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Special report by PETER MITHAMSPALLUMCHEEN – It’s a warm autumnafternoon, and Dale Jansen is between choreson his farm in the Hullcar Valley nearArmstrong. A hawk soars overhead whileJansen’s cattle await the afternoon milkingcrew.Despite critics who point to the farm – thesecond largest in the area – as the source ofnitrates found in the water the Steele SpringsWater District supplies to about 160 people,the farm isn’t a faceless corporate dairy.“It’ll be my son, my daughter and then twogals from down the road that are helping,”Jansen says in the lunch room just down fromthe 50-stall carousel milking parlour. “I fed thecows this morning. Everyone thinks this is a bigcorporation. This is the family farm. This is asmuch a family farm as the majority of dairiesthat are milking 120 cows.”While the farm is a newcomer to the area,arriving in 2006, the Jansens have beendairying for three generations.Brothers Andrew, Dale and Harold relocatedthe farm from Matsqui when it couldn’tacquire the land it needed to grow. Dairyinghas become a volume business, and greaterproduction keeps farmers such as the Jansensin the game as a tide of cheap imports keepsprices down.Postmaster, Please returnUndeliverable labels to:Country Life in BC36 Dale RoadEnderby, BC V0E 1V4CANADA POSTESPOST CANADAPostage paid Port payéPublications Mail Post-publications40012122Vol. 102 No. 12Beef TRU program marks one-year anniversary 15Dairy Roller coaster pricing 21Biosecurity Poultry producers encouraged to stay vigilant 27Farm over troubled waterProvinceasked toante upPast its prime, this horse-drawn hay mower is a treasured lawn ornament at a farm near Enderby. NAOMI MCGEACHY PHOTOGrowing more with less waterwww.watertecna.comWIN A TRIP TO VEGAS!WIN A TRIP TO VEGAS!Contact Your WaterTec Sales Rep To Enter Today!1.888.675.7999by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – The BCAgriculture Council is askingthe provincial government for$15 million over the nextthree years to help agricultureproducers and processorsadapt to changing consumerdemands. Although therequest is part of its electionstrategy, BCAC executivedirector Reg Ens hopesgovernment will cough upbefore the May election iscalled. He says the money isneeded to harmonizetraceability, biosecurity andenvironmental programsacross the sector and to“engage society in ameaningful way.”The council has identiedmaintaining and enhancingpublic trust in farmers as aThe agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 December 2016 | Vol 102 No.12See PROVINCE page 2 oSee DAIRY page 9 o1-888-770-7333Quality Seeds ... where quality counts!ALL THE BESTfor the HOLIDAY SEASON!

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 20162priority. That trust has beendeclining steadily in recentyears and the council isworking on ways to rebuild it.Ens calls the funding “anopportunity for government toinvest some of its surplus inagriculture,” claiming “toomany opportunities have beenstalled” because of a lack of co-ordination among programs.While $15 million is a largeask, he notes that with almost30 commodity organizationsunder the BCAC umbrella, “themoney will go quickly.”Speaking of going quickly,Ens told Mainland MilkProducers that this year’s BestManagement Practicesfunding under theEnvironmental Farm Plan islong gone but another roundof funding will be available in12:6(59,1*7+()5$6(59$//(<:H·YHEHHQSURXGO\IDPLO\RZQHGDQGRSHUDWHGVLQFHRSHQLQJLQ$QGZLWKWZREOHQGLQJSODQWVZH·UHRQHRI%&·VODUJHVWGLVWULEXWRUVRIJUDQXODUOLTXLGDQGIROLDUIHUWLOL]HUV2XUEX\LQJSRZHUDQGSUR[LPLW\WRWKH)UDVHU9DOOH\PDNHVXVWKHORJLFDOFKRLFHIRUWUXFNORDGVKLSPHQWV2.$1$*$1)(57,/,=(5/7'www.AgSafeBC.caUSE THE RIGHTTOOLS FOR THE JOBPROVINCE NEEDS TO ANTE UP nfrom page 1CALL FOR AN ESTIMATELARRY604.209.5523TROY604.209.5524 TRI-WAYFARMSLASER LEVELLING LTD.IMPROVEDDRAINAGEUNIFORMGERMINATIONUNIFORMIRRIGATIONFAST ,ACCURATESURVEYINGINCREASECROPYIELDS We service all ofSouthern BCInnovators challenged to make agriculture betterApril 2017, the nal year inBCAC’s contract to deliver theEFP program. He thereforeurged producers to look atand/or complete their EFPsover the winter so they will beready to apply for the newfunding in the spring.One area they should focuson is nutrient management asthat is expected to be acornerstone of the newagriculture wastemanagement regulation.“We expect a newregulation by Christmas,” Enstold the MMP meeting onNovember 2. BC Dairy Associationnancial ocer PaulHargreaves, who has beeninvolved in BC Ministry of theEnvironment consultations onthe proposed new regulations,says MoE is looking at a risk-based approach. As part ofthat eort, it has mapped outareas where applications ofphosphorus and/or nitrogenpose a high risk to theenvironment. It has alsomapped sensitive aquifers andother watercourses which willneed special attention.“If you are in a high-riskarea, you will have to balancenutrient loading with cropusage of those nutrients sothere is no negative impact onthe environment,” Hargreavestold producers.The new regulations willrequire farmers to “prove thatmanure is a resource and not awaste,” Ens added.Although the industry is notlikely to see a draft of theregulation before it is passed,he told producers he hopesthe input the sector hasprovided during theconsultation will result in rulesthey can live with. To that end,both he and Hargreavescomplimented Ministry ofAgriculture sta, saying theyhave been extremelysupportive duringdevelopment of theregulation.by DAVID SCHMIDTKELOWNA – Four BCagritech innovators will eachreceive $20,000 to work on asolution for one or moreproblems facing BCagriculture.The BC Ministry ofAgriculture and BC InnovationCouncil (BCIC) launched itsAgritech Innovation Challengejust prior to the BC Agrifoodand Seafood Conference inKelowna on November 14.Saying “technology will helpus sustain BC food security,”BC Minister of AgricultureNorm Letnick called thechallenge an opportunity to“identify needs in agricultureand marry technology withagriculture.” Because of the world’sskyrocketing population,farmers will have to producemore food in 2050 than theyhave in the entire history ofthe world, says BioenterpriseCorporation president DaveSmardon.“The only way to meet thatdemand is throughinnovation,” he said. Innovators have been askedto focus on enhancingproductivity and protabilityin blueberries throughmechanization, minimizinglosses through improved pestmanagement, promotingsustainable practices andnding eciencies ingreenhouses, and developingrevenue streams for and/oraddressing environmentalconcerns in nutrientmanagement.During the day-long closedsession, innovators were givendescriptions of the challengesfrom former BC BlueberryCouncil chair Jason Smith,BCMA regional agrologist JulieRobinson, greenhouseindustry specialist DaveWoodske and HallbarConsulting managing directorMichael Gilbert.“Some things blueberrygrowers and packers arelooking for are a bettermachine harvester andimproved colour-sortingtechnology,”Smith said by wayof example. Innovatorshave been askedto submit“solutiontemplates” toBCIC byDecember 16. Apanel ofrepresentativesfrom BCIC, BCMA, WesternEconomic Diversication andother potential fundingagencies will then review theapplications. Inearly January, oneproposal in eachchallenge areawill be selectedfor mentorship tofurther developtheir solution. “We hope tohave someproposals readyfor the BC TechSummit in March,”says BCMAinnovation and adaptationservices branch executivedirector Joan Easton. Mentorship will come fromsuch technology incubators asBioenterprise, AccelerateOkanagan and the SumasRegional Consortium for HighTech.“Five years ago, there wereonly ve to seven agritechincubators in the world. Now,they’re everywhere,” Smardonsaid.Although the BCMA is onlyputting up $80,000 for the foursuccessful innovators, Eastonnotes the adjudication panelincludes other funders whomay be able to provideadditional funding to supporteach project.Ag ministry partners with Innovation Council to offer technology development incentiveNORM LETNICKwww.tractorparts4sale.caABBOTSFORD, BCBus. 604/807-2391Fax. 604/854-6708 email: sales@tractorparts4sale.caFrom our family to yours, wishing all our customersa Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!GD Repair Ltd

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC3Pumpkin patch pondBC agriculture onsound foundationSustainability conference filledwith “optimism and opportunity”November rains ooded farms from Port Alberni to Pemberton. BOB COLLINS PHOTOProud Dealers of:Contact us: Bryan: 604 220 4879Alexis 604 319 0376www.pacificforagebag.comLooking forward to serving you in the New Year!by DAVID SCHMIDTKELOWNA – BC Minister ofAgriculture Norm Letnickhopes the BC Agrifood andSeafood Conference will notonly be repeated next yearbut be held in a larger venue.About 300 people crowdedinto the Capri Hotel inKelowna on November 14-15,for an evening networkingreception followed by a day ofpresentations covering suchtopics as new sectordevelopment, urbanagriculture, successionplanning, climate change,agri-tech, nancing, zerowaste, traceability and foodsafety, food science, brandingand marketing, e-commerce,selling to retailers andinstitutions and exporting. Delegates who stayed tothe end gave the conference arousing ovation, instantlyraising their hands whenLetnick asked if another suchconference should be heldnext year.He called the conference “aconversation about how wecan develop, strengthen andbuild relationships, andsupport BC's food supplysecurity,” saying BC’s foodsecurity “needs to be the topgoal of the BC Ministry ofAgriculture going forward.”Letnick believes the twodays were lled with“optimism and opportunity,”saying “our conference roomswere lled with people whocare about food production inBC and have the creative,innovative, business orentrepreneurial skills anddrive to make a successfulcareer of it.”He noted BC agriculture hasa sound foundation. Not onlydid the sector generate recordrevenues of $13 billion in 2015but farmers and ranchersactually made a net prot forthe rst time in 10 years. “Agrifood is now thenumber two manufacturingsector in the province and myaim is for it to becomenumber one.” Buy BC keyHe believes the key is to getBC residents buying BCproducts.“If we can convince morepeople to buy BC agrifoodproducts, it will drive ouragrifood sector,” Letnick said,missing an obviousopportunity to commitadditional funds to the BuyLocal program.However, he did promotethe Grow Local programannounced at the Union of BCMunicipalities convention atthe end of September. Theprogram received over 60applications which are nowbeing vetted by theInvestment AgricultureFoundation of BC. IAF willrecommend 10 applicationsas pilot projects to beannounced in January.“We are looking forprograms with the bestoptions for scalability andsustainability,” explains IAFexecutive director PeterDonkers, noting the objectiveof the program is to developand implement educationand awareness programs forfood security and buildcapacity for people to growtheir own food. He stressesthe program will supportbackyard, frontyard andbalcony gardens but notprojects which couldcompete with commercialagriculture.“We have receivedapplications from regionaldistricts, local securityorganizations, communitygardens and co-op gardens,”Donkers said.He expects the successfulapplicants to be announced inlate January. Each will thenreceive up to $25,000 andhave two years to completetheir project and report backits accomplishments.Letnick downplayedconcerns over monster homeson agricultural land andforeign ownership ofagricultural land. He insisted“local governments have theability to specify the size ofhome and where it can belocated on agricultural land,”urging them to pass bylawsensuring homes on land are“appropriate.” He also reported that onlyfour of the 205 agriculturalproperties transferred in BCsince April 2016 were sold toforeign buyers.For more information, contact Greenbelt Vet at: (604) 792-1501*HWFHUWLߑHGDVD'DLU\3URGXFWLRQ7HFKQLFLDQ7KLVH[FLWLQJDQGUHZDUGLQJFHUWLߑHGDSSUHQWLFHVKLSSURJUDPRIIHUVDQLQGXVWU\UHFRJQL]HG&HUWLߑFDWHRI4XDOLߑFDWLRQ7KHSURJUDPLVIRUDQ\RQHVHHNLQJDFDUHHULQWKHGDLU\LQGXVWU\WKRVHDOUHDG\LQWKHLQGXVWU\ZLVKLQJWRHDUQWKHLUWUDGHFUHGHQWLDORUVLPSO\WKRVHZKRZDQWWROHDUQPRUHDERXWWKHGDLU\LQGXVWU\7KLVLVDFDUHHUIRU\RXLI\RX• (QMR\ZRUNLQJZLWKDQLPDOV• :DQWWRZRUNZLWK\RXUKDQGVDQG\RXUKHDG• $UHUHVSRQVLEOHDQGPRWLYDWHG• /LNHWRXVHQHZWHFKQRORJ\• (QMR\VWDELOLW\DQGURXWLQH• :DQWDOLIHVW\OHMRE3URJUDP2YHUYLHZ'DLU\3URGXFWLRQ7HFKQLFLDQ'37Techinical Classroom Training$SSUR[LPDWHO\KRXUVGD\VKHOGDW*UHHQEHOW9HW6HUYLFHVPracticalKRXUVRIVSRQVRUHGRQIDUPZRUNApplication Fee: *67Tuition: SDLGIRULIVWXGHQWLVHQUROOHGLQ$&(,7SURJUDP$GPLVVLRQ3UHUHTXLVLWHV)RU'37• &RPSOHWLRQRI*UDGHLQFOXGLQJ(QJOLVKDQG6FLHQFHDUHUHFRPPHQGHG• *UDGHJUDGXDWLRQZLWK6FLHQFHDQG%LRORJ\LVSUHIHUUHG)RUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQSOHDVHYLVLWZZZJUHHQEHOWYHWFRPWUDLQLQJVRUFRQWDFW*UHHQEHOW9HWHULQDU\6HUYLFHVDW%HFRPHD'DLU\3UR

Publisher Cathy Glover604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.comAssociate Editor David Schmidt604-793-9193 . davidschmidt@shaw.caContributing Editors Peter Mitham . Tamara Leighnews@countrylifeinbc.comAdvertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Gloversales@countrylifeinbc.comProduction Ass’t: Naomi McGeachy . Merry Christmas, Peter!www.countrylifeinbc.comAdvertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographicalerror, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item,together with reasonable allowance for signature will not be charged, but thebalance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In theevent of a typographical error which advertises goods or services at a wrongprice, 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. Alladvertising is accepted subject to publisher’s approval.All of Country Life in British Columbia’s content is covered by Canadiancopyright law.Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and notnecessarily those of Country Life in British Columbia.Letters are welcome, though they may be edited in the interest of brevitybefore publication.All errors brought to our attention will be corrected.COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 20164Bright ideasWhy understanding social licence mattersThe Back Forty occupies this space every monthin the expectation that it will oer reasonably lucidand thoughtful opinion and observation on matterspertaining to commercial agriculture in BC. It strivesto takereasonablyinformed andbalanced aim atthis target.Because it does,the publisherspast and present have allowed it signicant latitude,albeit with the monthly proviso that the opinionsexpressed are not necessarily those of the paper. Regular readers will know that on occasion TheBack Forty takes advantage of its editorial leewayand wanders o to ponder other matters notnecessarily exclusive to the business aims ofcommercial agriculture. Most of the time, the topics in the bullseye theBack Forty aims to hit relate to the pitfalls andhurdles strewn across the agricultural landscape –from frustrating regulation and bureaucracy toMother Nature on the rampage, and as manydiverse complications imaginable. There is never a shortage of relevant targets toshoot at. So many in fact, that some of them remainout of the crosshairs altogether. By speaking soregularly to agriculture’s challenges, the Back Fortyruns the risk of being seen as gloomy. It has beenperceived as such by some readers from outside thefarm and ranch community who also wonder whythere isn’t any “good news about farming.” I expect this column has little circulation outsideof those it seeks to address so it is a simple matter toignore comments and complaints from beyond, butit does raise some interesting questions. What isgood news in agriculture? Does the broader publicaccept it as good news, too?Optimistic, or not?There are two stories on the front page of theNovember issue of Country Life in BC: Hazelnutgrowers have reasons to be optimistic and Animalwelfare bill defeated. Both appear to be good newsstories but you have to wonder how they wouldplay among the 98% of British Columbians whohave no direct involvement in the industry. The hazelnut optimism is of a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel variety after a decade of diseasedevastation. Like so many stories in agriculture, thegood news is that someone’s nightmare is over andthey can start rebuilding all that has been lost. As for ‘Animal welfare bill defeated,’ anambiguous bill of the are-you-still-beating-your-spouse variety has been denied second reading.Most of animal agriculture will see this as goodnews but I suspect that status would not survive atrip to the city. It is part of an industry-wide dilemma. There is a great deal of discussion about sociallicense. Social license in very simple terms boilsdown to: the public at large has perceptions,concerns and expectations about what you aredoing and you need to address their concerns andmeet their expectations if you want their permissionto keep doing it. Concerns and expectations grow out ofperceptions, and perceptions are notoriouslydicult to change. Especially so at arm’s length,which is what production agriculture is from most ofthe population.In the absence of any hands-on agriculturalexperiences, most perceptions will be inherited(from others they know) or informed by the media. Left to their own considerations, it is unlikelymany of the broader public would perceive thedefeat of an animal welfare bill to be good newswhich might easily lead to a concern that will likelyresult in an expectation. It is a tall order. In the world beyond itself (and this column),agriculture needs to inform the public perceptionsthat in turn determine concerns and expectations.The good news for agriculture, in a damned-if you-do and damned–if-you-don’t sort of way, is thatperceptions aren’t cast in stone. Concerns can beallayed and expectations can be met. The bad newsis that uninformed or misinformed perceptionsleading to unallayed concerns and unmetexpectations will lead to a negative belief, andchanging a perception is a cake-walk compared tochanging a belief.Perhaps we’ll end with some good news forfarmers and ranchers. As far as the public might beremoved from what we do week in and week out,most of them do have a personal engagement withthe end result of our labours three times every day.Merry Christmas from The Back Forty to all of youand those you love.The Back 40BOB COLLINS36 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 1915Vol 102 No 12 . December 2016Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd.December brings the shortest days and darkest nights of the year. Hunkeringdown for the end of the year, we have a chance to reect on everything we’ve seenover the past 12 months and think about what we might do dierently in the monthsto come.South of the border, many are predicting dark times, indeed. A storm erupted overthe election of Donald Trump last month, even if Hillary Clinton didn’t inspire voters.Trump’s repugnant views and inward-looking policies have the world wonderingwhat’s to come. (Chances are the incoming president won’t cop a line from our ownprime minister and say the White House has taken certain actions “because it’s 2017.”)There’s always uncertainty around the future, and the latest round of changes is nodierent.However, we can give thanks that there’s a lot going right here in BC. Our food issafe and, for all our shortcomings, we’re doing a respectable job of protecting ourlivestock from diseases such as avian inuenza. We’ve earned enough respect that wewon access to new export markets for our greenhouse peppers this year, andblueberries enjoyed their rst full season of access to China.Getting things right at home has been a sure way to open doors abroad.It doesn’t really matter how other countries approach the world, our farmers haveembraced the protocols needed to make sure the world feels it can count on us.We’re ready to serve our best, and invite the world to enjoy what we’ve got to oer.A founding myth of the US was the idea of it being a city on a hill; a beacon toothers. Some fear the light is growing dim. Canada, by contrast, has often seen itselfas an outpost, a place where the candle burns bright for travellers.Nowhere did the candle burn more brightly last month than at the BC Agrifoodand Seafood Conference in Kelowna. The conference was a welcome meeting of theminds as about 300 agriculture, industry and government representativesmet to network and start to address the challenges of feeding not only ourown population but our trading partners, too.As this year draws to a close and a new year lled with promise andpotential beckons us, let’s come together to build on ouraccomplishments, keep the candle burning, and create a feast on the tablefor the world.

