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Vol. 109 No. 9

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 SEPTEMBER 2023 | Vol. 109 No. 9

DROUGHT

Water curtailments squeeze forage production 7

LAND

Task force looks to protect property rights

DAIRY

Marketing board chooses new entrant finalists 15

PETER MITHAM

VICTORIA – Rising exports

of BC agri-food producers are

set for a further boost with

the launch of the new BC

Agriculture and Food Export

Program.

BC Statistics reports that

exports of agriculture and

food products other than fish

totalled $4.6 billion last year,

a 24% increase from 2021.

The gains were broad-

based, with meat products

being alone in seeing a

decline.

But a new program

launched August 28 with

funding under the

Sustainable Canadian

Agricultural Partnership

(SCAP) promises to assist

with export market

development.

The project is one of the

first launched as part of the

new five-year funding

framework, which succeeded

the Canadian Agricultural

Partnership on April 1.

The cost-shared BC

Agriculture and Food Export

Program is administered by

accounting firm MNP LLP and

will support a range of

marketing efforts focused on

regions outside of BC.

Producers will receive up to

50% of project costs while

industry associations will

receive up to 70%.

Producers, processors and

cooperatives are eligible to

receive up to $50,000 a year,

while industry associations

are eligible for up to $75,000

a year.

Eligible activities include

participation in

interprovincial/international

tradeshows, food fairs, and

Sheep ock to Amanda Forrest at Forrest Farm in Salmo, who with her husband Ewan has launched BC's rst and only licensed sheep milk processor.

The couple's Forrest Farm Sheep and Goat Cheese Creamery is a small-scale processor that sees big opportunities to contribute to their community

Read the Forrests' story on page 31.

FORREST FARM

International exports climb

PETER MITHAM

& TOM WALKER

WEST KELOWNA – The

worst wildre season in BC’s

history has upped the ante for

several sectors, which are

being pushed to the breaking

point by successive disasters.

Cattle continued to move

to market in record numbers

in August, with the are-up of

several res at mid-month

prompting BC Livestock

Co-op to schedule a special

sale August 22 in Kamloops to

receive cattle intended for

market from producers under

evacuation orders.

“Last week we had 1,100

animals and at Tuesday’s sale

(August 22), another 220,” says

BC Livestock Co-op marketing

specialist Darrell Comazzetto.

Breaking

point

Cumulative

effect of

disasters hits

hard

Summer lovin’

Wildfires

Export potential

1-800-661-4559

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Forage & Turf Seed • Plant Nutrition

Crop Protection•Supplies•Service

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2 | SEPTEMBER 2023 COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

sales exhibitions to connect

with commercial buyers;

consumer-focused

promotional activities in

export markets; and the

development and delivery of

export-focused marketing

materials.

The initial application

deadline is September 15,

with all projects required to

complete by March 31, 2024.

“Last August, a sale would be

around 180 animals.”

The majority of animals that

moved through the yard were

cow-calf pairs, with a selection

of calves and yearlings. The

activity is driven by smaller

producers who don’t have

access to pasture or produce

their own hay, or who lack the

money to buy it.

“There’s a shortage of feed

with the drought and the res,

and ranchers don’t have the

money to pay $350-$400 per

ton of hay,” Comazzetto says.

Economic pressure

The res have

compounded the economic

issues producers have been

facing from drought

conditions that began last

year on the heels of several

years of below-average

precipitation as well as

increases in input costs over

the same period.

“People were struggling

with [feed] before the res,

but if you’ve just gone

through a re and lost what

little grass you have it’s a

matter of what do we bring

them back to?” says Kevin

Boon, general manager with

the BC Cattlemen’s

Association. “It’s not always a

cost factor; in some ways it’s

just a management decision

of having to [sell].”

Ranchers are impacted by

most of the wildres of note in

the province, with the Ross

Moore Lake re south of

Kamloops and Bush Creek

East complex north of Salmon

Arm being particular

concerns.

Despite confrontations with

property owners seeking

access to their properties in

the Columbia-Shuswap, BC

Wildre Service reports good

relations with the agriculture

sector this year.

