1, 1961. In 1965, the Turners moved their farm to Qualicum Beach where they continued to raise livestock and grow crops. The farm was known as Turner Meadows. Alex was a charter member of the BC Angus Association and a life member of the Canadian Angus Association. He raised Angus cattle for 50 years until he retired in 1997. Alex was also a member of the Qualicum Beach Rotary Club who volunteered and served the organization long into retirement. In retirement Alex and Lucille traveled extensively and spent much time walking with the Heart and Stroke Foundation walking club. Alex is survived by his wife of 63 years Lucille, daughters Noreen (Derek) Olma and Adele (Richard) Cave, grandchildren Allena (Chris) Bergen, Austin (Nadine) Olma, Graham (Kristie) Cave, Shelby (Trent) Rodgers and eight great grandchildren Julianna, Erik, Zane, Victor, Savannah, Riley, Merritt and Landry. Alex’s life was celebrated at a memorial service at St. Stephen’s United Church in Qualicum Beach September 21. ALEXANDER WILLIAM TURNER 1937 - 2024 For ALL your FLOWER NEEDS!Locally owned, serving the Lower MainlandBUCKETS FLOWERS604-870-2994abbotsfordflorist.comcall for20%OFFWEGIVETHANKS
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