CETA undermines the Canadian dairy industryDECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC5CATHY GLOVERpublisher & editorDAVID SCHMIDTassociate editorPETER MITHAMcontributing editorTAMARA LEIGHcontributing editorFrom everyone at Country Life in BC, may the spirit of the holiday seasonbe yours now & in the new year!Jo SleighLiz TwanLinda WegnerCam FortemsTerry FriesPhilip GordoncolumnistsBob CollinsMargaret EvansLaura RancecontributorsEmily BulmerLindsay ChungLyonel DohertyGina HaambuckersFranya JedwabTamara LeighNaomi McGeachySean McIntyreSusan McIverKathy MichaelsRonda PayneJennifer Smith Judie SteevesJoan TraskTom WalkerJonny WakefieldChris YatesgraphicsTina RezansoffNAOMI MCGEACHYby TREVOR HARGREAVESAs I write this column,federal minister of agricultureLawrence MacAulay has justannounced a governmentinvestment of $250 millionover ve years to help updateequipment on Canadian dairyfarms, and an additional $100million over four years toassist with updating Canada’saging dairy processinginfrastructure. This funding comes as aresult of the recent signing byPrime Minister Trudeau ofCETA, the ComprehensiveEconomic and TradeAgreement. Once ratied, thedeal will usher in tari-freeimports of a wide range ofgoods between Canada andnumerous Europeancountries. For many sectors, this willbe a positive. For theCanadian dairy industry,however – and specicallyCanadian cheese-crafters – it’sa decided negative. As part of the deal, anadditional 17,700 tonnes offoreign ne cheese will nowbe entering the Canadianmarket yearly. As DairyFarmers of Canada noted in arecent press release, this isequivalent to the entire yearlyproduction of the province ofNova Scotia and it will costCanadian dairy farmers up to$116 million a year inperpetual lost revenues. Thisequates to a market loss ofabout 2%. Critics of the Canadian dairyindustry will view ourlukewarm response to therecently announced fundingwith skepticism. They oftenview Canadian dairy to be acoddled industry, with whatthey consider to be unfairlyprotective measures due toour economic structure ofsupply-managed production.But what many people failto realize is that this is anindustry that has built itself upvia internal investment.Across the border, the USFarm Bill osets a goodamount of the cost ofproduction for many dairyfarmers. In Canada, bycontrast, our structure is self-supporting. The stability ofsupply management hasfostered ongoingreinvestment amidst multiplegenerations of Canadian dairyfarmers. The controlledaspects of the industry havefostered slow but extremelystable growth. Farmer dollarshave built thisindustry up.Now, factorthis against thepolitical climateof recent years. First, dairyfarmers havehad to accept the impendingmarket losses of CETA. Thiswas soon paired with anintensive negotiation periodfor the Trans-PacicPartnership. In the end, thatdeal granted an additionalmarket loss of 3.24% shouldTPP move forward toimplementation. These slices of the industrygiven away as part of tradeagreements are worth vastamounts of money and – tosome degree – our industryfalls victim to foreign interestsamidst these tradenegotiations. Thankfully, withthe impending Trumpadministration soonoccupying the White House,as per his outwardprotectionist rhetoric, TPPappears to be quite likelydead in the water. Another common criticismby free-trade devotees criticalof supply management is thatthe Canadian dairy industrydoesn’t focus suciently onexport markets. In regards touid milk, we operate as adomestic-focused market thatprovides high quality, locallysupplied product to localconsumers. When you drinkmilk, you are supporting yoursurrounding provincialcommunities and localeconomy. A quick glance at thecurrent global dairy marketand the foresight of ourstructure is clear. In England,their dairy industry is in literalfree-fall with record numbersof farm bankruptcies as milkships for less than the cost ofproduction. This is a commonissue around the world rightnow due to price volatility, aglobal pricing glut andsignicant issues ofoversupply. In the US, the situation isequally challenging in certainregions. With funding underthe US Farm Bill everdiminishing and a downwardspiral of global prices inrecent years, their outlook isbleak. Yet these are the verymarkets our critics feel weshould be pushing to enter. Moving forward, theunderlying focus for Canadiandairy – as it should be in anywell-run industry – issustainability. Canadian dairyfarmers want this industry toendure and prosper forgenerations to come. This isrepresented in the highquality standards adhered toin the dairy farming practicesin this country. So, I urge you,have a glass of milk rightnow. Drink your milk. DrinkCanadian.Trevor Hargreaves is thedirector of producer relationsand communications for the BC Dairy Association. ViewpointTREVOR HARGREAVESSlicing up the dairy industry as trade incentives set a bad precedent for agriculture155 acres w/1999, 3 bed/2 bath modular home. Large open fields producing grain,hay and pasture. Excellent sun exposure in wide valley. Perimeter fenced with somecross fencing. Very good drilled well for domestic and stock watering use. Several out-buildings incl 32'x40' hay cover. Very pretty property with excellent views 15 minutesout of Falkland. MLS®10124803 $675,000Downtown Realty4007 - 32nd Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5P2Toll Free: 1-800-434-9122www.royallegpage.caPAT DUGGANFarm | Ranch | ResidentialBus: 250/545-5371 (24 hr) Cell: 250/308-0938email: patduggan@royallepage.ca“Farmers helping farmers with their real estate needs”www.OkLandBuyers.ca6741 PAXTON VALLEY RD, FALKLAND

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 20166Re: Urban Farm Seeks StableFinancial Footing, November2016, by Peter MithamSole Food Street Farms isworking with the VancityCommunity Foundation toestablish an endowment fundbecause, quite simply, we arenot a typical farm.Sole Food was establishedwith the specic purpose ofproviding training andmeaningful employment toindividuals from theDowntown Eastside ofVancouver, most of whomhave been characterized as“hard to employ.” Many haveaddictions, mental healthissues, or both. They come to us with littleor no farming skills. Weprovide in-depth agriculturaltraining and a range ofsupport from nancial literacyto breakfast in the morning.For many, working at ourfarms is the only meaningfulengagement in their lives. A2013 Queen’s University studyconcluded for every dollar wepay our sta there is a $1.70savings to the public healthcare, social assistance andlegal systems. ‘Regular’ farmoperations don’t do what wedo. Comparing us to other for-prot urban farmingoperations such as thebankrupt Alterrus Systems andthe Vancouver Food PedalersCo-operative is like comparingapples to oranges. When I helped start thisproject, I believed that weshould operate like I operatemy own personal farm on SaltSpring Island – generating allof our income “by thepound,” one pound oftomatoes, carrots or salad at atime. If we wanted to just operatejust a farm as the articleimplies, we would hire skilledfarmers and farm workers, notfolks who are down and outand dealing with some prettyheavy stu. As such, we dohave to raise the funds tosupport the social goals thatare rst and foremost in ourmandate. We appreciate Country Lifein BC’s coverage of ourendowment fund and, armedwith a few more facts, wesincerely hope your readerswill have a clearerunderstanding of our workand the critical value weprovide to the DowntownEastside community wesupport. Michael AblemanCo-founder, DirectorSole Food Street Farms RE: Port development trumps BCagriculture, November 2016, by PeterMithamYour recent article covering federalagriculture minister LawrenceMacAulay’s presentation to the GreaterVancouver Board of Trade may havedrawn readers to inaccurate conclusionsabout Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’sapproach to agricultural land.Rather than contacting the portauthority directly as journalists generallydo, Mr. Mitham chose to repeat quotesthat were inaccurately reported longago. While a federal entity may havelegal primacy or supremacy overprovincial legislation such as theAgricultural Land Commission,Vancouver Fraser Port Authority hasstated our intent is to work with allpotentially aected stakeholders,including the Agricultural LandCommission, to ensure we appropriatelymitigate for any agricultural lands wemay seek to convert for transportationand trade use.A study we commissioned identied agure of 2,500 acres as the amount ofindustrial land that needs to bepreserved for warehousing anddistribution to handle growing tradethrough Canada’s west coast for theforeseeable future. However, it has never been the intentof the port authority to secure that landbase through our own purchases, norhave we said it should be sourcedthrough the conversion of agriculturalland.In the same way that agricultural landin BC is protected by the AgriculturalLand Commission, we have beenadvocating for a halt to the rezoning ofcurrent industrial land and a morethoughtful, multi-party discussion aboutmanagement of land planning that willprotect the region’s agricultural land andensure Canada’s trade interests aresimilarly protected. Together, working with municipalitiesand others, we must protect what’s leftbefore it is too late.Robin SilvesterPresident and CEOVancouver Fraser Port Authority Port’s intentions misrepresentedLettersStudy recognizes need for 2,500 acres of industrial land but farmland is not on port’s radarStory lackscontext1.866.567.4162www.hlasnow.comHLA Snow is committed to providing customers with innovative equipment. With a comprehensive line up of snow and ice management tools, HLA Snow has the right blade, bucket, or spreader to meet your needs.HLA Snow products are engineered and field tasted by our dedicated staff. They bear the cold and scrape their knuckles in real world environments to ensure that when you receive your HLA product, it performs as promised.Around your acreage or around the town HLA Snow equipment stands up to winter so you can while you take your seat.For more information contact HLA Snow or visit us online.

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC7Stories by DAVID SCHMIDTOTTAWA – The CanadianFederation of Agriculture andmost non-supply managedagricultural commodities wereunited in welcoming the newComprehensive Economicand Trade Agreement (CETA)with the European Union (EU).Prime Minister Justin Trudeauand European Councilpresident Donald Tusk signedthe trade deal in Brussels onOctober 30.The deal, seven years in themaking, is the rst multilateraltrade deal signed by the EUand another nation. With therecent election of DonaldTrump as US president andprotectionism runningrampant south of the border,it could be years before theUS reaches a similar deal withthe EU. Trump’s election alsoputs the Trans-PacicPartnership, another tradedeal welcomed by almost allof Canadian agriculture, inserious jeopardy.When fully implemented,CETA will remove taris from94% of Canadian agricultureand agri-food productsexported to the EU.CFA president Ron Bonnettcalled CETA “a very positivestep” that could allowCanadian agriculturalexporters to capturesignicant businessopportunities throughout theEU's 28 member countriesbecause of the market accessconcessions which werenegotiated.Beef and pork producerswere particularly eusive intheir praise of the deal.Canadian Pork Councilchair Rick Bergmann notes theagreement will secure tari-free access for Canadianprocessed pork products inEurope. The Canadian porkindustry will acquire a quotavolume equivalent to 80,000tonnes of pork cuts after a veyear phase-in period.“We look forward to thegovernment ocials resolvingthe outstanding technicalbarriers that limit our ability tocapitalize on what wasachieved,” Bergmann said.Although very little, if any,BC pork is exported, new BCHog Marketing Commissiongeneral manager Mike Wallisnoted that anything thathelps to increase returns forpork producers in the rest ofthe country will have apositive impact for BCproducers. The Canadian Cattlemen’sAssociation (CCA) noted thatit has been “a long-timechampion of the CETA” and is“pleased with the prospectiveelimination of EU importtaris on nearly 65,000 tonnesof Canadian beef.”It says the new access givesthe EU the potential tobecome a $600 million annualmarket for Canadian beef, upfrom current levels of $6 to$10 million per year.“Beef access to the EU is acore expected benet fromCanada and we will expect afurther eort to be put intoremoving the remainingtechnical barriers,” CCAdirector and foreign tradevice-chair Doug Sawyer said.BC cattle producers areparticularly hopeful of gainingsignicant benets from thedeal. Europe is the world’slargest market for grass-fedbeef, something more andmore BC ranchers are focusingon.Dairy fearsDairy farmers in bothCanada and the EU are not asecstatic. In fact, signing of thedeal was held up for severalweeks as the Belgian region ofWallonia refused to give itsapproval for the agreement.That refusal was based on anintense lobby from its dairyproducers who feared theycould lose production as aresult of it.Canadian dairy farmershave the same fears sinceCETA provides tari-freeaccess for an additional17,700 tonnes of Europeancheese annually. DairyFarmers of Canada says “themarket access granted inCETA will cost Canadian dairyfarmers as much as $116million in lost milk sales eachyear.”Farmers see potential in CETA trade dealOTTAWA – On November 10, the federal governmentmoved to allay some of the concerns Canadian dairyfarmers have about the Comprehensive Economic andTrade Agreement (CETA), announcing a $350 millionmitigation package for dairy producers and processors.It is providing $250 million over ve years for a DairyFarm Investment Program that will help Canadian dairyfarmers update farm technologies and systems andimprove productivity through upgrades to theirequipment. This could include the adoption of roboticmilkers, automated feeding systems and herdmanagement tools. It is also providing $100 million overfour years for a Dairy Processing Investment Fund to helpdairy processors modernize their operations and diversifytheir products to pursue new market opportunities.Federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay calledthe two new programs “a major infusion of cash for onesector,” insisting it shows the government’s commitmentto supply management.Dairy Farmers of Canada president Wally Smith calledthe announcement “a signicant step in demonstrating(government’s) commitment to supply management, andto the continued innovation and growth of Canada’s dairysector.”However DFC director Bruno Letendre notes the twoprograms do not address DFC’s issues with Canada’sdomestic regulations nor the continued leakage ofdialtered milk and other milk ingredients across the border.While MacAulay acknowledged the concerns, callingdialtered milk “an issue I inherited,” he believes the issueis abating, claiming the amount of dialtered milk comingacross the border has been decreasing. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 9“Milk prices get tighter, ourmargins get smaller, you haveto get more ecient,” DaleJansen says.What was a 600-cow farmin 2006 has expanded to 960head, all of them Holsteins.The farm now owns 1,300acres, up from 760 a decadeago, and has access to afurther 700 as far away asLavington, east of Vernon.Andrew and Dale recentlybought out their brother’sinterest.While not uncommon inthe Lower Mainland, the sizeof the farm has spooked localresidents. What are commonfarm practices elsewhere havesparked concern here.When the Interior HealthAuthority told Steele Springshouseholds to test their waterafter nitrates twice theallowable limit of 10 parts permillion (ppm) were found in2014, it was a case of déjà vu.A feedlot on a 220-acreproperty the Jansens acquiredfor their operation had beenpegged as leaching nitratesinto the local aquifer in the1980s.With the latestcontamination, alleyes turned to theJansens.“We’ve had peopleask, ‘You don’t livenear that big dairy doyou?’” he says, noting howthings become uncomfortablewhen people nd out they’reactually the operators. “Youtend to make friends thataren’t right here.”It’s a shift from 2008 whenan open house attracted 900people to the farm to seewhat was considered a state-of-the-art operation. Thefamily had planned the movecarefully when it found itcouldn’t expand in Matsqui.The farm drafted anEnvironmental Farm Plan –something it hadn’t had in theFraser Valley – to guide itswork. A ush system, commonat some of the province’slargest operations, waschosen to clear manure.An earthen lagoon 500 feetby 300 feet, with a volume of3.3 million cubic feet, wasconstructed. Similar tomunicipal sewage lagoons,the facility was equipped witha liner in accordance withprovincial standards. Allmanure cleared from the barnundergoes mechanicalseparation into solids, whichare dried into akes for use ata farm in Lavington and liquid(eectively, grey water) that’sreused for ushing the barn.Any excess liquid is depositedin the lagoon and used on theelds.The liquid euent is lessdense, typically with 10pounds of solid per 1,000gallons rather than 30 to 40pounds per 1,000 gallons. Thismakes it easier to pipe to theelds than solids, and thenitrates are more readilyabsorbed.However, the critics don’tsee it that way.Brian Upper, a retiredlivestock vet who oversees theSteele Springs Water District,and the Save Hullcar AquiferTeam (SHAT), a local advocacygroup headed by retiredDairy acquired a legacy of trouble with ‘field of concern’Special reportPETER MITHAMThe dairy farm near Armstrong at the centre of concern regarding water quality. PETER MITHAM PHOTODAIRYnfrom page 1See WATER WOES page 10 o“Everyone thinks this is a bigcorporation. This is the family farm.”Emerald Bay Ag Serviceswww.emeraldbayag.comGPS GUIDANCE CONTROL PRODUCTS36 Months | 0% Lease Rate on all Trimble Products until 12/30/16Minimum $12,5000 purchase | Upon Approval250.550.0545 Doug Macfarlane, CCA750 DISPLAY WITH EZ-PILOT STEERING & RANGEPOINT CORRECTION SIGNALIn field soil and environmental monitoring stations for irrigation & crop managementNDVI Sensing for recording plant vigor and real time VR nitrogen application.Sensor platform for producing soil texture and PH maps for crop management.Informed Farming With Technology

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201610Andrew Jansen (above) and brother Dale farm 1,200 acres near Armstrong, whereaquifer contamination has placed practices at local farms under scrutiny. The trick to feeding cattle is to provide a consistent mix so each cow gets the same ration. We at Jaylor have accomplished that with our patented square cut auger. All mixers can mix but Jaylor does it consistently along the whole length of the bunk. Check it out!REASON 3: Our Alexander Knives, when paired with our patented Vertical Knives, create an unparalleled cutting action. The curved carbide coated cutting edge and angle of the Alexander Knives increases the aggressiveness of cut to improve the processing rate of round baled forages, especially coarser forages. Our Vertical Knives, which are mounted on our slide plate, improve processing and feedout of high forage rations. Together with our four other exclusive auger features, we produce a faster and more uniform mix than sluggish conventional augers, which typically take too long to process forage, resulting in too many fine particles in the shaker box. Nutritionists say if you want to resist sorting you’ll need a TMR with optimum shaker box results, and with a Jaylor you can deliver that ration every time.Bert Slomp | Western Canada Territory ManagerCell: 403.331.1150 Fax: 403.381.4508bslomp@jaylor.comwww.JAYLOR.comAVENUE MACHINERY | 1521 Sumas Way, Box 369, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6Z6 | 888-283-3276AVENUE MACHINERY | 7155 Meadowlark Road, Vernon, BC V1B 3B6 | 800-551-6411ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY | 4650 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan, BC V9L 6L2 | 888-795-1755DEALER LOCATIONS:Learn more at JAYLOR.COM/5000SIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGERRESISTS SORTING:ALEXANDER KNIVES VERTICAL KNIVESjournalist Al Price, argue that euentfrom the Jansen operation isresponsible for elevated nitrate levelsin the Hullcar aquifer.By separating out the solids, thecritics say Jansens aren’t practicingwise nutrient management – at leastnot for the local hydrology.Provincial maps describe the Hullcaraquifer as unconned and of lowvulnerability. Jansen notes that theaquifer wasn’t identied as a concernprior to the family relocating the farmto the area in 2006.“When I went and got my permit, Iasked a whole bunch of times before Ibought the land, before I built – it waszoned A-3, intensive agriculture – sothey gave me the permits,” he says.Difficult historyYet the dicult history of the area’saquifer wasn’t entirely unknown to theJansens. Water drawn from a well at thesouthwest corner of the property wasknown to be dirty. The eld of concern– a parcel of about 200 acres aboveDeep Creek, a stream that ows southand is fed by the Hullcar aquifer – wasoriginally planted with alfalfa in orderto scavenge nitrates from the soil.The idea was to remove excessnutrients and prepare the ground forcorn, a crop with shallower roots and alower nitrate requirement.“We were hoping that if there was aproblem in that eld, [the alfalfa]would scavenge anything,” Jansenexplains.But in March 2014 the B.C. Ministryof the Environment issued acompliance order requiring the farmto conduct regular soil and watersampling and report the results to theministry, prepare an annual nutrientmanagement plan and limit euentapplications to the eld of concern.“I’ve been happy to jump throughWATER WOES nfrom 9the hoops for those previous twoyears,” he says. “A lot of this stu,when this thing rst started, it actuallymade me a better farmer.”The nutrient management plan thegovernment required was a helpfulexercise, and prompted him toincrease his land holdings toaccommodate euent from his herd.“I’ve probably double the land Ineed now,” he says. “I was soconcerned that they weren’t going tolet me put any nutrients on the eld… that I started looking into theseother other elds.”The compliance order was cancelledthis past May, and pollution abatementorders issued to the Jansens and eightother farms in the valley. Designed toaddress immediate risks to humanhealth and the environment, the neworder required that the farmimplement a monitoring program andaction plan to address thecontamination the ministry hadreasonable grounds to believe wasleaching into the local aquifer.Jansen has spent approximately$70,000 to date drilling ve monitoringwells. While other farms are contestingthe orders, with one winning acancellation, the total cost to localproducers to implement monitoringprograms could be well in excess of$200,000.Unlike the management plans thathelped him do his job better, Jansensaid the wells are a cost with no benet– though they might help everyoneunderstand what’s taking placebeneath the ground.“We’re going to be on the forefrontof what goes in ag and nutrientmanagement, because I don’t know ofanybody who’s gone through the stuwe’ve gone through,” he says.Uncertain futureJansen doesn’t know what will comenext, regardless of whether thegovernment nds the nitrates arecoming from his farm or someoneelse’s, or a combination of severalsources.The environment ministry’s zero-tolerance policy regarding pollutionjeopardizes the signicant capitalinvestment he and others have madein the valley, and the eorts localfarmers have made to implement bestmanagement practices.Worse, the situation is playing out inuncertain times. Regulations regarding the dischargeof agricultural waste remain in ux,while comprehensive mapping andassessment of the province’s aquifershas only just begun. The registration ofwells is in its early stages, and hasdrawn meagre participation in its rstyear. There is much left to learn aboutthe volume and habits of the water thatows under our feet.“We can’t protect our groundwater ifwe don’t know what’s there,” pointsout Brent Mooney, a Fraser Valleynursery owner who represented the BCAgriculture Council at MetroVancouver’s recent agricultural waterforum.Jansen hopes a resolution will resultfrom the time, eort and cash spent onwells, government studies, andconsultants’ review of the results that aresolution of sorts will be possible.“I’ve come to accept that we’re notgoing to please everybody, that’simpossible,” he says. “But I hope wecome to a solution between us and thegovernment, because they’re the oneswho control it.”However, it’s government that’s atfault, says Al Price.Blame for the drawn-outinvestigation of the matter and the factthat local residents still can’t drink thewater from Steele Springs, falls squarelyat the feet of government in his mind.“Nobody’s really blaming this farm,”he said. “Our issue is with the way thefarm is managed and that is directed bythe provincial government.”The mistrust makes Jansen uneasy.What happens if Price and othercritics don’t agree with the science thegovernment presents?“You know what the scariest partabout this thing is?” he asks. “If theydon’t believe the science and they justbelieve it’s me … I will be dealing withthis for the rest of my life.”CATHY GLOVER