“The relationship between

farmers and ranchers in the

Columbia-Shuswap Regional

District emergency operation

centre has been eective,” the

BC Ministry of Emergency

Management and Climate

Readiness reports. “An

experienced agriculture

liaison is there, helping

co-ordinate re-entry permits

so producers can return to

their farms and look after

livestock.

BC Cattlemen’s piloted the

liaison program in 2021 and

it’s now in its second full year

of operation with liaisons

active in emergency

operations centres across the

southern Interior.

“They are supporting

farmers and ranchers in those

communities access their

properties when it’s safe to do

so, and helping them arrange

for other support and supplies

as needed,” the province

reports, a view Boon shares.

“Rancher liaisons are going

well,” he says. “We’ve had a

fairly smooth year from our

point of view – maybe people

are getting more accustomed

to it.”

The permitting process for

temporary access into areas

under an evacuation order for

purposes such as livestock

relocation, maintaining critical

infrastructure or retrieving

important medication remains

the jurisdiction of local

authorities.

This has left plenty up to

the discretion of those

manning the checkpoints,

says Merritt rancher Julia

Smith, executive director with

the Small-Scale Meat

Producers Association.

Small-lot producers in the

Shuswap with PremisesID, for

example, have been denied

access to their properties to

check on and evacuate

remaining livestock.

BC Ministry of Agriculture

and Food sta reported 6,500

cattle and 8,200 poultry under

evacuation orders or alerts at

168 properties at the peak on

August 22. Of these, 58 farm

premises were under

evacuation orders, with 1,000

livestock (primarily cattle)

relocated.

All told, wildres have

consumed more than 1.8

million hectares this year to

date, making it far and away

the province’s worst wildre

season on record.

But it ain’t over till it’s over,

Boon cautions, with some res

never extinguished until the

snow ies.

“These res will take some

time before they are out. I was

talking with Ian Meier, one of

the [BC Wildre Service]

ADMs, and he said he has

never wanted to see it snow

so bad in his life,” Boon says. “If

Wildfires push producers to breaking point

Export potential

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we can get these res at bay

and some moisture and get

them to where they’ve got a

chance of stopping, then the

guys get a little better handle.

Right now they’re worried

about winter feed being

burned.”

Grapes smoked

The grape sector is also

bracing for a hit this fall. Winds

drove the plume from the

McDougall Creek re in West

Kelowna across Okanagan

Lake to vineyards in East

Kelowna. Other res in Lake

Country and in the

backcountry east of Osoyoos

and Penticton cast a pall over

vineyards in those regions.

Smoke in mid-August is

never a good thing for

vineyards. Grapes are

experiencing veraison, the

period at which colour and

avour compounds are

developing, and the fruit is

most vulnerable to smoke

taint. Wine Growers BC was

cautious with respect to the

impacts in its initial

assessment of the situation.

“It is too early to know how

the wildres will impact this

vintage for select producers in

the impacted regions,” it said

in a statement, August 21.

Production Insurance sta

report no notices of loss

related to quality or quantity

of fruit from fruit growers as a

result of wildre.

Growers were already

expecting a crop less than half

the size of usual this year

thanks to an extreme cold

event in late December, but

the threat of smoke taint will

further reduce this year’s yield

of top-quality grapes.

Kelowna, West Kelowna and

Lake Country account for

about 7.5% of the provincial

wine grape crop.

While hot weather earlier in

the season saw the BC cherry

crop collide in markets with

cheaper US fruit, it may also

have saved growers from re

impacts.

The season came to an

early end August 17,

according to Lake Country

packer World Fresh Exports

Inc., the day the McDougall

Creek wildre started. This

avoided cherry pickers from

having to work in conditions

widely considered hazardous

thanks to the heavy smoke.

World Fresh notes that

conditions were poor enough

that growers would likely have

left any remaining fruit

unpicked.

The question now is what

government will do to

support aected producers.

While the province has

pointed producers to

AgriStability for shortfalls in

revenue, Boon expects an

AgriRecovery package to

assist with rebuilding

following this year’s wildres.

“We are anxiously awaiting

Ottawa to see if they will

come up with an

AgriRecovery program,” Boon

says. “We are sure that they

will for re, but whether they

will for drought it’s hard to say,

but they are tied in together.”