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 11BCHA Secretary Janice Tapp 250-699-6466 BCHA President John Lewis (250)218-2537 WIN A TRIP TO VEGAS!Fall | Winter Booking ProgramProof of Qualifying Purchase Required; Some Restrictions Apply.www.watertecna.comLangley 1.888.675.7999 Williams Lake 1.855.398.7757Contact Your WaterTec Sales Rep To Enter Today!Diesel & PTO Pumps | PVC & Aluminum Pipe | Hard Hose Irrigation Reels | CentER PivotsGovernment has farmers thinking about leavingRegulations, nitrates complicate life for local growersby PETER MITHAMSPALLUMCHEEN – Whilethe troubles in the HullcarValley have thrust the Jansenfamily into the limelight,neighbouring farms have alsobeen aected.The province slappedpollution abatement orderson nine properties earlier thisyear, expressing satisfaction,“on reasonable grounds thatpollution is being caused bythe introduction into theenvironment of agriculturewaste.”Many say the moveviolated provincial protocols,and tarred all farmers with thesame brush.Three recipients of theA lack ofcommunicationhas created aclimate ofmistrust amongresidents of theHullcar Valley,says Al Price ofthe Save HullcarAquifer Team(SHAT).“Communicationhas been amajor issue, for sure,” hetold Country Life in BCduring a recent tour of thevalley. “For most of us, thattranslates to fear.”The breakdown incommunication beganwhen the Interior HealthAuthority issued a drinkingwater advisory solely tohouseholds with registeredseptic systems.“[It] should havepublished a notice in thelocal papers to reach thosewhose septic systems andwells were not registered,”he says.The local Splatsin FirstNation weren’t alerted tothe issue, either. Bandmembers didn’t nd outuntil late 2015, Price says. The fact that completelocal waterqualityinformation wasonly disclosed atthe order ofB.C.’s informationand privacycommissionerearlier this yearalso troubleshim.Price believesonly fulldisclosure of practices atthe Jansen farm will helpclear the air regarding theeects the farm – thelargest addition to thevalley in the past decade –is having on the Hullcaraquifer.Price hopes to form acoalition of like-mindedgroups, one that bringstogether those facing waterquality issues from theNicola Valley, wherebiosolids have been anissue, to Shawnigan Lake,where domestic sewage isan issue.“We all seem to beghting the same sort ofbattle, where thegovernment doesn’t reallycare what happens to ourdrinking water,” Price says.AL PRICEAn aquifer of mistrustorders challenged thegovernment; one had theorder rescinded.Ted Curtis, who operates afeedlot west of the Jansenproperty, launched his ownchallenge, arguing that theorders treat everyone asoenders rather than seek todetermine guilt.“We were blindsided by theabatement order as theMinistry of Environment hasnever indicated that CurtisFarms was doing anything toharm the environment,” Curtiswrote in a letter to B.C.Environment Minister MaryPolak provided to Country Lifein BC and other media outlets.(Curtis didn’t answer a requestfor an interview.) “The Ministryof Environment either cannotor will not identify the sourceof the nitrates and havedecided to blame everyonewho farms over the Hullcaraquifer.”Curtis noted that his familyhas farmed in the HullcarValley since 1974, and takes itscommitment to sustainablefarming practices veryseriously.“We avoid over-fertilizingand over-irrigating, andminimize runo from thefeedlot pens and elds,” hewrote, noting that nitratelevels in the three wells on thefarm consistently test below0.010 parts per million (ppm).Government’s handling ofthe issue has prompted Curtisto consider leaving,something he says he doesn’twant to do.“We moved here to farmand had no intention ordesire to sell o sections ofthe farm or develop it,” hesaid. “However, if our abilityto farm is compromised, wemight have to look at ouroptions.”Shelley Baumborough, whowith partner David Doranoperates Deerfoot Farm onHullcar Road, is alsoconsidering her options.Deerfoot sits north of theaquifer and didn’t receive anabatement order, however,Baumborough feels herproximity to the Jansenoperation exposes her toundue risk.Deerfoot holds CertiedNaturally Grown certicationand farms as close toorganically as possible. Risingnitrate levels in the water herpoultry drink and whichirrigate her market gardenisn’t something she wants tosee, arguing these could posea risk to both the livestockand consumers. Tests at the farm havetypically found nitrate levelsbelow 2 PPM, butBaumborough said it’s toughto know how the applicationof so much euent will aectthe environment.“If our nitrate levels rise,we’re not going to be able toraise healthy poultry on ourfarm,” she said.A lifelong resident of theNorth Okanagan, she feelscompelled to relocate toanother part of the region.“It just creates fear whenyou don’t know what’s goingon,” she said. “I want to stayaround, I just don’t want to bein that valley anymore.”BC LIVESTOCK PRODUCERSwww.bclivestock.bc.caFrom Rancher Owned BC Livestock Producers Co-operative Association. Proudly Supporting BC Ranching Since 1943.Special Calf SalesBred Cow/Heifer SalesThank you for the 2016 business, every buyers chair was lled. 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Country Life in BC • December 201612www.AgSafeBC.caUSE THE RIGHT TOOLSby PETER MITHAMRICHMOND – LowerMainland municipalities keenon food security shouldprepare for a 25% increase inirrigated crop acreage by2060, says one of theprovince’s foremost waterexperts.Right now, there are morethan 290,000 acres of irrigatedfarmland in BC. The best placeto boost that total in order tomeet future food needs is theFraser Valley, says Ted van derGulik, a retired senior engineerwith the BC Ministry ofAgriculture who now serves aspresident of the Partnershipfor Water Sustainability in BC.Van der Gulik made thecase for greater irrigation inthe Lower Mainland at aNovember 3 forum MetroVancouver organized toaddress agricultural waterissues.The quest for food securitycould boost the region’soverall irrigation demand to140.1 million cubic metres ayear from the present 60.7million cubic metres.The fertility of the FraserValley as well as proximity tosurface water make the regiona natural location for irrigatedacreage.The big question is who willpay to get water where it willdo farmers the most good.“It’s all about infrastructure,”van der Gulik told the forum.“It could be done if we had theinfrastructure dollars.”Bruce May, a cranberryfarmer in Richmond and Delta,agreed.“There’s no shortage ofwater; there’s a shortage ofpipes,” he said.Emphasis on drainageIronically, much of theinfrastructure investment todate has focused onprotecting farmland fromwater rather than developingirrigation systems.Some of the best farmlandin the Fraser Valley is locatedon the oodplain and thelatter half of the 20th centurysaw extensive investment indrainage ditches and dikingsystems that added to thearable land base.Many of the systems arebuilt to the ARDSA(Agriculture and RuralDevelopment SubsidiaryAgreement) standard, whichaims to limit ooding onfarmland to ve days a winter.Surrey drainage managerCarrie Baron said the city hasinvested more than $50million in drainage systemsand pump houses to date.The improvements wereoriginally intended toaccommodate vegetablegrowers but as the region’scrop mix shifted in favour ofblueberries, fruit growers tookadvantage of the new lands.Blueberries don’t like gettingMetro Vancouver farmers need water, but costs bitetheir feet wet, however,meaning drainage remainedan issue in some areas.The bigger issue, though,has been access to irrigationwater in the summer. Both theSerpentine and Nicomeklrivers are closed to new waterlicenses and have been for 20years but Baron suspects thatmany producers haveunauthorized connections thathave facilitated their growth.She said new farmers –whether new to farming ornew to Canada – need to beeducated about what they canand cannot do, as well as theirresponsibilities to other users.“We’re seeing people investa ton of money and theresource is just not there.”While a diversion of waterfrom the Fraser River has beendiscussed, such a projectwould cost at least $13 millionand as much as $50 million.Ongoing maintenance couldadd another $6,400 per acreannually in costs.“These are not easysolutions,” she said. “Water isnot an innite resource.”Or rather, the nancingrequired to get it to users isnot innite, with almost everyspeaker saying that the currentdistribution system isn’tdesigned for irrigation. Itsfocus is delivering water fordrinking and re suppression.Other uses are eectivelybeyond the system’s mandateand no one’s about to pony upmoney to support foodproduction, which drawsabout ve million cubic metresannually from the regionalwater system.Indeed, Metro Vancouverwater policy and planningdirector Inder Singh toldCountry Life in BC during the2015 drought that the ongoingemphasis on conservation isn’tbecause the supply of water islimited but becauseinfrastructure is costly.Singh said limiting demandis needed to ensure existingwater supplies go further andthat the system can eectivelydeliver water for thepopulation – not the foodproduction – to come.“We still will want tocontinue on with ourmessaging and consumerbehaviour aroundconservation,” Singh said. “Wecan build for more water [but]we don’t want to build soonerthan we have to.”Local governments have prioritized drainage, not irrigation

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 13by PETER MITHAMRICHMOND – Despite widespreadopposition to the George Massey tunnelremoval by mayors andenvironmentalists, engineers addressingthe water forum Metro Vancouverconvened on November 3 said theagricultural impacts are likely to belimited.The removal of the tunnel isn’t theissue, said Albert Leung, a hydrotechnicalengineer with Tetra Tech EBA inVancouver. What really matters arechanges in the river’s conguration.“We all know the Massey tunnel will beremoved,” he told forum participants. “It could openthe door to deeper dredging.”Critics of the tunnel’s removal – and replacementwith a massive, $3.5 billion bridge – fear dredgingwill occur to facilitate ship movements to inlandport facilities. This could allow salt water to owfurther inland than it already does, limiting theintake of fresh water for agricultural uses in Deltaand Richmond.This is a particular concern of Richmondcouncillor Harold Steves, a member of MetroVancouver’s agricultural advisory committee andbeef farmer on the western edge of Richmondoverlooking the Georgia Strait.Steves, who recalls when fresh water used tosurround all but the outer edge of Lulu Island – onwhich Richmond stands – already uses municipalwater for many farm uses. He doesn’t want to seeother farmers to the east prevented from using riverwater if the river is dredged.However, Leung said that salt water already owsas far inland as the Pattullo bridge, which connectsNew Westminster and Surrey.Any immediate changes in the conguration ofthe river over the next 10 to 25 years will haveminimal impact, but future changes – say, in 50 to100 years – could create signicant challenges.Right now, the river can accommodate draughtsof 11.5 to 13.5 metres but in the future, the dredgeddepth could increase to 16 to 20 metres.While this would allow a greater volume of saltwater to penetrate further upriver, the key issue isthat projected ow rates of the river wouldn’t besucient at peak tide to repel the salt inows.These inows form a wedge of salt water alongthe river bottom where intake pipes for localirrigation ditches lie waiting. When the tide goesout, fresh water prevails; at high tide, the salt wedgeis present.Under climate change scenarios, ow rates in theFraser River could fall while sea levels could rise byone to two metres. This means less water to pushagainst a greater wedge of salt. This spring, for example, the peak owrate of the Fraser at Hope was 6,000cubic metres a second but at the heightof summer, the ow rate was less thanhalf that.The long-term outlook is for anaverage ow of less than 2,000 cubicmetres a second.This could eliminate the availability offresh water in east Delta and eastRichmond.“We’re in a marginal position at timesas it is,” said Bruce May, a cranberrygrower who farms on both sides of theriver. While acknowledging that the federalgovernment wants to get products to market, hesays government needs to be aware of the impactport and port-related developments will have.“We want to make sure that everybody’s aware ofthe risks,” he said. “We have to make allgovernments aware of the risks of their decisions.”The risks are already quite real.Delta deputy director of engineering Hugh Frasertold forum attendees that the 80th Street pumpstation was shut down this past August when owrates dropped to 2,100 cubic metres per second andsalinity levels spiked.Fraser suggested that future intakes may bescheduled with the outgoing tide. A few hours ofintake might even be possible under suchconditions at ow rates of just 1,800 cubic metres asecond.Generally, however, higher ow rates are better.“We’re getting really good water 24/7 as long asour ows are 2,500 [cubic metres a second],” he said.Climate change bigger threat than tunnel removalFirst and Still Foremost.604-864-227334511 VYE ROAD ABBOTSFORDSTORE HOURSMONDAY-FRIDAY, 8-5 CLOSED SATURDAYSJD 250 SKID STEERNEW TIRES 12-16.5 $18,500CLAAS PU 380GRASS PICK UP12.5’ WIDTH $4,900UNIFARM CW4404 BASKET3 PT HITCH TEDDER $3,900NH H7550 MID PIVOT MOWER CONDITIONER13’ CUTTING WIDTH $26,900 CLAAS 3900TC MOWER CONDITIONER, 12.5’ CUTTING WIDTH $29,900JD 7450 PRODRIVE SPFH4X4 KP, 10' GRASS PU, 676 6 ROW CORNHEADCALL FOR PRICING.Pre-ownedTractors &Equipmentwww.caliberequipment.caLook to CLAAS for all your hay and forage needs and experience success across the entire harvesting chain. The CLAAS family of prod-ucts offers rugged durability and continuous reliability. CLAAS balersand hay tools have been leading the way with innovative technologyand an unparalleled range of features suitable for any size operation.Merry Christmas & Happy New YearFrom our family to yours ... CITY OF SURREY

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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 15Gillian Watt and Darlene Freding present the Bill Freding Memorial Award to Vicki Granberg, a rst yearstudent in the Applied Sustainable Ranching program, November 4. “This award in memory of Bill representstwo things that Bill exemplied,” says Watt. “They are his resilience and his innovation. These traits werethe foundation of how Bill ourished in the ranching industry.” LIZ TWAN PHOTOby TOM WALKERKAMLOOPS – The AppliedSustainable Ranchingprogram at the Williams Lakecampus of Thompson RiversUniversity moved into itssecond year courses inNovember, following a verysuccessful rst year. “If you ask the students, Iknow they will say it is the eldtrips that have made the yearso special,” says program co-ordinator Gillian Watt. “Ournal trip to the Gang Ranchwas an excellent way to windup the year.”Students lived and workedat the Gang Ranch, northwestof Clinton, for three days inSeptember. One of the largestranches in North America, theGang Ranch has been inoperation since 1860.The ranch visit was all aboutanimal care and featured astockmanship clinic by CurtPate from Montana. Studentspracticed horsemanship andherding, penning, loading andprocessing animals in asustainable, low stress andprotable way. “We all picked up sometips,” says Watt. “ I startedmoving cows with my dadwhen I was a kid but Patereally delves into the brainchemistry of a cow.”But the highlight for manywas living on the ranch andappreciating the full scope ofthe operation. Managers Larryand Beverly Ramstad extendeda warm welcome to thestudents. “One of the strengths of theprogram is that we are able toteach both the business andhands-on practical aspects,”Watt points out. Indeed, manyof the instructors are localranchers with advanceddegrees that support theiryears of experience.“We had just nished agrazing management unit,including building a grazingplan on a spreadsheet,” recallsWatt. “When we went out toRafter 25 Ranch to learn aboutfencing, there was a grazingplan on the wall of the barnand they talked about howthey are working with mobgrazing.“Grassland Equipment inWilliams Lake invited us intotheir shop and had their techstalked about preventativemaintenance – the things thatcan save ranchers money,otherwise known as gettingout the grease gun,” Wattchuckles.Ranching program marks first-year milestoneHighlight of year for students wasfield trip to Gang RanchWatt says the program wasdeveloped largely in responseto local interest for acontinued exchange of ideas.Part of the funding forprogram development camefrom the Cariboo Cattlemens’Association.A core group of about 12students are enrolled in theprogram at any one time. Butthat varies as students maytake each module separatelyor as a full course load. Thecourses are not sequential.Intake is available year-round.The program is designed to becompleted in two years butsome students may take fouror ve years to nish.“They may take a couple ofcourses and then leave towork on their ranch throughthe summer or pick up coursesas they can aord it,” saysWatt. “We had one studentfrom Switzerland take anintroductory course last springand she will be back in Januaryto continue,” she notes. “Wewill have students fromBelgium, South Africa andGhana starting in January.” That’s another of theprogram features. Studentscan remain in their homecommunity. The weekly day-long seminars are allconducted through videoconferencing, allowingstudents to participate online.And the seminars are alsotaped so they can be reviewedat a later date.“We have a videographeralong to record all our eldtrips,” Watt adds. “That’s anexpensive extra and shows thelevel of support the WilliamsLake campus is giving ourprogram.”The one requirement is thatthe students must be on aworking ranch while they arestudying, explains Watt. “About half of the studentsare at their home farms andhalf are billeted on ranches inthe Williams Lake area,” shesays. “The ranchingcommunity has stepped upwith their support and openedtheir homes to our students.”Billeted students exchangetheir 15 to 20 hours of workexperience requirement tosupport their room and board.Course work takes three tofour hours a day.“We feel there is a realopportunity to encourage anddevelop the sustainable, lowinput ranching style that theCariboo is known for and thatserves the consumer in BC,”Watt says.INVEST IN QUALITY®MatsquiAg-RepairAbbotsford, BC604-826-3281Noble Tractor & EquipmentArmstrong, BC250-546-3141 Noble Tractor & EquipmentKamloops, BC250-851-3101Visit your localKuhn KnightDealer today!KuhnNorthAmerica.comA MIXER FOR EVERY OPERATIONKuhn North America is committed to creating innovative mixers that will provide a quality rationand years of low-maintenance service. From 147 – 1320 cu. ft. mixing capacities. Vertical Single-Auger Commercial ReelReel AuggieBotec

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201616by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – Afterworking with and for BCfarmers for almost 25 years,Geraldine Auston has pulledup stakes and moved toOntario.“It is going to be a changefor me and my family but weare looking forward to newopportunities,” Auston toldCountry Life in BC. “I have lotsof great memories and amfortunate to have madefriends with so many people.It has been a privilege to workwith the four major berrygroups, the mushroom sector,many of the animalagriculture groups, livestocktransport and more. I amhonoured to have beentrusted by so many torepresent them.”Auston began her career asthe executive director of theBC Blueberry IndustryDevelopment Council in 1994,a position she held for over 12years. She has also beenexecutive director of theMushroom IndustryDevelopment Council, generalmanager of the BC FarmAnimal Care Council andproject co-ordinator of theCanadian Livestock TransportCertication Program.Most recently, she hasbeen general manager of theBC Hog MarketingCommission and BC PorkProducers Association (since2012) and the director ofmarketing andcommunications for the BCCranberry MarketingCommission (since 2006).“It’s going to be hard toreplace someone as talentedas Geraldine,” says BCCMCexecutive director HeatherCarriere, who also workedwith Auston during her tenurewith the BCHMC. Carriere says the BCCMChas not yet decided whetherto replace Auston and iscurrently looking at itsoptions, adding she expectsAuston will continue tosupport the sector. “She has a soft spot for thecranberry industry and willalways be there to answerquestions.”In Ontario, Auston isexpected to continue toconsult for MushroomsCanada and the Ag & FoodExchange, two of her otherclients. “In my heart, I will alwaysbe a BC girl and will misseveryone. I hope that fromtime to time our paths maycross as I move to Ottawa tocontinue consulting on anational level in my never-ending support of agriculture.I remain the city girl whomoved to the country andnever looked back,” she says.by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – After asuccessful three-monthprobation, Katie Lowe had the“interim” removed from hertitle and was ocially namedthe executive director of theBC Egg Marketing Board as ofNovember 1. “Katie has done a solid jobof managing the organizationover the last three months andhas the full support of theboard of directors and herfellow team members for thisrole,” says BCEMB chair BradBond.The BCEMB has had acheckered history withexecutive directors over thepast few years, with all but AlSakalauskas holding theposition for only brief tenures.The board’s most recent ED,Dwight Yochim, held theposition for less than a year.Lowe, who moved over to theegg board after a long tenureat the BC Chicken MarketingBoard over a year ago, hopesto change that.“I’m hoping to be here for along time,” she says. “It’s agood industry to be part of.”Since being named interimED in August, Lowe has begunrebranding the BC EggMarketing Board to make itmore responsive toconsumers.“We’re going to put a faceto our farmers. Consumershave a lot of questions and wehave to educate them as towho we are,” she says, insisting“we have a really good story totell.”She notes the industryneeds to tell consumers aboutthe robust food safety andanimal care programs it has inplace. Bond says that is part ofthe board’s eorts to become“more inclusive, transparentand engaging of itsstakeholders.” The BC egg industryincludes 120 producers with atotal of about 2.5 million birdsin production, an average ofabout 21,000 birds per farm. In2015, individual farms rangedin size from as few as 2,300 toas many as 119,000 birds.Those numbers continue toincrease as the board hasissued new quota three timesin the past two years.Lowe says the next fewyears will be “interesting” forthe board and producers,noting the Retail Council ofCanada has called for all layinghens to be cage-free by 2025.Auston pulls up stakes for OntarioExecutivedirector foregg board 1 YEARBCAC Member$100BCAC Member$285Non BCAC Member$200Non BCAC Member$5703 YEARBY SIGNING UP FOR A BC FARMER ID CARD, YOU WILL:CARD PRICING (PLUS APPLICABLE TAXES):Help support the BCAC as agriculture’s voice to government 1Receive great discounts on a variety of products and services2Have proof of your bona de farmer status3GAIN ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE FARMER DISCOUNTS AND BENEFITS!;OL)*-HYTLY0KLU[P[`*HYK7YVNYHTPZZWLJPÄJHSS`KLZPNULK[VVɈLYMHYTLYZHUKYHUJOLYZL_JS\ZP]LILULÄ[Z[VPTWYV]L[OLPYI\ZPULZZHUKSPMLZ[`SLThe BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) represents over 14,000 BC farmers and ranchers and close to thirty farm sector associations from all regions of the province. Our mission is to continually improve the social, environmental and economic sustainability of BC agriculture.The BC Farmer ID Card is available to all bona fide BC farmersMHYTLYZIssued by the BC Agriculture CouncilBC Farmer Identity CardEXPIRY DATE: No:Bona Fide FarmerBENJAMIN J. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 17Stories by PETER MITHAMDELTA – Since 2002, VillageFarms International Inc. hastapped methane gas from theregional landll in Delta topower a co-generation facilitythat yields heat for the 110acres of greenhouses itoperates right across thestreet, as well as electricity forBC Hydro.But the quality of landllgas is such that using thecarbon dioxide thecombustion process releaseshasn’t been a good idea. It’sdicult to make food-gradecarbon dioxide from theboilers’ exhaust, so VillageFarms has had no choice butto pump the gas into the airto the tune of 19,000 tonnes ayear.That’s the equivalent of theannual emissions from 4,000vehicles, or burning 45,000barrels of oil.Now, a study funded by theInvestment AgricultureFoundation of BC is looking atways to take thosegreenhouse gases and putthem to use for Village Farmsand other food producersaround the Lower Mainland.“[Landll gas] is very nastyin its components,” saysJonathan Bos, vice-presidentof asset development forVillage Farms. “The project was a world-wide lit[erature] review andfeasibility study on varioustechnologies that might beused to create a CO2 streamthat might be safe for peopleand plants.”Vancouver-based HallbarConsulting Inc. undertook thestudy in partnership with theSwedish Institute ofAgricultural andEnvironmental Engineeringand identied three potentialoptions for recovering carbondioxide from the exhaust.“We’ve shown there arethree legitimate options formaking this work with twoworld-class companies,” Bossays. “This isn’t bleeding-edgetechnology; this iscommercially availabletechnology that can bebrought to bear on ourproject.”The options includescrubbing the gas beforecombustion, which wouldrender it similar toconventional natural gassources, or removingcontaminants aftercombustion. Then, the carbondioxide would be collectedand maintained in a gaseousstate, or liqueed for storageand transport.While heat is a constantnecessity for climate control,plants don’t need carbondioxide around the clock. Thismakes the storage elementcritical.While capturing carbondioxide as a gas is ne for on-site uses, he would prefer tosee it cooled and liqueed sothat other local foodcompanies could use it.“The exibility of storagewith liquid is tremendous; it’sthe most exible,” he says.The project received in-kindsupport from gas distributorAir Liquide and the BC FoodProcessors Association toinvestigate the possibilities ofliquefaction and alternativeuses for the gas. The BCGreenhouse Growers’Association also lent itssupport.However, the big unknownis whether or not VillageFarms will have continuedaccess to landll gases whenits 20-year contract with thecity and BC Hydro comes upfor renewal in 2022.“Without the actual supplyof the gas, we don’t reallyhave any potential to do aninvestment,” Bos says. “Wewould never be able to dothat without some sort ofcommitment, long-term, forthe fuel.”BC Hydro didn’t commentprior to deadline butVancouver sta downplayedthe fears.“They’ve already got theinfrastructure in place so itdoesn’t make a lot of sense totry and go down a dierentpath,” Albert Shamess, thecity’s director of wastemanagement and resourcerecovery, says. “We’ll be indiscussion with them closerto the time the contractends.”Village Farms currentlyuses about 60% of thelandll’s methane, whichShamess says will continue toow well into the future.“Over time, as more andmore organics get diverted,there will be some reductionsin gas generation, but we’retalking many years into thefuture,” he says. “There’s lotsof supply for Village Farms.”Proudly 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 Admin cell: 604-789-7586PO Box 19052 Email: admin@fvopa.caDelta, BC V4L2P8 www.fvopa.caVillage Farms investigates carbon capture for food productionBC greenhouse pepper growers sawmarkets expand earlier this fall with the startof exports to Japan. Windset Farms of Deltais one of three producers registered to shippeppers; the others are Westcoast Produceand Sun Select Produce Inc.Shipments began on September 30,following an arduous 25-year battle to allayJapanese concerns regarding the risk of BCpeppers bearing tobacco blue mould to theisland country.Citing studies from the late 19th century,Japan had argued against the importationof greenhouse-grown peppers from BC.Tobacco plants at the Windset farm andelsewhere were monitored for a quarter-century to prove that tobacco blue mould,while discovered in the similarly moistenvironment of Puget Sound, wasn’t anaturally occurring part of the localenvironment.“We have proven to them through thisprocess that it doesn’t exist in nature in BC,”says Linda Delli Santi, executive director ofthe BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association.“Therefore, we are a pest-free zone.”But not all of Canada is. Growers outsideBC’s Lower Mainland are still barred fromsending greenhouse peppers to Japan.Growers within the Lower Mainland mustalso seek recertication each year to assureJapan that tobacco blue mould is absent. BC exported $90 million worth of freshpeppers in 2015, almost entirely to the US.The opening of Japanese markets could add$20 million a year to its export trade. Therst shipment of peppers hit the shelves of aCostco store in Tokyo.Peppers account for approximately athird of BC’s greenhouse vegetableproduction, which totals 124,000 tonnesannually. However, they’re the mostlucrative crop, with sales of $72 million in2014 – half the sector’s total receipts.Tomatoes, which account for 43% ofgreenhouse produce sales, have long beenaccepted in Japan. Delli Santi says theacceptance of peppers means that growerswill now be able to send two products,making better use of shipping channels.Pepping up exportsClean carbon dioxide is indemand across food industryTubeline Bale Boss Processors provide consistent shredding of your large square bales. With optionsfor loader mount and trailed units the Bale Boss line of processors has the right model for your application.^Bale BOSS 1 ^Bale BOSS 2 ^Bale BOSS 4Contact Tubeline for more information or to find a dealer near you.

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201618ProfessionalServicesView over 100 listings of farm properties atwww.bcfarmandranch.comBC FARM & RANCHREALTY CORP.Buying or Selling a Farm or Acreage?GORD HOUWELINGCell: 604/793-8660GREG WALTONCell: 604/864-1610Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI (2474)Call BC’s First and OnlyReal Estate Office committed 100% to Agriculture!Jack Reams P.Ag. Agri-Consultingv BC Farm Business Advisory Services Consultantv Farm Debt Mediation Consultantv Organic Consultant & Inspectorv Meat Labeling ConsultantPhone: 604-858-1715 Cell: 604-302-4033Fax: 604-858-9815 email: marlene.reams@gmail.comCONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEEDDustinStadnykCPA, CAChrisHendersonCPA, CANathalieMerrillCPA, CMATOLL FREE 1-888-818-FARM | www.farmtax.caExpert farm taxation advice:• Purchase and sale of farms• Transfer of farms to children• Government subsidy programs• Preparation of farm tax returns• Use of $1,000,000 Capital Gains ExemptionsApproved consultants for Government funding through BC Farm Business Advisory Services ProgramARMSTRONG 250-546-8665 | LUMBY 250-547-2118 | ENDERBY 250-838-7337GRAPEVINE, TX – The sales team atAvenue Machinery Corp. in Abbotsfordwere presented with the platinum awardfor top sales performance from KubotaCanada during the Canadian national dealer meeting in Grapevine, Texas in lateOctober.Avenue co-owners Chris Britten, Al Short,Dave Brandsma and Andy Mitchell acceptedthe award on behalf of their dealership fromKubota Canada president Bob Hickey. The Kubota platinum award recognizessales excellence for Kubota dealerships inthe western provinces. The ownership group recognizes thehard work and dedication of the Avenuesta and thanks all their customers for making this award possible.Avenue Machinery of Abbotsford receives national sales awardChris Britten, Al Short, Dave Brandsma and Andy Mitchell | KUBOTA CANADA PHOTOSURREY – Surrey-basedEvergreen Herbs Ltd ispartnering with Jaycee HerbTraders of Guelph, Ontariounder the new banner ofGreen Thyme Herbs Ltd.“Evergreen Herbs has alonger growingseason which hasallowed us to workout certaintechniques for nickyherbs and produce,and Jaycee has alarger importingoperation,” says Ron Brar,president of Evergreen Herbs.“It’s a perfect match and bothparties are really excited aboutit. This strategic partnershipwill also allow the discerningconsumer to purchase “Grownin Canada” products coast-to-coast for up to 10 months ofthe year.”Tamara LeighNiagara boundCHILLIWACK – Chilliwackpoultry farmers Brian andJewel Pauls were set to attendthe national OutstandingYoung Farmer event inNiagara Falls, Ontario onNovember 29 as this issuewent to press.The couple won the BC-Yukon Outstanding YoungFarmer competition earlierthis year for theirmanagement of multiple egg,broiler and turkey farms inboth BC and Saskatchewan.The farms in Chilliwackinclude 17,000 broilers and55,000 caged white and free-range brown layers.The couple is the secondgeneration of the Pauls familyto win the provincial award.Brian’s parents, Frank andEmma Pauls, won the 1990competition.Under the banner of thePauls Group, the familypursues a business model thatseeks to acquire family farmsand sta them with familieswho live on the premises. Thisallows them to grow revenueswhile remaining a small,family-scale operation on theground.Winners from OYFcompetitions across Canadawill gather in Niagara Fallsfrom November 29 toDecember 4 for the nationalOutstanding Young Farmercompetition. The winner ofthe national competition willbe announced December 2.Peter Mitham4-H BC and KubotaCanada announcepartnershipKELOWNA – Kubota CanadaLtd. is stepping up to support4-H British Columbia with athree-year fundingcommitment of $10,000 peryear. The contribution willsupport programs andinitiatives including YouthAction, Agri-Career Quest,Provincial Club Week andFood For Thought. Kubota Canada is alsooering a 1% discount onequipment for all 4-Hmembers in good standingand their families, and will beoering opportunities foryouth to learn about careerswith-in Kubota dealershipsacross the province.Tamara LeighAg BriefsEDITED BY TAMARA LEIGHFresh herb companies tounite under new brandSee BRIEFS page 19 oFor more informationor to pursue an ideacontact:Annette MooreB.Sc.(Agr), M.Sc., P.Ag.Ph: 604.309.3509E: qfirst@telus.netwww.qfirst.caQuality First in Agriculture Inc.Helping industry build practical & sustainable programsWishing you a veryMerry Christmasand a safe & prosperousNew Year!Wishing you and your employees a holiday season filled with peace & happinessCrystal & Barb agri-jobs.ca . 604-823-6222 . info@agri-jobs.caVisit our booth at the Pacific Ag Show!

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 19BRIEFS nfrom page 18Take moo to yourleader! 4-H BC hasannounced the winnersof their annual photocontest. This winningpicture was taken by 4-Hparent Sabrina Lydan,from the Matsqui 4-HHolstein Club. It will beone of 12 photosfeatured in the youthorganization’s 2017calendar which is beingmailed to all 4-Hmembers and association partners.4-H BC PHOTOBC Hereford tohost nationalconferenceKAMLOOPS – The BCHereford Association has anew executive for 2017. John Lewis of Courtenaywas named president during aconference call meeting inearly November. Greg Peter of Langley isvice president; Vic Redekop ofAldergove is treasurer andJanice Tapp of Fraser Lake issecretary. Rounding out thenew board are directors PhilBrown of Princeton, BobGowans of Kamloops, DonRichardson of Tlell, SheilaSolmonson of Vanderhoof andMaureen Ziemer of Lumby.Daryl Kirton of Abbotsford isthe Canadian Herefordrepresentative and MurrayGore is past president. The board agreed tocontinue to support both theVanderhoof and Williams Lakebull sales, April 8 and April13/14, in the new year. The association is installingnew signs at auction marketsaround the province, andplans are continuing forHereford Week in Canada, July17 to 21, when the club will behosting Bonanza 2017, thepremiere Hereford event foryouth members and theircattle, as well as the CanadianHereford annual meeting.Participants and cattle areexpected from across Canada.Cathy GloverTest subjectswantedLETHBRIDGE – Researcherswith Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada andLivestock Gentec are lookingfor beef producers interestedin taking part in a genomicstrial they say could helpimprove eciency and carcassquality in Canadian cattle.The trial was featured in theNovember edition of CountryLife in BC.AAFC research assistantMichael Vinsky says they areseeking hair, tissue or bloodsamples as well as the animal’sbirth date and birth weight.Samples will cost $45 each,Vinsky said.The trial is open topurebred and commercialproducers and researchers arehoping to attract a variedgroup that reects all of thebeef industry. Producers whoare interested in submittingsamples can contact Vinsky at[Michael.vinsky@ualberta.ca].Chris YatesThe New M7 offers superior hydraulics and sophisticated control to get the job done quickly and efciently. Kubota’s V6108 engine delivers 168, 148, or 128 HP (3 models).Power is the key to superior tractor performance, and the M7 has plenty of power. But when a particularly tough job demands even more power, the M7 activates its Power Boost, and the engine instantly delivers more power to let you nish what you started.CLEAN, DEPENDABLE, FUEL-EFFICIENT POWER —AND PLENTY OF IT.ABBOTSFORD 1.888.283.3276KELOWNA 1.800.680.0233VERNON 1.800.551.6411www.avenuemachinery.ca

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201620Thank Youto our Partners of the 2016 BC Dairy Industry Conference.The success of this conference is largely due to their generosity and commitment to the dairy industry.bcdairyconference.caOrganized by BC Dairy Association & BC Milk Marketing BoardESTABLISHED 1970

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC21by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – New BC MilkMarketing Board chair Ben Janzenfaced a full house of producers whenhe addressed Mainland Milk Producersin Abbotsford, one of a series ofmeetings across the province in earlyNovember. While it was his rst time atthe helm, Janzen is familiar to theindustry, having been an electedBCMMB director from 1996 untilretiring as a dairy producer in 2012.“It’s amazing what happens to theturnout when you drop the milk price,”Janzen said, only partly in jest.In June, the blend price bottomedout at just $70.37/hl, a drop of over$6/hl from the previous month. Theprice rebounded by almost $5/hl thefollowing month but has slid backdown again since, dropping to$71.48/hl for August and $73.25 forSeptember, the last month for whichgures are available.Janzen blamed two factors for thelower blend price: continued importsof dialtered milk and milk ingredients,and costs associated with an ever-increasing stock of skim milk powder. “Every $600,000 we transfer to theCanadian Dairy Commission (CDC) forpowder storage costs equals $1 o theblend price,” he pointed out.“The market demand for BF(butterfat) was up 5.65% in the lastdairy year. I haven’t seen numbers likethat in my time,” Janzen said, notingthe increased demand is coming fromboth uid and industrial milk classes.“High BF demand means more skimmilk powder,” he added.The National Ingredient Strategy issupposed to resolve most issues but istaking longer than expected toimplement. All provinces signed theagreement-in-principle in early Julywith hopes of having it in place byNovember 1. However, the CDC hasyet to approve it and Janzen expects itwill be at least February before all thedetails are worked out.Under the NIS, processors will beresponsible for all components of themilk they obtain, meaning the CDC willno longer buy back their surpluspowder. In exchange, processors willbe encouraged to turn the powderinto milk protein ingredients (MPIs)and milk protein concentrates (MPCs)and allowed to use them in cheeseand other products.It is hoped this will encourageprocessors to increase dryer capacityand update aging plants. Although theCanadian dairy industry can’t restrictimports of MPIs and MPCs, Janzen saysdomestically-produced MPIs and MPCswill be priced at the world price so“we’re hoping there will be noadvantage for processors to bring inimports.” MPIs and MPCs are now included inall Class 5 categories and two Class 4categories and represent 23% of milkproduction.Quota increasesAlthough the price is not as high asproducers would like, the increasingdemand means more quota forproducers. Producers received another2% quota increase at the beginning ofNovember. BC’s milk quota has morethan doubled since the turn of thecentury, with increases in the last threeyears totaling over 16%.While that applies to mainstreammilk production, there is even moregrowth in specialty milk categories.Janzen pointed out organic milkdemand has increased 11% in the pastyear. As a result, four more farms wereadded to the organic production list inthe past year and the board expects toadd another four organic producers inthe coming year. It also expects anincrease in the demand for grass-fedmilk, now being produced by only onefarm.Although it has been left to eachprocessor to set its own grass-fed milkstandards, the industry is trying todevelop national standards and anational certication program to avoida potential hodge-podge of standards.Roller coaster pricing for dairy producersCall the factory to find your local dealer.TEL: 403-784-3518www.rennmill.comRENN Mill Center Inc.RR#4 Lacombe, AB T4L 2N4RENN Mill Center Inc. has a corporate policy of continuous improvement and development; therefore models and specifications are subject to change without any advance notice.Jiffy Bale Processor• The exclusive Jiffy Rock-Not-Roll cradle• Cuts across the bale mixing the weathered outer layer with a green core giving better bale consumption• Only 14 bearings. No belts. No chains• There is no ‘wrong way’ to load a Jiffy Bale Processor• Available in Right or Left Hand discharge models• Optional Hydraulic Deflector Kit• Optional 44 bushel Grain Tank with Discharge Auger (shown)- Canadian MadeDAVID SCHMIDT