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC SEPTEMBER 2023 | 3

YOUR

Helping You

WEEKLY

FARM NEWS

UPDATES

g You

You

Tinhorn Creek viticulturist

honoured with industry award

TOM WALKER

PENTICTON -- The BC

Grapegrowers Association’s

fth annual Viticulturist of the

Year award has gone to an

industry veteran from a

commercial winery.

“The Viticulturist of the Year

award recognizes those in our

industry who strive to grow

the very best grapes,” BCGA

president John Bayley says.

“Vineyard management,

environmental stewardship,

equipment, human resources,

peer perception and

innovation are all categories

that are considered in the

award.”

Andrew Moon, head

viticulturist and vineyard

manager at Tinhorn Creek

Vineyards south of Oliver,

excels in these areas.

“The judges noted that your

love and dedication to your

job is shown in the healthy

and well-balanced vines,

something that has been

dicult to achieve this year

with the extensive winter

damage and high mildew

pressure,” Bayley said on

presenting the award, August 3.

His accomplishments

illustrate the objectives of

Sustainable Winegrowing BC,

which has certied Tinhorn’s

vineyards since 2021.

“It’s an excellent program

that has strong requirements

for continued improvement,”

Moon says.

A brand new between-the-

row seed drill will support

Moon’s expanding work with

cover crops at Tinhorn.

“We are looking at a

combination planting that

includes several native

varieties,” he explains during a

tour of the Diamondback

Vineyard on the opposite side

of the valley. “Vines here on

the Black Sage Bench are

essentially growing in beach

sand and we have to improve

the organic matter. Compost is

expensive and hard to nd so

we are really building our

cover crop program between

the rows.”

Cover cropping requires

extra watering, especially on

sandy soil. Tinhorn pumps

water from the Okanagan

River some 400 feet below and

that requires a lot of electricity.

To reduce power demands,

Moon has ordered new

sprinkler heads for his

overhead watering system

that run on 50% less pressure.

“That will save us a lot of

hydro”, he notes.

Sandra Oldeld and her

husband Kenn started Tinhorn

in 1993. Moon is a “once in a

lifetime employee,” she says.

“His expertise and support

really allowed us to grow the

business.”

Tinhorn's acquisition by

Andrew Peller Ltd. in 2017 has

been good for the winery and

the whole industry, Moon says.

“The family-owned

companies reach a point

where they don’t have the

cash for any rejuvenation” he

says. “[Buy-outs are] a normal

thing worldwide, and it often

provides a much-needed

infusion of cash that allows for

a lot of innovation.”

It’s meant more work for

Moon, however, who now

serves as southern vineyard

manager for Peller. Moon not

only manages Tinhorn’s

original 120 acres but 50 acres

at Black Hills Estate Winery as

well as the team that consults

with Peller’s independent

growers.

“As one of the big three in

the valley, we have the largest

proportion of individual

growers,” he says. “We have

about 30% estate grapes and

70% growers.”

Moon has always been a

quick study. Three years after

completing his viticulture

diploma at Melbourne

University in 1999, he was

managing vineyards.

“I was the youngest grape

manager in my area in

northern Victoria state. My rst

vineyards were around 250

acres, which was considered

small. There were three of us

doing all the work, so we

pretty much learned how to

do everything ourselves.”

The range of sites and

varieties in the Okanagan and

Similkameen is exciting, Moon

says.

“A thousand-acre vineyard

in the at land of Oz will have

the same soil and climate

throughout,” he says, “where

here in the 100-acre

Diamondback vineyard, there

are three or four dierent

microclimates.”

BC’s challenge is learning

what grows best in a location,

something underscored by

last winter’s extreme cold.

“My Syrah survived, but I’ve

replanted it in three dierent

locations since 2009,” he notes.

“It’s a viticulture nightmare,

but when we get it right, it

makes one of the best wines

BC can make.”

The Black Sage Bench is

undergoing a massive replant

and Moon says Peller has

committed $10 million to

replanting over the next three

years.

“[It’s] going to be all

Bordeaux and Rhone red

varieties with the addition of

some Spanish and Italian reds,”

Moon explains.

Chardonnay and Cabernet

Franc are Moon’s favourite

grapes to grow.