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201622A Firsthand Understanding Of Your Family’s Wealth PrioritiesMark Driediger, CFP, Senior Wealth AdvisorAssante Financial Management Ltd.www.MarkDriediger.com | (604) 859-4890 Farm Transition Coaching Customized Portfolio Strategy Retirement Income PlanningPlease visit www.assante.com/legal.jsp or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200 for information with respectto important legal and regulatory disclosures relating to this notice.Your Farm. Your Family. Your Future.celebrating Canada’s 150 yearsReserveyour tickets now!space is limitedSponsorsupport our gala new options availableWednesday January 25, 2017Quality Hotel &Conference Centreproudly sponsored by:To reserve tickets or discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact the BC Agriculture Council: info@bcac.bc.ca | 604.854.4483 | bcac.bc.caby RONDA PAYNEABBOTSFORD – Blueberrygrowers will soon have a newreason to walk their elds withsmart phones in-hand. The BCBlueberry Council is wrappingup work on the new web-based blueberry eld guideapp. Karina Sakalauskas is thecontracted research co-ordinator with the councilwho manages a variety ofextension projects includingthe new app for growerswhich will launch at the PacicAgriculture Show’sHorticultural Growers’ ShortCourse set for the end ofJanuary. The current guide (A FieldGuide to Identication of Pest,Diseases and other Disorders inBlueberry Fields) is printed onpocket-sized, eld-friendlypaper, but obviously is a statictool. The new web-based appwill allow growers to zoom inon pictures for better detail,watch videos for further pestinformation and receive thelatest updates to the guidewhich, as Sakalauskasexplains, was in dire need of arefresh.“Because the guide wasdone in about 2008, we haveto update the information,”she says. In fact, that version of theguide doesn’t even includethe Spotted Wing Drosophila(SWD).Funding provided byInvestment AgricultureFoundation of BritishColumbia (IAF) has helped tobring the project to fruition. Itbegan in 2015 when adiscussion about the uses ofsmart phones and technologyled to the idea that the eldguide could be adapted tomobile devices. Like the pocket guide, thisversion will have pictures ofpests, diseases and otherdisorders that impactblueberries along withdescriptions and details. Whileaccessible from smart phones,the app will be web-based,which means growers canaccess it from any phone ordesktop or laptop computer.This new, mobile-friendlyguide will replace the printedversion in delivery ofinformation on the biology ofpests, benecial insects,diseases, weather-relateddisorders, pesticide damageand nutritional disorders.“Every grower has adierent mobile,” Sakalauskassays of phones. “Developingan app is very costly; it has tobe developed for all thedierent phone platforms.”Functionality and useraccess were priorities indevelopment. Growers willbe able to download PDFsand other documents fromthe web-based app on theirphone, allowing them totake their device into theeld and reviewinformation. “We want growers tohave that information…without having anyinternet connection oranything,” she says.The guide is all aboutidentication.Comparisons are easier inthe eld, which is why thepaper guide was originallycreated. Now, growers willhave access to moreinformation and the ability toidentify issues with a tool theyalready carry – their phone. This online focus will alsomake it easier for a blueberrygrower to determine theirnext steps, according toSakalauskas. “They can easily get theanswer they need,” she says.“If they want moreinformation, they can go toour website. They can answer,“Now that I know I have that, what do I do?’”Growers will be betterinformed as a result of themobile app and can take theirndings to the berryproduction guide, eld rep orthe ministry lab to determinenext steps. Of course, some issues willstill require a lab test to verifylook-alikes but managementbecomes easier whenidentication is clearer. Thiswill allow for more tailored,precise and accurate use ofsprays and othermanagement tools for betteryields and improved fruitquality.“We want togive the growersmore tools inorder for them tohave a betterapproach to thesolution,” notesSakalauskas. “Therst thing they haveto do isidentication.”Feedback soughtAfter the launchof the rst version ofthe app, growers willbe able to use it,provide feedback viasurveys and helpsteer changestowards the nalversion. Updates willbe ongoing past theApril project enddate.Sakalauskasreceived input andassistance from awide-range ofindividuals to updatethe information andcreate the app. “It was a long project,” shesays. “It takes time andrequired input from a lot ofpeople.”Those individuals includepathologists Siva Sabaratnamand Vippen Joshi;entomologists TracyHueppelsheuser and CarolynTeasdale; Eric Gerbrandt; MarkSweeney; Doug Ransome; ESCropconsult; BCBC blueberrygrowers and executivedirector Debbie Etsell.The blueberry growers eldapp has the potential to beextended to other types ofberries in the future. There’s an app for thatBlueberry field guide coming to your smart phone

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC23First time winner! Davi Machial’s Red Delicious and Royal Galas were the judges’ favorites this year at theRoyal Winter Fair in Toronto. FAIRVIEW ORCHARDS PHOTOby DAVID SCHMIDTTORONTO – BritishColumbia may not have themost apples in Canada butthey certainly have some ofthe best.BC apples again capturedmany of the top spots at theNational Apple Competitionat the Royal AgriculturalWinter Fair (RAWF) in Toronto. The annual event attractsentries from Nova Scotia,Quebec, Ontario and BC. BC topped three of thenine commercial applecategories and all four of thenew varieties categories.Leading the way was DaveMachial of Fairview Orchardsin Oliver. Machial and hisparents, Joe and Anna, havegrown top-quality apples,cherries and soft-fruits since1979. A director of theSummerland VarietiesCorporation who entered theRAWF competition for the rsttime this year, Machial earnedrst-place honours in the RedDelicious and Royal Galacategories and placed secondin the Ambrosia category,which was dominated by BCgrowers. Repeat winnersFirst place amongAmbrosia apples went toMichel and Elma Labelle fromthe Naramata Bench area ofPenticton. After starting ogrowing pears, prunes,cherries and older varieties ofapples 35 years ago, theyhave more recentlyconcentrated on such newervarieties as Ambrosia andRoyal Gala. They clearly havedone very well at both as theirRoyal Galas also placedsecond in that category.These are not Labelle’s rstaccolades, having receivedthe BC Fruit GrowersAssociation’s prestigiousGolden Apple Award forsound horticultural practicesin 2013. Other BC winners at theRAWF competition were Billyand Shauna Boerboom ofWindmill Growers inSummerland (GoldenDelicious), Kashmir andKulwinder Bengag of theMariposa Fruit Stand inKeremeos (Aurora GoldenGala), Dave, Arlene and JamesSloan of Matheson CreekFarms in Okanagan Falls(Salish) and Jad Nijer of NijerFamily Farms in Kelowna(Nicola).BC not only grows goodapples, but grows them big.Devon Jell of Summerlandwon the title for the HeaviestApple at the competition, aHoneycrisp apple weighing inat 1.9 kg. How’s them apples?BC growers blossom at the Royaland bring home national awardsCIDC Check-offBCID Fund9WorkBeef atCheck-offProducer Check-Off Supports Beef Industry Projects.www.cattlefund.net | 1-877-688-2333Canada’s Verified BeefProduction Plus ProgramSimple. Practical. Trusted.Developed for producers, by producers.Let us help you show the good things youalready do for on-farm food safety,biosecurity, environmental stewardship,and animal care.Ph: 1-866-398-2848 ext 2 Email: VBP@cattlemen.bc.cawww.cattlemen.bc.ca/vbp.htmSEE US AT THEPACIFIC AG SHOWJanuary 26-28

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201624TIMBER! A faller works to take out 50-year-old Anjou pear trees inSteve Day's orchard in Kelowna. Planted by Day's father in the 1950s,they will be replanted with Bartletts in a high density system whichwill give a much higher yield per acre. TOM WALKER PHOTOby TOM WALKERKELOWNA – Resolutions, replants andrenegotiations are occupying the BC FruitGrowers Association (BCFGA) these days.The BCFGA annual convention is slated forFebruary 2-3 in Penticton. A number ofresolutions have been drawn up this fall andwill be nalized by the December 3 deadline.The proliferation of food safety regulationsis a concern to the organization. The BCFGA iscalling for a common sense approach andsupports a national program, such as CanadaGAP. Members are also looking for a moreconsistent, regional approach to AgriculturalLand Reserve decisions to avoid a patchworkof policy by individual municipalities.Increased pest monitoring is a priority aswell, and a deer cull is proposed. BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas doesn’tsee any of the resolutions as being particularlycontentious. “Some will generate discussion,” he says,“while others will clarify “Is this the rightdirection to move in?””For the third time, incumbent Fred Steelewill be challenged for president by Jeet Dukhia.Applications for the third year of the currentreplant program closed October 31 and Lucassays both the number and quality ofapplications is up.“We have had 170 applications this year.That’s compared to 140 last year,” he notes.The provincial government provided anextra $300,000 for last year’s program thatenabled all eligible 2015/16 applications to befunded. Only one application was denied.“Someone was applying to replant grapeswith apples,” he says.“I don’t know the size of the individualapplications yet,” says Lucas, “so I can’testimate whether or not we will have enoughfunding to cover all the applications this year.” Lucas says he feels the government isleading the industry toward better orchardplanning. “Putting the replant plans together can be ahassle but I think they put the growers in abetter place.” “(Ministry of Agriculture tree fruit specialist)Carl Withler gave a couple of presentations onhow to make the best application possible,”says Lucas, adding that any replant plan has tobe a good business decision on the part of thegrower. Replant assistance only covers aquarter to a third of the total replant costsgrowers incur to convert to varieties thatprovide a higher return. Progress continues to be made toward anational tree fruit rejuvenation plan thatproposes interest free loans to growers lookingto plant bare ground not currently beingcropped. “We have nalized the proposal and are co-ordinating how we will present it to thegovernment,” says Lucas “We are making asmany MPs aware of the proposal as we can. Sofar, they have been positive about it.” Columbia River treatyBCFGA continues to keep an eye on theColumbia River Treaty renegotiation process.The current treaty provides extensive irrigationopportunities for Washington tree fruit, onionand potato growers. Lucas says he isencouraged by the recent announcement thatthe US is ready to start negotiations.“There will be signicant changes to oodprovisions in eight years that will createuncertainty for the US and I think that, as thatdate creeps closer, the Americans have gotmore serious.“We hope that there will be continue to berepresentation from the Ministry ofAgriculture,” says Lucas. “The (BCMA) staposition in the provincial negotiating team haslapsed and we hope it will be renewed.” Fruit growers pack agendaTalk to a BMO Agri-Specialist for assistance. We’re here to help.ABBOTSFORDRandy Lam 604-504-4626Rick Tilitzky 604-504-4970Satpal Gill 604-504-4975Greg Ksinan 604-504-4647CHILLIWACKCarlie Fleenor 604-793-7256David Fuerst 604-793-7274CLOVERDALEIgor Koblizka 604-574-6885John Howard 604-574-6855Philip Kunz 604-574-6878COURTENAYCaroline Neumann 250-703-5330CRESTON / CRANBROOKChristine Cooper 250-426-1179 DUNCANRyan Wettlaufer 250-715-2705MAPLE RIDGE Roland Lazar 604-574-6890NORTH OKANAGANTeri Kopp 250-838-5820PRINCE GEORGE / NORTHAnte Cirko 250-612-3030WILLIAMS LAKEDarlene Campbell 250-305-6828Let’s grow together. Let’s grow together. DIANE MURPHYVICE PRESIDENT COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL MARKETS604-504-4980 diane2.murphy@bmo.comSTEVE SACCOMANOSENIOR AGRICULTURAL MANAGER604-504-4976 steve.saccomano@bmo.comIAIN SUTHERLAND, P .AgAGRICULTURE MANAGER604-504-4978 iain.sutherland@bmo.comLYNN LASHUK, P .AgAGRICULTURE MANAGER604-979-7827 lynn.lashuk@bmo.comCommitted to AgricultureUnder the Terms of the Bylaws of the AssociationMembers are Directed to Take Notice of the128th Annual General Meeting of theBRITISH COLUMBIAFRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATIONFebruary 2-3, 2017At the PENTICTON LAKESIDE RESORT, PENTICTON, BCTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 BUSINESS SESSION (1 PM–5 PM)• Annual Report of the Executive; • Financial statements, budget, and any Special Resolutions; • Annual reports of subsidiaries:• BC Research and Development Orchard Ltd. • Summerland Varieties Corporation;• Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations and companies;• Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration.FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 POLICY SESSION (8:30 AM–2 PM) • Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations & companies; • Special reports; • Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration; • Election of the BCFGA Executive at 2:00 pmSOCIAL - A Social will be held on Friday evening. All members andgovernment and industry organization representatives are invited toattend the social from 6 – 8 pm on Thursday, February 2 at thePenticton Lakeside Resort, Penticton. BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION office: 880 Vaughan Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4250-762-5226 (T) (250) 861-9089 (F) www.bcfga.comAll members and industry andgovernment representatives welcome.Lunch provided on Saturday.

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201626by PETER MITHAMABBOTSFORD – With morethan a decade of biosecurityexperience behind them sincethe cataclysmic avianinuenza outbreak of 2004that saw more than 17 millionbirds killed throughout theFraser Valley, BC poultryproducers have never beenmore prepared for anoutbreak than they are today.The big question is, will itbe enough?The limited outbreak of2014 tested industry defences,but panelists convened todiscuss biosecurity at a recentindustry workshop inAbbotsford highlightedshortcomings on the ground.Auditors for the four keypoultry sectors – eggs,broilers, hatching eggs andBC protocols praised but international experience shows that growers can't rest easyComplacency a big risk in the fight against AIturkeys – pinpointed anumber of areas whereproducers are becomingcomplacent.Demarcation and barriers atthe threshold of biosecurezones are often missing orinadequate, for example, andcontrolzones are notwell-maintained –not just forhumans, butfor rodents.SusanMallory, whoaudits turkeyproducers,said 43% ofthe cards she issues are forinfractions of therequirements for biosecurityzones.Broiler-breeder producerSharmain Bennie ofWillowgrove Poultry inChilliwack said she nds ittough to see biosecurityworking and that can lead tocomplacency, echoing theopinion of others that a gooddefense fails when there’s noobvious threat.Dave Martens of BrightMeadow Farms in Abbotsfordsaid that positive attitudes canblind producers to the riskstheir ocks face.Reporting on the 2015avian inuenza outbreak inthe US Midwest, avian healthprofessor Carol Cardona ofthe University of Minnesotahighlighted the dangers ofcomplacence and weakresponse protocols.The troubles began withdetection, with the initialproducer missing any sign ofinfection. By the time testresults identied the H5N2strain as the cause, 90% of theock was dead.The delay allowed the virusto adapt to the populationand become more adept atspreading, until the industrywas on the defensive.“We allowed [the risks] tobuild up with no ideaanything bad could everhappen,” Cardona said. “We’dlike to tell you we saved a lotof birds in how this washandled, but there’s a lot ofkinks to be worked out.”The kinks were costly, with43 million birds killed by May30, 2015. Iowa egg producersalone lost 30 million hens,contributing to a 120% rise inegg prices locally and a boostof more than 70% inCalifornia. US poultry exportswere also hit with 16 marketsshut in response to theoutbreak.Cardonasaid theMinnesotaindustry isinvesting inadditionalfoamers andothermeasures toensure thepromptdepopulationof infected ocks but betterbiosecurity protocols are alsoneeded.“Part of it is preservingbiosecurity,” she said. “Weknow that if we don’t killthem, millions more will bedead.”Global issueUnfortunately, global will toeradicate the disease andimprove biosecurity is lacking.Tighter biosecurity inChina, for example, woulddestabilize local production,which would have politicalconsequences for thecountry’s leadership.Authoritarian and grapplingwith an economic slowdown,it isn’t about to invite furtherinstability.However, this facilitates themovement of the virusbetween populations and itsadaptation to domestic ocks.The highly pathogenic H5N2strain that emerged in BC in2014 is thought to have comefrom Asia, highlighting theglobe-trotting nature of thevirus.Moreover, the amount ofvirus needed to infect apopulation is diminishing,contributing to the volatileand unpredictable riskproducers face.“The threat is changing andit’s becoming greater,”Cardona said. “It’s time torethink how we dobiosecurity. … Are we reallylearning the lessons the factsare teaching us?”Cardona didn’t have ananswer, and while she praisedthe local industry, hercounterparts in BC were nomore condent of what liesahead.Allan Cross, a hatching eggproducer and broiler growerin Aldergrove who overseescontrol eorts as part of theindustry’s emergencyoperations centre, said rapiddestruction of ocks is what’swanted.“Our new goal is completedestruction within 24 hoursafter detection,” he said. “Ifwe respond fast enough, wecan minimize the exposuretime.”Growers should have 72-hour response plans in place,Cross said, and improve on-farm data collection so theyknow what’s happening intheir ocks. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 27Tractor safety trainingfor all farmers in BC, at no cost!www.AgSafeBC.caAgSafeFORMERLY FARSHABook today!Call: 1.877.533.1789 Contact@AgSafeBC.caTRAINING CO-SPONSORED BYPoultry farmers should worry less about wild birds ying overhead and focus on limiting contact betweenocks on the ground, both wild and domestic. FILE PHOTOby PETER MITHAMABBOTSFORD – Biosecuritytrumps birds when it comes toghting avian inuenza,according to several speakersat an industry workshop inAbbotsford on October 20.“The evidence thatmigratory waterfowl are themain point of introduction, Idon’t agree with it,” declaredArmando Mirande, principal ofSupervet Inc., a poultryconsulting rm just outsideHouston, Texas. “The evidenceagainst them is circumstantialat best.”Mirande capped a day ofpresentations with a high-powered talk that targetedeverything from corruption inhis native Mexico, where avianinuenza is endemic, tounhelpful practices amongproducers.While interactions betweenwaterfowl and domestic ocksare a risk factor, wild birdshave become a kind ofscapegoose that take theblame for lax biosecurityprotocols and other practicesthat create favourableconditions for the spread ofdisease.While it’s becomepolitically and sociallyacceptable to blamemigratory birds, Mirande saidthis has also divertedattention from the old target:live bird markets where birdsare kept in close proximity.Similarly, no one is addressingbackyard ocks which canlegally number as many as3,000 birds.Moreover, the movementof birds within Mexico (toplants that grant sick birds aclean bill of health), not tomention litter – a cheapsource of protein for feedlotcattle in northern Mexico – aremajor risk factors thatconceivably contribute to thespread of the disease.Stronger biosecurityprotocols on the groundcould do far more to combatthe disease than casting eyesto the skies, where DanielSchwartz, a biosecurityspecialist with the CanadianFood Inspection Agency, saidthe sight of geese aboveshouldn’t ll farmers withalarm.In one of the morefascinating facts of the day,Schwartz said Canada geesetypically don’t engage inexcretion while ying. Rather,they do so prior to take oand once every four to veminutes while foraging.Schwartz reassuredproducers that neither theynor their ocks are likely to bepelted with virus-laden poopfrom airborne fowl.The greater danger – as inMexico and elsewhere – lies inthe close proximity of wildand domestic birds, and thehigh concentration ofdomestic ocks throughwhich avian inuenza, onceit’s taken hold in a population,can spread.Victoria Bowes, a diagnosticavian pathologist with the BCMinistry of Agriculture, toldproducers that wild birds aretypically a stable reservoir oflow-pathogenic avianinuenza. Because the virushas evolved with thepopulation “since forever,”there’s a relatively peacefulcoexistence between the two.The greater dangeremerges when birdpopulations start mingling.It’s ne and dandy for birdsof a feather to ock together,but when viruses jump to anew population, the risksincrease.The virus’ presence inwaterfowl doesn’t guaranteeits leap to domestic ocks butregular contact between thetwo groups helps the virusadapt into a risk to domesticbirds.Avian inuenza has beenfound in 20 of 42 migratoryspecies, with strains H3, H4,H6 and H11 being the mostcommon. Yet, not everyspecies will be aected thesame way and even if thevirus is found, it doesn’tnecessarily mean that thespecies itself is a stablereservoir of the virus.The variables make ittough to predict thelikelihood or theconsequences of a jumpbetween populations. A casein point is the 2014 outbreakin BC, when birds from Asiavery likely introduced a newstrain of the virus. Producersfaced a potentiallyunpredictable element,demanding a promptresponse.“You have to be continuallymonitoring, because thingsdo change,” Bowes said.The high concentration ofpoultry farms in the FraserValley makes it a particularlysusceptible area fortransmission and adaptationof the virus, requiring a betterunderstanding of the exactdynamic at play veryimportant.“We can be proud of thefact that we’ve had earlydetection,” Bowes said, notingthat lab capacity has typicallyexceeded the number ofincoming samples. “That maynot happen next time.”Don’t blame the birdsBiosecurity key to the spread andprevention of avian influenzaFEBRUARY 3 - 4, 2017 . PORT ALBERNI, BC . WWW.IASHOW.CA . 250.748.0822 . COWEX@SHAW.CAVancouver Island’s Largest Agriculture Event of the YearJoin farmers and agri-food producers to discover the latest in innovative technology, equipment and the business of agriculture . Conference registration at www.iashow.ca.

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201628“To the consumer, ourstory doesn’t existuntil we tell it.”Andrew Campbell, AgvocateDairy ProducerLearn more at AgMoreThanEver.ca.Be somebody who does something. Be an agvocate.by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – In February 1958, Country Life inBC ran an ad (at right) for Rump & Sendall, then aprominent Fraser Valley chick hatchery, advertisingthe Ames In-Cross layer as being 58 years ahead ofits time. In a hyperbole common to advertising atthe time, the ad proclaimed the Ames In-Crosswould put poultry producers into 2016!Informed of the ad, George Gray of Pacic PrideChicks in Abbotsford could only laugh.“Where are they now?” he asked rhetorically,noting the Ames layer hasn’t existed for decades,and probably for good reason. Just ve years after this ad appeared, Ames In-cross was swallowed up by DeKalb, anotherprominent line of layers at the time. AlthoughDeKalb outlasted Ames, they too exited the poultry(and hog) genetics business in the mid-1990s andtheir stock is now part of Hendrix Genetics of theNetherlands.Although the Ames name has disappeared, theDeKalb, Shaver and H&N Chicks names, all fromprominent North American layer poultry breedingcompanies in the mid 20th century, remain buttheir ownership now rests in Europe.“There are no longer any Shaver or DeKalbbreeders in North America,” Gray says. He notesHendrix (DeKalb, Shaver & ISA), the Erich WesjohannGroup in Germany (Hyline-Lohman & H&N) andGroupe Grimaud in France (Novogen) are now thethree primary sources of layer product in the world. “When I started selling chicks in the 1970s, Shavercame out with the Shaver 288. Their goal was to produce 288 eggs in a cycle butfarmers were lucky to get 270 eggs,” Gray recalls. “Today, if a producer isn’tgetting 340 eggs, they wonder what’s wrong with their ock.Birds today are more ecient. They have been bred for persistence, shellquality and livability. Now producers expect 2.5%mortality for the life of the ock but back then, amortality rate of 12% was commonplace.“The French and German product is almostbeyond belief,” Gray says, claiming farmers from1958 wouldn’t recognize today’s layers andcertainly wouldn’t believe the rates of productionand mortality producers now enjoy. When he started, hatcheries gave trophies toproducers who could get their ocks to produce at90% for 12 weeks.“Now, if you aren’t getting 97% until well pastweek 50, you’re doing something wrong. I have oneproducer who’s shipping his birds out in two weekswho’s still getting 90% production from his ock.”Pacic Pride was selling H&N Chicks until twoyears ago but have now switched to the Novogenbird, Gray calling Novogen “the latest poultrygenetics in Europe.” Both he and his boss, Marvin Friesen, noteNovogen has been proactively breeding birds foraviaries, free range and free run systems, sayingthat is the direction the industry is going.Friesen notes their main competitor in BC, HylineInternational, “is struggling now because theirgenetics has been focused on cage production. Allof us in the layer chick business have to look fortraits which birds bred for cages have lost over theyears.”Gray says breeders are also breeding for morelongevity in their ocks. Although BC poultryproducers expect 52 to 56 weeks of productionfrom their ocks (since birds start to lay at 18 to 20weeks of age, that translates to a ock age of 70 to 76 weeks), he says that willincrease.“The primary breeder manuals have gone from 72 to 90 weeks. That’s nowconsidered a single ock.”Poultry farmers in 1958 wouldn’t recognize today’s birds

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 29by CHRIS YATESQUICK – In an information-packed two-hour presentationto 60 Bulkley Valley cattlemenrecently, Alberta-based beefand forage specialist BarryYaremcio both supported anddebunked some of thecommon wisdom amonglivestock producers. Theaudience was interested andengaged as they were told,among many other things,that loose minerals are bestfor cattle in winter; next bestis the brown or green blocksand the blue blocks are greatto use as a door stop.The specialist started byreminding ranchers that cattlecan eat, breathe and drink ontheir own but “we’reresponsible for the balance ofthe rations.” He added that cattle dohave a craving for salt and willcontinue to eat it until they’vehad enough. Then, he wenton to outline the who, what,when, where and why offeeding to support a healthyand protable herd.All feed should be tested,he insisted, for protein,calcium, phosphorous,magnesium, potassium andsodium. “You want about 20 coresamples from a batch of hayto have a good representativesample.”NIR (Near Infra Red) andwet chemistry are used to testfor minerals in forage andaccording to Yaremcio, “wetchemistry is the standard.There’s no dierence in resultsin protein (between the twomethods) but there’s a bigdierence in calcium,magnesium and phosphorous,which makes a big dierencein what minerals you use tosupplement the cows.” For themost accurate information,livestock producers should asktheir lab for analysis by wetchemistry if possible.He also addressed thedesirability of testing for AcidDetergent Fibre (ADF) tocalculate energy content andsaid that a mixed hay samplefrom the Edmonton area in1996 showed a loss of 1% to1.5% protein per week and 2%to 4% Total DigestibleNutrients (TDN) after heading.Producers testing a purealfalfa crop can rely on theRelative Feed Value (RFV)results on their forage butanyone testing mixed alfalfaor mixed grasses should lookto feed test results for areliable evaluation.The formula for calculatingenergy values varies from labto lab and can result in a vepoint dierence for the sameforage, Yaremcio says. Hesuggests ranchers rely on theirown observations and weighgrowing animals to keep trackof how they’re doing.As a beef specialist,Yaremcio stressed theimportance of a cow’s bodycondition score (BCS)throughout the year. “Get the cows into shape inthe fall before it gets cold,” hesaid. “Up to one bale per cowless feed is needed for winterwith a good fall BCS. If they’rein good shape, you can bringthe weight down beforecalving.” A cow in late pregnancy,however, needs feed with 60%TDN, he said, adding if theTDN is lower than that in theforage, ranchers shouldsupplement the ration to getit to 60%. He added additionalrations can be necessaryduring harsh weatherconditions.He emphasized theimportance of managing theherd to develop strongheifers, keep body scores upand provide the mineralsnecessary to ensure goodcalving and colostrumproduction for calves. Hesuggested a herdmanagement computerprogram such as CowBytes,available from the AlbertaMinistry of Agriculture andForestry for $50, to determinehow to eectively supplementan individual herd based onits feed analysis.The audience was toldwhen and how to harvest,which minerals and vitaminsto feed and to whom, salt andmineral supplementation (100cows should consume onebag of salt/mineral mix a week;cows crave salt not minerals),best storage methods for hayand silage, dry hay feedingcosts compared to stockpiledforage grazing, and muchmore. He also oered to helpthose with individualquestions by email[Barry.Yaremcio@gov.ab.ca].“I don’t acknowledgeborders,” he said. “I’ve talkedto people from all over theworld, including Egypt.”Yaremcio commended theBulkley Valley CattlemenAssociation for hosting theannual eld day and said itwas gratifying to see so manypeople in attendance,including some young facesamong the crowd. Angusbreeders Monty and TanyaBelsham of Poplar MeadowsRanch in Quick provided thevenue for the event in theirspacious sale barn, andnancial support came fromGrowing Forward 2, BulkleyValley Cattlemen, BulkleyValley Dairymen and the BCHorn Levy.Know what you’re feedingBeef cattle specialist says taking time to testfeed will improve herd health and profitsAlberta beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio examines an unusual third crop of alfalfa on a farm in theBulkley Valley in early October. Yaremcio detailed beef and forage management in a presentation duringthe Bulkley Valley Cattlemen Association’s annual eld day. CHRIS YATES PHOTOWishing you and your family avery Merry Christmas andHappy New Year!MEADOW VALLEY MEATSPROVINCIALLY INSPECTED ABATTOIR BC#3418315 FORD ROAD, PITT MEADOWS, BC V3Y 1Z1604/465-4752 • Fax 604/465-4744 • ashiq@meadowvalleymeats.comMARCH 11, 2017BC LIVESTOCK WILLIAMS LAKE, BCView the Catalogue at BUYAGRO.COMView the Catalogue at BUYAGRO.COMHARVEST ANGUSTom & Carolyn de Waal4174 Cowart Road, Prince George, BC V2N 6H9P: 250.562.5200 C: 250.960.0022tom@harvestangus.comharvestangus.comHEART OF THE VALLEY FARMS Brad, Aleta, Hayes & Cowan Chappell6409 Tsolum River Road, Courtenay, BC V9N 7J3P: 250.337.8097 C: 250.897.0619rdangus@telus.net orhvqh@telus.netSons & Brothers of these Powerful Bulls SellSons & Brothers of these Powerful Bulls SellHARVEST ANGUS HEART OF THE VALLEYHHH3rd Annual Bull SaleHARVEST ANGUS HEART OF THE VALLEYWith guest Walkerbrae Farms

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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 31by RONDA PAYNELANGLEY – Each year, theLangley SustainableAgriculture Foundation (LSAF)hosts a farm tour togetherwith the Township of Langley.Participants tour farms, learnsomething new and carry onwith their day. This year’s tour, however,was perhaps the mostthought-provoking to date.While the focus was on farmslocated on Bertrand Creek inLangley and the EcologicalServices Initiative (ESI) – alsoknown as FarmlandAdvantage – the informationand principles readily apply toany farming operation with abody of water and/or othernatural habitats.Dave Melnychuk, chair ofthe LSAF, provided context forthe group of participants whoranged from farmers topoliticians. ESI began in theEast Kootenays and includessix regions (of which Langleyis one) in the three-year pilot;2016 is year one. There areeight farms participating inthe Langley program withbudget to bring on two more.These farms allow access forassessments and monitoringof their ecosystems with agoal to create clean watersupplies, erosion control, pestmanagement and habitatpreservation.“We picked Bertrand Creekbecause it has uniquefeatures,” Melnychuk said.“There are positive thingsfarmers can do and are doingto look after their waterways.”Two of the farms alongBertrand Creek are 37-acreLakeview Farms Ltd. and 45-acre Kensington Prairie Farms,the two stops before aluncheon discussion of ESI.Dave Zehnder, program co-ordinator for ESI, spoke at theluncheon as well as at thestops along the way. At Lakeview, which is abroiler production and beefcattle operation, Zehnderpointed out some basicsabout farming, waterways andthe environment. “The objective of theinitiative is to maintain thehealth of the riparian area andimprove it wherever possible,”he said. “Water quality isbetter when the [creek] bankis stable. We want to havegood healthy vegetationEcology and farmingLangley farm tour puts spotlighton habitat restoration projectsbeside the creek.”A number of indicators areexplored at each participatingfarm site to determine thehealth of the creek. Healthytree roots – alder, birch andmaple are the most preferable– help hold the bank in place.Invasive plants like ivy andblackberries, which seem tobe aggressive in their roots,actually have shallow rootsystems and are poor atretaining soil while they chokeout desired riparian species.Fencing needs to be set backfrom the bank edge, both forthe safety of animals as well asfor the ongoing safety of thecreek. Zehnder understands fullythe sacrice farmers make bygetting involved in theprogram and contributing tothe health of the creek. “Financial experts areanalyzing the costs of this forthe farmer,” he said. “We arecontracting farmers to takeextraordinary actions. Moreand more, we will depend onfarmers to provide thisservice.”Farmers in the programreceive a small amount ofmoney for their participation.Zehnder knows the funding tofarmers will need to change asthe value is considered morecarefully throughout theprogram.“There is an incentive; it’sreally a token,” Melnychuk saidof the compensation. “Overthe three-year period, weneed to address what is thetrue value of good sh habitat.I think we have really goodpotential to work with farmsand the environment to dosome really good stu.”Overall, the site at Lakeviewwas seen as excellent. In fact,when Melnychuk and Zehndervisited in their rstassessment, they saw asalmon jump out of the creek. “It was the best day of myjob,” said Zehnder. “I wasreally excited to have thatexperience.”The property’s owner,Everett Friesen and his son,Rob, were on site to answerquestions as well. “I always wanted a salmon-bearing stream,” Friesen said.“It was a thrill to have salmonhere. I want to keep itpristine.”Different situationKensington Prairie Farms,which breeds alpacas andcattle, has a very dierentsituation to contend with.Owner Catherine Simpsonnoted there is work to bedone on the creek here. Thereare lots of blackberries and ivywhich have killed trees andcaused the fences to bemoved three times. “I actually had an alpacadown the bank,” she said.“What the ivy doesn’t get, thebeavers are getting.”Here, the erosion is to thepoint of being dangerous andSimpson believes it hasincreased exponentially overthe 12 years she has been onthe property. 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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201632said Melnychuk. “There’s aspot upstream by the housewhere the bank erosion ismuch more severe.”Something has to be doneto prevent safety issues to theSimpsons, the animals and thecreek. Erosion of the bankcauses sediment and thiscreek is habitat not only forsalmon but also other muchmore rare species accordingto Mike Pearson, biologist withPearson Ecological.“Ecologically, this is a veryimportant property,” Pearsonsaid. “The Nooksack Dace andSalish Sucker [bothendangered] are at riskbecause there is only a smallarea they populate.”Melnychuk notes there willbe a combination ofapproaches used in thissection of Bertrand Creekincorporating trees and othermethods. “We think of it [trees] as alow-tech solution,” he said.“That low-tech solution isbetter or complementary tothe high-tech. We’ll startECOLOGY & FARMING nfrom page 31where it’s more critical, thenmove on.”Simpson is optimistic aboutthe ESI program and how itcan help deal with the issuesfaced on her property. “We were going to have todo something anyway,” shesaid. “So I think this is great. I’dlike to see the program goacross the province andacross the country.”In Simpson’s case, she willbe paying for the majority ofthe repairs to the bank but themoney from the program andthe advice certainly help. Funding“Funding is of primaryconcern,” noted Zehnder.“Unfortunately, creeks andstreams aren’t seen like a roador a sewer when those arebuilt or repaired.”He further explained thatwhile this is simply a researchand development phase ofwhat will hopefully be a futureprogram, the ultimate goal isa larger roll-out. “Farms aect so muchmore than food production,”he said. “The humanpopulation is going throughthe roof and if we don’t get[preservation programs forrural landscapes] right, we’rereally in trouble.”The end goal of the three-year program is to pay farmersto take the steps necessary topreserve land, streams andother ecologically valuableareas. By working with ESI,farmers will have one point ofcontact to develop the farmplans and prevent the needfor contacting multipleorganizations for input andthe funding. Once the pilot program iscomplete, Zehnder andMelnychuk believe there willbe a solid business case topresent to potential fundersto create a pool money fromvarious sources. Zehnder says it’s aboutpreserving the thingseveryone loves: shing,swimming and enjoyingnature while respecting thejob the farmer does. Better butterby PETER MITHAMLANGLEY – “You are what you eat,” and in the case ofCanada’s dairy products, you may be what the cow eats, too. A recent study in the Journal of Agricultural and FoodChemistry by UBC-Okanagan biologist Sanjoy Ghoshidenties Canada’s butter as having the highest level ofomega-6 fatty acids of any from 13 countries. Russia andBelarus had the least.Omega-6 fatty acids are most commonly found insaower, sunower and corn oils, all of which are used forcooking, as well as nuts and seeds. Canada’s Heart andStroke Foundation recommends its consumption inmoderation because it may lower benecial forms ofcholesterol. Other research has linked it to heart diseaseand certain cancers.Ghosh and fellow researcher Amy Botta set out toexamine the eect of incorporating of oilseeds rich inomega-6 fatty acids into the diet of dairy cattle. The pairexpected butter from countries with more than 5% of theiragricultural land dedicated to oilseed production wouldhave higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids in their butter.This turned out to be the case, impacting the quality – andpotential health eects – of butter on the generalpopulation.While milk consumption across Canada has fallen in thepast decade, from approximately 83.6 litres per person in2006 to less than 75 litres today (milk consumption in BC istypically 10 litres less than the national average), uptake ofother forms of dairy – especially cheese and butter – haveincreased.“Canadians consume more dairy than they didpreviously but they do it dierently. They don’t do itthrough uid milk; they do it through other dairyproducts,” notes Trevor Hargreaves, BC Dairy’s director ofproducer relations and communications.Ghosh warns that while the dierence in fatcomposition may be signicant, most consumers inCanada don’t consume enough butter to increase thethreat to their health. Still, the ndings are an endorsementof the diets of those who consider grass-fed livestock ahealthier choice for dairy and meat products.The ndings also support eorts to improve forageresources for BC livestock, such as the trials the BC ForageCouncil has been undertaking near Vanderhoof and workin the Applied Sustainable Ranching program atThompson Rivers University. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 33Okay. Here’s a Christmasquiz, herbivore style:When is a ower just a leaf?What are witches’ brooms?Where can the rstrecorded Christmas tree befound?For sure, Christmas is aboutChrist’s birth and snow andplum pudding and gifts andfamily gatherings. But it is alsoone of the most colourfultimes of year with all theplants we bring indoors anddecorate. Think of the rich reds,oranges and pinks ofpoinsettias, all the shades ofgreen of traditional r andspruce trees, the soft greensand pearly white berries ofmistletoe and the sharpgreens and red berries ofholly. All this isn’t by accident, ofcourse, and there are somepretty cool myths and storiesthat launched our love ofplants at Christmas.Poinsettias are native toCentral America and namedafter Joel Poinsett, the rst USenvoy to Mexico whointroduced the plant to the USin 1825. But the plant already had aChristmas connectionspringing from 16th centuryMexico. A poor little girl calledPepita was inspired by anangel to gather weeds fromthe roadside for Jesus’birthday and place them infront of thechurch altar. Crimsonleaves sprangfrom theweeds tobecome theChristmasplant, the star-shaped leaf patternresembling the Star ofBethlehem and the red, ofcourse, the blood of Christ. Coloured poinsetta leavesaren’t actually owers but areleafy bracts that will changecolour as the length ofdaylight diminishes in fall. Theplant needs completedarkness (at least 12 hours perday for at least ve days) totrigger the photoperiodismthat gives the leaves thosegorgeous red, orange, pink orspeckled colours. Some 75 million poinsettiasare sold across North Americain December with over twomillion sold in BritishColumbia, alone generating aconsumer spending spree ofover $300 million. About 80%of those poinsettias will be thered variety with 20% beingnovelty, designer-style or afunky avant-garde type. Thereare over 100 cultivatedvarieties. Celebrating the colours of ChristmasChristmas kissesBy contrast, mistletoe is notsomething you want to grow.As a hemi-parasite, it grows onthe branches of trees andshrubs and earned the ancientGreek name Phoradendron for“tree thief.” Trees infested withmistletoe invariably die fromthe parasitic growth. There are1,300 species worldwide and,in Canada and the US, thereare about 30 species. The mistletoe masses looklike tangled baskets and theyare sometimes called witches’brooms, great for nesting birdsincluding wrens, chickadees,mourning doves, pygmynuthatches, tree squirrels andspotted owls. It’s prettysignicant that, according tothe National WildlifeFederation, researchers foundthat 43% of spotted owl nestsin one forest were associatedwith witches’ brooms and 64%of all Cooper’s hawk nests innortheastern Oregon were inmistletoe. A tiny sprig is all you needfor that puckering up customof kissing someone under themistletoe. A Scandinavianmyth tells of Baldur theBeautiful, the god of light,who dreamed his life was indanger. His mother, Frigga,travelled the world askingeveryone not to hurt her son.But she forgot to askmistletoe. Loki, god of re andenvious of Baldur, used a dartpoisoned with mistletoe to killhim. Frigg’s tears became thewhite berries of the plant andshe vowed that never againwould it be used to killanyone but to bring peacewith a kiss on anyone whopassed under it. Oh! Christmas tree!Christmas tree farming is amajor seasonal industry.The plants we covet during the holidays have had a big influence on the colours of the seasonResearchMARGARET EVANSToday, British Columbiaproduces about 900,000Christmas trees and there areover 450 growers in theprovince with 200 in theKootenay area, 200 in theFraser Valley and onVancouver Island, and 50 inthe Okanagan and Thompsonareas. Nationally, some three tosix million trees are producedannually on 2,381 farms. The2014 farm cash receipts forChristmas trees in Canadaamounted to $64.4 million, up16.6% from $55.3 million in2013.Fir trees, wreaths andgarlands were in play asdecorative focal points tosymbolize eternal life amongthe early Egyptians, Chineseand Hebrews. But the modernChristmas tree is thought tohave originated during theRenaissance of early modernGermany. Its 16th centuryorigins are sometimesassociated with ProtestantChristian reformer MartinLuther who is said to havebeen the rst person to addlighted candles to anevergreen tree – maybe notthe wisest move. As for the rst recordedChristmas tree, it is on thekeystone sculpture of aprivate home in Turckheim,north-eastern France, datingfrom 1576. Turckheim isknown for its wines, Alsatiancuisine, stunning scenery,medieval wall and its black-cloaked night watchman. 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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201634by TOM WALKERKAMLOOPS – Joey Bedard isenthusiastic. He’s just completedharvesting and processing his rst fullcrop from Canada Hops, the largest hopfarm in the country at 220 acres.“We had a pretty good yield of 60,000pounds,” says Bedard. He explains thatincluded losing 20 acres that had to betreated for crown rot.“This was denitely a training year,”Bedard adds. “When we are in fullproduction, we hope to see 500,000pounds.”Hops Canada sits in an old horsepasture on a bench above the NorthThompson River, on Tk’emlups Indianband land. Bedard says he was lookingfor a large property to grow andsupport his hops brokerage business. “We had about a million in sales in 2015, buyinghops from other growers. I can contract out veyears in the hop world. Things were going good.” He had a small 20 acre hop farm in Ontario. “It just made sense that the next step was to growto supplement what we are buying.”“I approached the band to do just a lease and partof the lease agreement is that they want to see yourbusiness plan,” says Bedard. “And at that point, theywouldn’t let me lease. They bought me out and Iformed a partnership with the band. So I own 33% ofthe farm and brokerage, and the band owns 66%.” “The land is part of the band’s capital investment.We get the land at a good price for the rst threeyears,” adds Bedard. The elds are covered with 7,000 spruce poles. “We got ours for $6 each,” says Bedard. “TheTk’emlups Forestry Development Corporation wasdoing a thinning contract. The cheapest I foundshort of doing it yourself was US$35.” “There is about 2 million feet of wire up there totrellis the hops,” adds Bedard. “And 160 km of dripirrigation.” Bedard says there were challenges thatcontributed to the rot. “Part was issues with the irrigation system, the wetsummer, the contours of our land and a thick mat ofweeds that kept the moisture in.” The bench landhad been fallow for years, but when they began towater it, the weeds just exploded. “We tried 11 dierent hop varieties and fourturned out very well. We are going to be the onlycommercial growers of Sorachi Ace,developed by Sapporo breweries inJapan,” says Bedard. “It grew andyielded well and right now, it’s themost expensive hop in the world. TheYakima and Oregon guys are having ahell of a time growing it. It needs coldnights.” “Cascade and Chinook are denitelymy two favorite ones, followed byCentennial,” he says. “Even if Centennialdoesn’t do very well, it’s worth a pile ofmoney and it’s in high demand.” “I think Kamloops could beat the restof the world in Chinook production,”Bedard says. “It’s not very sexy but it’s inhigh demand. I think I can get 3,000pounds an acre and at $7 a pound,that’s a great harvester for us.”Established growing regions havebred plants adapted to their localclimate that need fewer inputs. “(Associate Professor of Microbiology) JonathanVan Hamme from TRU (Thompson Rivers University)is amazing. He is helping us with our plant genetics.We found a male plant at a golf course in a plantingthat has been there over 25 years. They don’t waterthese plants and they yield like crazy. We are tryingto breed Chinook with the local. Right now, for meto get 3,000 pounds out of an acre, I’m going to puton at least a $1,000 of fertilizer and a guy in Yakimacan get that yield from $200. That’s what we need todo.”“With the cool weather the end of August andearly September, it was like the hops waited for usto harvest them,” says Bedard. “I’ve never smelledhops that smell as strong as our hops do this year.”Kamloops home to Canada’s largest hop farmOperations manager Ian Matthews and founder Joey Bedard TOM WALKER PHOTO Top-notch seeds!OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS British Columbia / EvergroGurnaib Gill Fraser Valley gurnaib.gill@cpsagu.ca 604 835-3124Balkar Gill Fraser Valley balkar.gill@cpsagu.ca 604 825-0366Terry Stevens Vancouver Island terry.stevens@cpsagu.ca 604 883-5361Ben Yurkiw Fraser Valley and BC Interior ben.yurkiw@cpsagu.ca 604 830-9295OntarioWarren Peacock wp@norseco.com 519 426-1131 | 519 426-6156ManitobaGilliane Bisson gbisson@norseco.com 514 295-7202Maritimes Yves Thibault, agr. yt@norseco.com 418 660-1498 | 418 666-8947Customer service order@norseco.com 800 561-9693 | 800 567-4594Martin DeslauriersSales Manager Vegetable Division mdeslauriers@norseco.com 438 989-4863norseco.com