“Those are some of the best

varieties for the land that

Tinhorn has, and I think I have

those grapes worked out,” he

says.

Innovation is important to

Moon, as is teaching and

learning from others

“But the greatest

satisfaction is understanding

the exact style of grapes that

the winemaker wants and

growing them,” he says. “I can

water the heck out of

Chardonnay to produce lots of

green apple avours for a wine

that’s going into a steel tank,

or I can open up the canopy

and get some big tropical fruit

notes because it’s going to be

aged in oak barrels.”

The recognition by his

peers means much to Moon.

“I have such respect and

admiration for the growers in

this valley,” he says. “I am

tremendously proud and

humbled by this award.”

Viticulturist of the Year Andrew Moon stands in Tinhorn Creek's 100-acre Diamondback vineyard, home to multiple

microclimates that require close attention to variety selection. TOM WALKER

Moon shines

among BC

grape growers

2023

Nov. 7 - 9 | Penticton, BC

BC Organic

Conference

Reconnect. Exchange ideas. Learn from experts.

Keynotes: ELAINE INGHAM (Soil Food Web) & KELLY TERBASKET (kinSHIFT & IndigenEYEZ)

EDUCATIONAL

SESSIONS

FARM

TOUR

PACKED

TRADE SHOW

ORGANIC

MEALS

RESEARCH

TOUR

organicbc.org/conference

Postmaster, Please return

Undeliverable labels to:

Country Life in BC

36 Dale Road

Enderby, BC V0E 1V4

CANADA POSTES

POST CANADA

Postage paid Port payé

Publications Mail Post-Publications

40012122

Vol. 109 No. 9

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 SEPTEMBER 2023 | Vol. 109 No. 9

DROUGHT

Water curtailments squeeze forage production 7

LAND

Task force looks to protect property rights

DAIRY

Marketing board chooses new entrant finalists 15

PETER MITHAM

VICTORIA – Rising exports

of BC agri-food producers are

set for a further boost with

the launch of the new BC

Agriculture and Food Export

Program.

BC Statistics reports that

exports of agriculture and

food products other than fish

totalled $4.6 billion last year,

a 24% increase from 2021.

The gains were broad-

based, with meat products

being alone in seeing a

decline.

But a new program

launched August 28 with

funding under the

Sustainable Canadian

Agricultural Partnership

(SCAP) promises to assist

with export market

development.

The project is one of the

first launched as part of the

new five-year funding

framework, which succeeded

the Canadian Agricultural

Partnership on April 1.

The cost-shared BC

Agriculture and Food Export

Program is administered by

accounting firm MNP LLP and

will support a range of

marketing efforts focused on

regions outside of BC.

Producers will receive up to

50% of project costs while

industry associations will

receive up to 70%.

Producers, processors and

cooperatives are eligible to

receive up to $50,000 a year,

while industry associations

are eligible for up to $75,000

a year.

Eligible activities include

participation in

interprovincial/international

tradeshows, food fairs, and

Sheep ock to Amanda Forrest at Forrest Farm in Salmo, who with her husband Ewan has launched BC's rst and only licensed sheep milk processor.

The couple's Forrest Farm Sheep and Goat Cheese Creamery is a small-scale processor that sees big opportunities to contribute to their community

Read the Forrests' story on page 31.

FORREST FARM

International exports climb

PETER MITHAM

& TOM WALKER

WEST KELOWNA – The

worst wildre season in BC’s

history has upped the ante for

several sectors, which are

being pushed to the breaking

point by successive disasters.

Cattle continued to move

to market in record numbers

in August, with the are-up of

several res at mid-month

prompting BC Livestock

Co-op to schedule a special

sale August 22 in Kamloops to

receive cattle intended for

market from producers under

evacuation orders.

“Last week we had 1,100

animals and at Tuesday’s sale

(August 22), another 220,” says

BC Livestock Co-op marketing

specialist Darrell Comazzetto.

Breaking

point

Cumulative

effect of

disasters hits

hard

Summer lovin’

Wildfires

Export potential

1-800-661-4559

www.tlhort.com

Forage & Turf Seed • Plant Nutrition

Crop Protection•Supplies•Service

Rooted in your community® since 1973