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 35by TOM WALKERKAMLOOPS – “Give it veyears and I think we are goingto see the same in hops as wedid in ginseng,” says JoeyBedard, founder of HopsCanada in Kamloops. “Peopleare just not seeing this”“There was a shortage ofhops in 2012 when Hop Unionhad a re in their warehouse,”explains Bedard. “150,000pounds were burned in there. It was just as the craftbrewing industry was peaking.They were the largestproducer in the States andthat was a third of theirproduction, so the market wasshort.”As a hops grower and abroker who sells on the worldmarket, Bedard has a goodperspective.“You can’t build a businessmodel based on $15 or $16 apound for hops and expectthe market to last,” Bedardsays. “That is the same ashappened to ginseng withgrowers who had smaller, lessecient plots. They weresaying, “Well, everybody isgetting $70 a pound so I amgoing to get $70 a pound.” “I think the market is stillrecovering from that re. Thisis the last year where therewill be a slight shortage. Therewill be a lot of hops but wewon’t meet the demand. Ithink starting next year, weare going to have a surplus.”Take Cascade hops, Bedardsays.“Everybody who starts ahop farm has at least someCascade. It grows easily andit’s great to harvest,” he says.“Last year at this time, I wasthe only one with Cascade leftover from the year before andright now they are sayingthere is 100,000 pounds ofCascade left from last year. Wewent from zero extra to100,000 pounds.” “When I started, you couldget $11.95 for Cascade – 12bucks,” he says.“I’m predictingthat for the 2018harvest, Cascadewill be worth vebucks a pound.It’s getting toopopular and toowell known.People whowould only useCascade becauseit was local arenow branchingout becausethere are otherthings available.”“We will growCascade for thepeople oncontract but Idon’t think weare going togrow Cascade onthe spot. We arestuck withmaybe 1,700 lbsfrom last year,which is not a lot.We will sell it. Iwould rather be out in Augustthan rushing to sell it inSeptember.”Lots of growersThe number of growers inBC has expanded quickly,Bedard points out. Herecounts a list from VancouverIsland, Chilliwack, Pemberton,Lillooet, the Sunshine Coast,up the Eagle River outside ofSicamous and topping out inHazelton, the most northernplanting in the province.Bedard says he has talkedwith other growers aboutcontracting his processingfacilities next year as thecapital cost for harvesting,drying and baling is asignicant investment for afarmer. But time is crucial topreserve the aromatic oils inhops.“The problem is, if I ambringing in my crop, I’m notgoing to give up myproduction space forsomeone else.” “We get every hop farmerwho is starting out comethrough here,” Bedard says.“I’m not the Negative-Nelly totell them don’t do it, but I askthem are you sure?”Are hops the newginseng for BC?Ian Matthews with a hops rhizome. by DAVID SCHMIDTDELTA – BC cranberry growers are onpace for what could be a record harvest.“It may be the biggest cranberry harvest,ever, for BC,” BC Cranberry MarketingCommission chair Jack Brown said in mid-October. “Quality is very good and allindicators point to an exceptional year forBC cranberry production.” Last year, BC growers harvested about amillion barrels of cranberries, up from850,000 barrels in 2014, and the BCCMCexpects this year’s nal gures to top thosenumbers.With about 85% of the crop harvested,“we are still forecasting a record BC crop,”BCCMC general manager Heather Carrieresaid in early November. There are about 70 cranberry growers inBC, with farms in Richmond, Delta, Langley,Chilliwack, Agassiz, South Burnaby, PittMeadows, Maple Ridge and on VancouverIsland. About 90% are members of theOcean Spray Co-op which has receivingstations in Richmond and Langley. Most ofthe BC cranberry crop is destined tobecome Craisins. The BCCMC notes BC may be bucking thetrend across North America.“Not all cranberry growing regions inNorth America have been as fortunate asBC, but 2016 appears to be ‘our year,’” itstates. Record cranberry harvest this yearTM Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Used under license, where applicable.As you celebrate the holiday season, we thank you for your business and wish you every success in the New Year.For more information on our complete suite of services, contact one of our specialists or visit us at scotiabank.com/agriculturalservices. You can also follow us on Twitter at @scotiabankB2B and tweet using #ScotiaAg.Kimberly Ross, M.Sc. (Ag.Ec.) Sr. Client Relationship Manager 604-302-2620 kimberly.ross@scotiabank.com Lee Gogal, BBA Sr. Client Relationship Manager 604-308-1657 lee.gogal@scotiabank.comTOM WALKER PHOTO

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201636TheWindemereFarmers’Institute hasambitiousplans for anagriculturepark. Firstphaseincludes anabattoir toservice locallivestockproducers,set to openin January.by TERRY FRIESRADIUM – A farmers’institute in the East Kootenaysplans to have its abattoiropen by the new year.Construction is almostcomplete at the site alongHighway 95 near Invermere,with a planned opening setfor January 1.“It’s just the nishingtouches we have to do,” saysHedi Trescher, project co-ordinator at theWindermere District Farmers’Institute.The small abattoir wasoriginally scheduled to openthis autumn but was delayedby zoning issues and theneed for high voltageelectrical hookups. With those obstacles nowcleared, the rst phase of theplan for a 23-acre agriculturalpark on the site can proceed.The plan would see theabattoir situated at the backof the agri-park, with asummer fair grounds andfarmers market in front. Thereare future plans to addinterpretive exhibits,equestrian facilities, a deli orrestaurant, and a grainprocessing centre.The slaughterhouse will beable to handle 10 animals atonce, with coolers giving it anoverall capacity of 22carcasses. In addition tocattle, it will be capable ofprocessing sheep, goats andpigs.While the facility isn’tdesigned to handle bigvolumes of animals fromlarger farms, she says theabattoir should help supplythe many restaurants, hotelsand other tourist destinationsin the area with local product.“The reason we arebuilding this is to give ourlocal farmers the opportunityfor some creative selling,”says Trescher.The Windermere plant willfocus on custom slaughterand wrapping, which enablesproducers to oer specialtyproducts such as hormone-free, organic or grass-fedbeef, says Trescher.The Windermere Farmers’District provided the land onwhich the abattoir is locatedand then raised $550,000 indonations to build the facility.The project also received$50,000 in grant fundingthrough the Southern Interior DevelopmentInitiative Trust.Even though the project istoo small to be of use for theTreschers’ Brisco Charolaisoperation, Trescher says theabattoir and agri-park willboost the economy of theColumbia Valley, from Goldento Canal Flats. She says it will assist those“hobby farmer-type people”who want to raise a fewanimals in an area well-suitedfor that type of production.“If you wait for help, youwait forever. If somethingneeds to get done, you do ityourself,” she says.From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas& Happy New YearVALLEY FARM DRAINAGE604-462-7213 | valleyfarmdrainage.comTo d dFarmers institute behind newabattoir in East KootenaysFacility is set to open in January by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – Hogs andbogs worked for GeraldineAuston. Now, Mike Wallis isdiscovering if it will work justas well for him.As of November 1, Wallisreplaced Auston as thegeneral manager of the BCHog Marketing Commissionand the BC Pork ProducersAssociation. He will continue in hisexisting role as manager ofthe BC Cranberry GrowersAssociation as both are part-time positions.“It’s an exciting newchallenge for me,” Wallis says,noting he already knew a lotof the directors from his rolewith the BCCGA (BCPPA chairJack DeWit is also a director ofthe BC Cranberry MarketingCommission) and his previousroles as manager of theRaspberry IndustryDevelopment Council and theWestern Agriculture LabourInitiative.His rst order of businesswith the hog sector is todevelop a new industrystrategic plan. He expects the plan tofocus on how to meetchanging consumer demands,particularly as they relate tofarm animal care and qualityassurance.“We held our rst meetingNovember 4 and will beholding additional meetingsthrough the fall and winter,”Wallis said, adding he hopesto have the plan nalized“early in the New Year.” Wallis named new hog boss

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 37by TERRY FRIESOSOYOOS – MaryAnna Campbell and herhusband, Jim, have run an orchard in the southernOkanagan Valley for 40 years. They’re nottransplanted urbanites who recently moved to thecountry for peace and quiet only to be abruptlyintroduced to the business side of agriculture.When they complain about noise from cannonsbeing set o in neighbouring vineyards, theyunderstand the business. And, they say, the noiseproblems are unnecessary.MaryAnna says six growers plus their orchardoperate in their immediate area, on the Black Sagebench near Osoyoos. Yet only two use noisecannons – one independent grower and Kelowna-based Mission Hill Winery.“There aren’t that many starlings around this year.Bird predation is not huge,” she says. Plus, shewonders why growers who are setting o the noisemakers don’t use netting to protect the grapes,as the Campbells do to protect their cherries.She acknowledges that ring cannons might benecessary at times when bird predation isparticularly high. She admits they have used them attheir own orchard on occasion. But, she says, theyused them only in the morning, rather than havingthem go o all day. She says the Mission Hillcannons were going o from 6 am ‘til dark and hadbeen doing so since August 20.“If they have enough money to buy the 50 acres,then I think they should have money for (netting),”she says.The noise became so pervasive the dogs on theproperty won’t go outside any more.“It is a hugely invasive thing.”Mission Hill did not grant requests for interviewsin time for this issue. Ultimately, the noise problem will solve itself, atleast for the short term. With the grapeharvest complete, there is no need to usenoise cannons. But next year’s harvestseason is likely to cause similar situations.That’s why Campbell wants the provincialgovernment to step in. She says theprovince set up the regulations to allowgrowers to use cannons, so it should answerfor it when problems arise.She has led a complaint to the BC FarmIndustry Review Board (FIRB) and aconference call was scheduled forNovember 9. She says she has tried to get intouch with BC Minister of Agriculture NormLetnick but received a form-letter reply.In an emailed response to requests for aninterview, the BC Ministry of Agriculture saysit would be inappropriate to comment on acase being heard by FIRB, an independentagency set up to hear disturbancecomplaints resulting from farm practices.Campbell says she wants tighterrestrictions on cannon noisemakers and shewants the province to nd ways toencourage growers to use alternative controlmethods where possible. She says the governmentshould explore the potential for a program to helpgrowers nance netting costs.BC Fruit Growers Association president FredSteele says he hasn’t heard of any other problems inthe Okanagan this year, an indication, he says, ofhow the situation has improved over the years.While he had no information on the Campbell’scase, he says the rst step in these situations is tosee if it can be solved neighbour-to-neighbour.He doesn’t agree with the need to get theprovincial government involved. Instead, he saysregional districts could work together to eliminatesome of the patchwork regulations that now exist.In a 2011 report, FIRB recommended localgovernments not institute bans on noise cannonsuntil they have exhausted all other means ofresolving conicts. It recommended localgovernments rst pursue other resolutions, such asexisting local noise bylaws, to persuade growers tocomply with the province’s Wildlife Damage Controlguidelines. It also suggested local governmentsadopt provincial Wildlife Damage Control guidelinesinto their noise bylaws or pass their own farm bylawto bring in added restrictions, which would besubject to provincial approval. According to agovernment website, these measures should make itclearer to growers that “non-compliance is subjectto bylaw enforcement.”MK Martin’s Pull Type snowblowers connect to your tractor’s 3PH. The hitch facing design allows you to drive straight forward pulling the hitch instead of backing it into the snow, allowing you to easily guide the blower around objects. This also means you no longer have to keep looking over your shoulder when blowing snow or driving into a cloud of blown snow.Enough is enoughOrchardist says propane cannon use excessiveMaryAnna Campbell wants grapegrowers to use nets insteadof propane cannons. OLIVER CHRONICLE PHOTOThe Silage Expertssilagrow.com1.800.663.6022 | office@silagrow.com5121 46th Avenue, Salmon Arm BCsSILAGE BAGS PIT COVERS BALE WRAP NET WRAP INOCULANTSCORN SEEDGRAIN & FORAGE SEEDNEW & USED BALING EQUIPMENTMerry Christmas Merry Christmas From

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2016381-888-675-7999www.watertecna.comMerryChristmas!& Best Wishes fora prosperousNew Yearfrom all of usat WatertecSee you at the Pacific Ag Show!by TAMARA LEIGHRICHMOND – WorkSafeBC, 4-HBritish Columbia and AgSafe haveteamed up to create two newagriculture safety videos that reinforcefarm safety information for thousandsof young people on BC farms. Thevideos, which will be shown at 4-Hclub meetings and events province-wide, promote safe work practices onand around tractors and other farmmachinery.“These 4-H members are the futureworkers, owners and supervisors ofagriculture in the province. We areconnecting with them now aboutsafety and giving them the tools theyneed to keep them safe in years tocome,” says Doug Pascoe, the industryspecialist with WorkSafe BC whospearheaded the partnership. “We sat down with 4-H BC todiscuss how to best get the messageout to their youth members and theysuggested that we create tractorsafety videos that leaders could useand put online,” he says, adding theywill be developing resources to help 4-H leaders speak to the videos in thecoming year. Over the last ve years, farmvehicles or machinery have beeninvolved in over 430 of the 2,700injuries in the agriculture sector acrossBritish Columbia. The videos highlightkey safety points for operating farmequipment, including:• Read and follow the user’s manualfor all farm equipment • Ensure the tractor’s roll-overprotection structures (ROPS) areup and always wear your seatbelt• Always keep three points ofcontact when getting on and oequipment• Wear high visibility apparel whenworking around farm equipment • Ensure all power take o (PTO)shields and guards are maintainedand in place The videos, 4-H Working Safely onTractors and 4-H Working SafelyAround Tractors, were produced byWorkSafeBC and lmed on location atthe farm of Albert and Dena Finlay inArmstrong. Farm owner Dena Finlayhas been an active member of the 4-Hcommunity since 1957. by TOM WALKERVERNON – My in-box pings with an email fromMichelle Tsutsumi reminding me of our scheduledphone conversation. After we speak about the workshe does with Young Agrarians (YA), I reect that thereis some irony in the morning’s conversation. While I amsure every Young Agrarian is more connected and techsavvy than I and a ping from their in-box is a frequentpart of their day, it is the personal connections – thesharing of ideas and the socializing – that brings themtogether.“That’s how Young Agrarians got started and whythey took o,” explains Tsutsumi. “A main thrust isfacilitating a personal connection. “Let’s get togetherin person; let’s share food together; let’s do some4-H BC partners with safety organizations to keep farm kids safeNew videos put focus on tractor safetyBusiness help for young farmersinteresting things.”“As regional co-ordinator for the Okanagan, my main role isto organize farm tours and potlucks and keep the networkingpiece going within the region,” Tsutsumi explains. “I alsoorganize the two-day mixer event in Kelowna in January.”Twenty-six Okanagan Young Agrarians spent a day in Vernonlearning and sharing about the business of small agricultureand how Community Futures can be involved in their plans.Hailing from Kelowna to 100 mile House, many participantswere starting up or on the path to farming, including growingcider apples, organic owers and making cheese.Clint Ellison is a business development specialist who workswith the BC Farm Business Advisory Service Program with theMinistry of Agriculture. He shared the basics of farm businessplanning with the group.Without plans or on-going records, you can’t analyze howyour business is doing, Ellison pointed out. “Yes, farming is a risky business,” Ellison agreed. “But thetranslation of the Chinese character for risk is actually‘dangerous opportunity.’“Planning will help you take that passion that you have forfarming and turn it into a living,” Ellison says.Community Futures loans co-ordinator Rob Short tookparticipants through the business loan application process andshowed them how to build and present a loan application. “What I have been hearing from people who attend YAevents is that there is a deep thirst for knowledge but there isalso a nancing funding gap,” says Tsutsumi. “This was anopportunity for people to meet Community Futures and theworkshop claried to me that they are really great for start ups,especially companies or businesses that don’t t into a box.” One of the participants had an appointment set up with thebank.See BUSINESS page 39 oRoll-over protective structures (ROPS) and seatbelts save livesWe’re working with you to make sure all farmers go home safe. For resources and videos on safe equipment operation, visit worksafebc.com/agriculture.WORKSAFEBC PHOTO

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 39BUSINESS nfrom page 38“I am sure he had a muchbetter idea of the kind ofinformation he should bringinto the bank,” says Tsutsumi.“If he is turned down, heknows that CommunityFutures is there.”“I think with any YAprogramming there will be acontinual thread aroundbusiness pieces,” saysTsutsumi. “They really want togo deeper into marketing,especially around nichethemes such as CSAs. How doyou start one? How do youcontract with your members?How do you organize whatgoes in? That kind of thing.” “They are also looking formore hands on eld skills,season extension, seeds andanimals,” Tsutsumi says.“There is a huge interest inpermaculture from the YAcrowd.”by TAMARA LEIGHVANCOUVER – The BCYoung Agrarians are now intheir third year of the BCBusiness Mentorship Network,and the program is showingthe results of incorporatinggood business practices fromthe start.“After mentorship, our rstyear farmer cohort saw anincrease in revenue 34%, a33% increase in the amount ofland in production, and totalproduction increase over70%,” says Kristen Nammour,who manages the program forthe BC Young Agrarians. The BC BusinessMentorship program pairsnew and seasoned farmerstogether to cultivate the skillsfor running ecologically-sustainable and nancially-viable businesses. Mentorsprovide up to 40 hours of one-on-one support to newentrants, helping themevaluate and improve theirbusiness practices includingproduction, operations,marketing, nancial and riskmanagement, as well asdeveloping and implementingstrategic business goals forthe upcoming season andbeyond.Over the rst two years,they have providedmentorship to 23 farms acrossthe province. They havereceived another dozenapplications to the programfor the coming year. Program graduateGraham Bradley farms at40x40 Farm on Gabriola Islandand was a member of thesecond group to go throughMentorship program gives new farmers a boostthe mentorship program.When he entered theprogram, he was looking forhelp growing his farm as wellas starting a food hub thatwould help connect GabriolaIsland farmers, restaurants andgrocers. He paired withmentor Niki Strutynski whoruns Tatlo Road Farm in theCowichan Valley and is theadministrator for SaanichOrganics. “I’m trying to build abusiness I can earn an incomeo of and that the farmerswant to work with, so Ineeded all of my I’s dottedand T’s crossed,” he says. “Nikiis an incredibly detail-orientedperson, and had super-relevant knowledge abouthow to make farmers happy,how to communicate withthem, and co-ordinatedeliveries, and even down towhat was an acceptablepercentage to earn o ofhard-working people andhelping clarify the baselinephilosophy my business willoperate under.” The program helpedGraham realize his goal ofcompleting his business plan,while rening his farmoperations and successfullylaunching the Gabriola FoodHub. Today, he is workingwith three farms and up to sixcommercial clients throughthe food hub, as well asrunning his own vegetablebox program. “There is so much to do tostart any business and farmingis a complex,” he says. “TheBusiness Mentorship Networkprovides exibility and theability to work with someonewho intimately understandsthe kinds of pressure you’regoing through. They are anamazing ally.”As the program co-ordinator, Nammour isalways on the look-out fornew mentors willing to jointhe program. “If you’re an establishedfarmer interested in helpinggrow the next generation offarmers in BC, then get intouch with us,” she says. “Thementors we are looking forneed to have a nanciallyviable farm, have been in thebusiness for 10 years, andhave the time to dedicate tosupporting a new farmer inbusiness development.”According to the BC YoungAgrarians, the lack of businessskills and understanding ofnancial management is thesecond biggest barrier to newentrants in agriculture afteraccess to land. The program starts with aseries of four webinars puttogether with Chris Bodner,who teaches the Business ofAgriculture course in theSustainable Agriculturedegree program at KwantlenPolytechnic University. Thewebinars focus on thefundamentals of farmbusiness management,including entry levelaccounting, prot-lossstatements andunderstanding equity, cashow and cost of production.From there, participants areencouraged to work with abookkeeper, set up anaccounting system, andassess the value propositionof working with anaccountant or hiringemployees. “You’re not just a farmer,you’re a business owner andentrepreneur. When you focuson business skills as a newfarmer, it has a positive impacton your growth. This programgives new farmers thecondence to run their newbusiness and move theirbusiness forward. The peaceof mind of having wisdom todraw from in a mentor hasbeen hugely benecial toeveryone in our program,”says Nammour. “Business development isjust one piece in the newfarmer journey. YoungAgrarians is looking at theentire journey of the newfarmer and trying to meet theneeds on each level,” she adds. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC 41by EMILY BULMERPRINCE GEORGE –Producers gathered to shareideas and learn new businessstrategies at the Agri-FoodBusiness Planning Workshopheld in Prince George in mid-October. The two dayworkshop, facilitated by RitaKim of Partners for Growthand Sylvia Chong ofFoundtree Product Design,introduced participants to thewide range of skills andinformation needed to launcha successful food-basedbusiness. “It was a really greatcollaborative session,” saysChristine Kinnie, program co-ordinator of partneringagency Beyond the Market.“There was one participantwho was opening up a micro-brewery in Prince George andanother participant whogrows hops ... I think part ofthe value of our workshops isthe networking and theconnection that people makewith other participants.”The course, developed bythe BC Ministry of Agriculture(BCMA), consists of eightmodules taught over two daysand was designed specicallyto address the businessdevelopment requirementsfor food-based businesses.Targeted at farmers and foodindustry entrepreneursinterested in value-addedproducts, food processorstart-ups and establishedfood-related businesseslooking to become moreecient, the material wascreated to include a widevariety of food-basedoperations in various stages oftheir business development.The materials and manuals aresupplied by BCMA and severalaccredited instructors acrossthe province deliver thematerials, bringing their ownexperience and backgroundsto the table. “The instructors arecertied by the ministry todeliver the workshop and thetwo of them (Kim and Chong)are a really good team.” Byusing instructors that are inthe industry, the curriculum isdelivered by people who haveexperience, making theimportant connectionbetween the material and thereal world. On the rst day, theelements of businessplanning, market research andassessment, productdevelopment and nancialplanning were discussed. Adetailed set of workshopmaterials with templates,worksheets and tips wasprovided so participants couldll in the worksheets for theirown business as the materialwas presented. Day twofocused how to implementoperational standards, reviewof the practical and regulatoryrequirements for productpackaging, showed ways tocalculate the costs ofproduction and nally, thelogistics of procurement,Season’s Greetings from Large selection of pipe fittings, ball & gate valvesFloor Chain for all makes of Manure & Silage boxes• 16.5 - 14 ply• 21.5 - 14 ply• 11L15 - 8 ply• 9.5L-15 - 8 ply• 11L-15 - 8 ply• 10.00-15 - 8 ply• 12.5L-15 - 12 ply• 16.5L-16.1 - 14 ply• 21.5L-16.1 - 14 plyPOWER WHEEL & MOTOR FOR TYCROP IRRIGATION REELSSTOCK TIRES FOR SALENew!LOEWEN MACHINES FOR SALE3000 MANURE SPREADER $71,500Dual 750 pumps, large 35.5-32 otation tires, heavy duty 10 stud axle,pre-vac, lights, 3" hose & front mandoor• 18 ft. 100 HP Used Agitator with Lift Cylinder ...................... $3,500• 23 ft. 100 HP Used Manure Agitator ........................................$4,150• 18 ft. 100 HP Used Agitator with Lift Cylinder ...................... $3,900FLOTATION TIRES: INCREASE FLOTATIONRadial Tire replacement 1R22.5 Tires on 10 Stud Wheel $2,600 ea604.556.7477DUNCAN5410 Trans Canada Hwy. 250.748.8171KELOWNA103-1889 Springfield Road250.860.2346NANAIMO1-1277 Island Hwy. S250.753.4221PARKSVILLE587 Alberni Hwy. 250.248.3243SAANICH1970 Keating Cross Rd. 250.652.9188SALMON ARM1771 - 10th Avenue S.W. 250.832.8424WEST KELOWNA2565 Main St., Hwy. 97 South 250.768.8870ABBOTSFORD31852 Marshall PlaceCanadian Owned and Operated100%Warmest wishes to all this Holiday Seasonstorage, shipping andreceiving. While the workshopmaterial is established,instructors and participantshave the opportunity to takethe conversation where itneeds to go. In addition, manyworkshop participants have alot of insight and experienceWorkshops offer businessplanning for farmersSee BUSINESS page 42 oSylvia Chong and Rita Kim (third and fourth from left) stand with participants of the Agri-Food BusinessPlanning Workshop held in Prince George in October. COMMUNITY FUTURES, FRASER FORT GEORGE PHOTO

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201642BUSINESS PLANNING WORKSHOPS nfrom page 41to oer the group as well. As aresult, the workshopprogresses in a conversationalmanner with the instructorspresenting material andoering insights, as well as theparticipants themselvesoering advice and examplesof what has worked for them,or other challenges they arefacing. “It is like a reside chat,”explains Rita Kim. “Havinggood conversation,collaboration, sharingthoughts and best practices.People that are starting upmay get insight from peoplewho have been around a littlelonger. Some of the youngergeneration that comes in hasa lovely take on technologythat mature businesses maynot have. It is (also) anopportunity for (participants)to get clear and focused onthe purpose of the businesswhich drives how they handleany opportunities, how theybuild and grow, andcollaborate with dierentfolks. The industry itself isabout collaboration and is oneof the best I have had theopportunity to work in.”This is the secondworkshop that has beenoered in Prince George in2016. The workshop has beenpresented all over theprovince, including thecommunities of Kamloops,Williams Lake, Quesnel,Ashcroft, Lillooett, Abbotsford,Comox Valley and the GulfIslands. The program hasreached over 300 participantssince 2015 and will continueinto 2017. For a schedule forupcoming workshops, visit[www.partnersforgrowth.ca].www.canadianorganicfeeds.comFOR QUALITYCERTIFIEDORGANICFEEDS FOR BAGGED or BULK ORDERS:Darren JansenGeneral Manager604/794-3701organicfeeds@gmail.comCUSTOM ORDERSCertified to Canadian National Standardsby TOM WALKERKAMLOOPS – The recent BC Fairsconference shows that fairs have a good futurein the province, with a growth in interest fromyounger volunteers.“It was an excellent conference,” says longtime director Keith Currie from Comox. “We’vehad larger attendance numbers, but not thislevel of positive interest. “I’ve run a couple of roundtable discussionsfor the last several years and I usually get acouple of dozen participants,” says Currie. “Thisyear, I had standing room only and anexcellent sharing of ideas.”“What was good about those workshopsand the whole conference was that there werea lot of younger and new people there,” saysCurrie. “Like most non-prots, many of ourmembers are aging and some can’t come tothe conferences any more.”Currie says there was a group from northernBC who were excellent contributors.“They jumped right in; they were just likesponges absorbing the information, pluscontributing, too.”Making fairs relevantMaking fairs relevant to younger audiencesrequires younger people to help run them. “Two fairs that I know of have started juniorboards. Port Alberni had three or four kids whowere always volunteering at the fair and nowthe junior board is 12 or 14 kids. Two of themgo to the regular board meetings and adirector goes to their meetings, and it’sworking out extremely well,” says Currie.“It’s always been a challenge for fairs toattract teenage kids,” he adds. “At our ownComox fair about ve years ago, we thought,“Let’s bring in a midway that will attract thekids.” Well, it only brought in thetroublemakers. This year, we didn’t have themidway and our numbers climbed.“ Volunteerism and board governance werediscussed, Currie said.“Helping the young people to know aboutrunning meetings and keeping people onstraight and narrow. Another one we had wasabout judging. There is a standards manual onhow to judge but the biggest problem is, howdo you get judges? Is there a pool of judges?How much do you pay them? “At my fair, we have a young person whohas come up through 4-H who did somejudging last year.”SponsorshipsRoxy Mayberry, corporate sponsorshipdirector with the Alaska State Fair, presentedtwo workshops on sponsorship.“Next year, we are going to be in Victoriaand we want to connect with the minister ofag and the minister of tourism and show themwhat we can do.”The board is working on a project called the‘Nuts and Bolts of Fairs.’“We are putting together a manual that youcould also use for a strawberry festival or amusic event,” says Currie. Director Tom Harder has moved into thepresident’s position. Karen Streeter is rst vice-president, while out-going president AnnSiddall is second vice-president. Finance chairand longest serving board member PamelaBrenner has agreed to stay on to helptransition new members onto the board. Theyinclude Allison Bowers (ArrowsmithAgricultural Association/Coombs Fair), ShariPaterson (Cowichan Exhibition) and TarahHauser (West Coast Amusements),representing commercial/associate members.“With an average attendance of some 1.3million across the province, quite a few fairsare the biggest event in their community,”Currie points out. Several fairs in the provinceare over 100 years old and the Sannich Fair,along with Canada, turns 150 next year.BC fairs encouraged by youth participationOrganizers recognize need for youth to replace aging volunteers The edge of farming.Whether it’s a field test or screen test, our MT500D tractor delivers a stand-out performance. The MT500D cab is perhaps the roomiest, quietest andmost technologically-advanced cab we’ve ever created – putting operatorcomfort at a premium. 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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC43by EMILY BULMERHAZELTON – The party was a-hoppin' at Bulkley Canyon Ranch, justoutside of Hazelton, during their rstever Hazelton Hops Discovery Day,September 17. Ranch owners LaurieGallant and Bill Crosson have set outto become a northern hops producerto supply local craft breweries withtheir new enterprise, Hazelton Hops. The event was a chance to see,smell, touch and taste hops in theircommon liquid form and promotehops as a viable northern crop. Twonorthern microbreweries, WheelhouseBrewing Company from Prince Rupertand Sherwood Mountain Brewhousein Terrace, were present, providingsamples of their beer.With the cones ripening and readyfor harvest, it was perfect timing toshow o all their hard work. LaurieGallant describes how it all began."Year one (was) a huge learningcurve. We did hours and hours ofresearch before we could even choosewhich varieties we wanted to grow.We did a market survey with thebrewers on Hwy 16 to ask them whatkind of varieties they are using rightnow for brewing their beer and inwhat quantities, how much theyspend per year on brewing hops rightnow, and what their position is onlocal hops and if they would be willingto switch suppliers if we could providea product they were satised with,"says Gallant. After reading a feasibility study ongrowing hops in BC and doing somesoil testing, Gallant and Crossondecided to go ahead with a trial. They selected a half acre site withgood sun exposure and a nearbywater source and began sitepreparation in the spring. "We are really do-it-yourselfers andwe picked the trees we wanted fromour property and we charred theminstead of using treated poles."In addition to the site prep, theyresearched what the climate changeprojections were for the area. "Based on (the climate changescenarios), we decided we couldinvest in some more late maturingvarieties. In the end, we planted 10varieties based on the feedback fromthe brewers, what was available fromthe suppliers and based on our owncriteria of wanting to test early, midand late season varieties and a mix ofbittering and aroma and dual purposehops. It was quite a complicatedselection process." Although the rst year only yieldsabout 5% of their estimated fullproduction, Gallant and Crosson havestarted marketing their product andselling or trading their rst hops thisyear. "As we got closer to harvest timeand other growers were sendingemails to brewers, it was hard not tocatch the wave... so we talked to thelocal brewers and decided that wewere going to have Hazelton HopsDiscovery Day."In addition to targeting breweries,Hazelton Hops will be marketed fortheir medicinal qualities. Gallantrecently held a plant medicineHops are flourishingin the north, tooCountry WaysHops are hardier than you think. EMILY BULMER PHOTOworkshop at the Bulkley CanyonRanch, providing the opportunity tointroduce an entirely dierent groupof people to the benets of the plantoutside of brewing beer."Mostly we want to buildrelationships... We are trying toposition ourselves as promotingsustainable agriculture andpromoting a sustainable localeconomy," she says.Gallant and Crosson have much todo even after all the cones areharvested. Branding, creating a logoand waiting for the lab results from allthe varieties they tested is just thebeginning. The pair will also beattending hops festivals and touringestablished hops farms after theharvest this year to make connectionsand get more ideas. "We want to project how much wewant to expand next year and whatvarieties we want to concentrate on.In order to decide that, we need tostay abreast of what is going on (inthe industry)."Gallant and Crosson are certainlyenjoying the process of starting thisnew venture,"It’s exciting and really fun. Theindustry is full of great people."Does your water well needa License?The new BC Water Sustainability Act (WSA)came into effect in BC in 2016. All groundwaterwells used for any purpose other than singlefamily use require a license under the WSA.Avoid the application fee by licensing beforeMarch 1 2017.If you have questions we can help.250-585-0802 (Direct)1-844-585-0802 (Toll Free)wsa@waterlineresources.comVancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Calgarywww.waterlineresources.comThe directors and staff of the Investment Agriculture Foundation would like to wish you and your families all the best for the upcoming holiday season. Wishing all involved in British Columbia’s agri-food industry a healthy and prosperous 2015.CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE FUNDING TO HELP TURN YOUR IDEAS INTO SOLUTIONS!T 250.356.1662 E funding@iafbc.ca www.iafbc.caWishing all involvedin British Columbia’sagri-food industrya healthy andprosperous 2017.

2017HORTICULTUREGROWERS’SHORT COURSEPh: 604-556-3001growers@agricultureshow.netThis project is supported by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial initiativeHorticulture GrowersShort Course 2017January 26-28Tradex, AbbotsfordIn partnership with thePacific Agriculture ShowLower Mainland HorticulturalImprovement AssociationTHURSDAYRaspberries t Strawberries t Vegetables t Potatoes t Greenhouse Agro-Forestry t Opening Reception FRIDAYFarm Business Management t Keynote AddressAll Berries t Direct Farm Markets t VegetablesAgricultural Water Management Agricultural & Municipal Biogas ForumSATURDAYBlueberries t Organic t HazelnutsUrban Agriculture t HopsREGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.AGRICULTURESHOW.NETRegistration includes Trade Show entry and all Growers’ Short Course SessionsCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201644When we left o last time, afrustrated Janice told aconfused Henderson,unequivocally, to work fromhome, while Deborah and Dougagreed to keep their distancefrom one another. WoodshedChronicles, part 81, continues ...Janice Newberry steppedfrom Kenneth’s oce andclosed the door rmly behindher. It thumped loudly againstthe jamb. She strode briskly toErica Swift’s desk.“Mr. Henderson will beworking away from this oce.Please see that all of thepertinent les are available tohim tomorrow morning.” There was a questioninglook in Erica’s eyes. “Certainly. How long will hebe away?”Janice looked sternly intoErica’s eyes and held her gazefor several seconds. “Back-stabbing cow,”shethought, knowing only toowell that she was as muchunder Erica Swift’ssurveillance asKenneth was.“That hasn’tbeen determinedyet. Is there aproblem?”Erica averted her eyes. “Not at all. I only asked incase there are anycommunications for him.”“I expect that Mr.Henderson will monitor hisoce email, and I’m sure youhave his cell number,” saidJanice. Her tone wasimpatient and ended theirconversation.Janice returned to heroce and stood looking outthe window at the cold winterdrizzle, anticipating thequestions Grimwood wouldask and the answers shewould give him. She wageredthat he would hear from EricaSwift within the hour.Erica Swift sat trying tograsp what had happened:Janice had an unplannedmeeting with Kenneth in hisoce, but there was aplausible explanation for it.Her voice and mannerismsseemed impersonal enough,slightly hostile if anything, andthe meeting seemed far toobrief for anything personal.But why was he going towork away from the oce? Ifshe was suspending him, hewouldn’t need access to anyles. Maybe she was planningto meet with him. For whatreason? She began to imagine trystsand conspiracies and decidedthat it would be best to land itall – fact and speculation – inMr. Grimwood’s lap. And thesooner the better. PerplexedKenneth sat at his desktrying to fathom the meaningof Janice’s parting statement:“The answer to your lastquestion is a denite no.”What was the last question?Did she mean she wasn’tseeing the New Year’s Eveguy? Or did it mean he didn’tneed to know if she wasseeing the New Year’s Eve guyor not? Did she mean there was nochance of them patchingthings up? Or did she meanthere was no need for him toapologize? Was it pointless toapologize because they werenished? Or was there noneed for an apology becauseshe still loved him. Did sheever really love him? Interested in, maybe, buthe couldn’t remember herever saying love. Could he?Had he said it himself?Probably not. Should he have?Maybe. Should he now?Probably not.His thinking was turninginto a runaway train and therewas a dull ache in his temples.He decided to call it a day andgo somewhere to clear hismind with a good sti drink –or two – of Scotch and ponderthe possibilities again.Sleepless nightDeborah laid awakethinking about Doug McLeodand their rehearsal kiss untilnearly four o’clock in themorning. It was the rst timeshe’d really kissed any manbut Kenneth since she was inhigh school. And there was nomistaking the fact she’d kissedhim. Willingly. Sheremembered when they rstmet – the day Edna invited herand the kids to a picnic by theriver with Gladdie. The dayAshley said he “was sochecking her out” while shewas swimming. She denied itbut she knew then Ashley wasright and she’d felt somehowattered by the attention. Andthe day he startled her inTiny’s shop when he came totalk about the song selectionsfor the for the CommunityHall Coee House, and theycame face to face when hekneeled down to help pick upthe pieces of wood shedropped. Something stirred inher even then. And it didagain when they sangtogether the next week. Andnow Lil Abner and their kiss. Eventually, she fell into atful sleep and dreamt aboutstanding at the edge of a cli.The kids were almost readyfor school when she camedown in the morning.“You look really tired, Mom.Are you alright?” asked Ashley.“I didn’t sleep well, that’sall.”“Is everything alright?”“Yeah. Everything is ne. I’llcatch a nap later.”Deborah’s head was still fullof Doug McLeod and theevening rehearsal. When thekids were gone, she made athermos of tea then coachedDuchess into a hike throughthe woods to the little rockblus at the back of theproperty. Fair skies weremoving in from the west andthe sun was shining now andthen through the scatteringclouds. There was no soundsave their own footfalls andthe whisper of condenseddew dripping from the trees.At the row of low blu,Deborah picked her way tothe at slab that marked thevery height of land in theentire community. She satwith her legs hanging overthe edge, sipping tea andgazing at the snowy mountainin the distance while Duchessscuttled mindlessly throughthe underbrush below.Deborah leaned forwardand peered over the edge tothe ground 15 feet below. Shethought of the cli edge inher dream. And she thoughtabout Doug McLeod. Perhaps he was the cli inher dream, and their kiss wasthe edge of it. Best to step away from thatprecipice, she realized, but shecouldn’t deny being drawntoward it. There was more to itthan Doug McLeod. There wasKenneth. She should havebeen able to reach for hishand and be drawn back,pulled away to his love andcomfort. But there was no savinggrasp. All she felt there was acold rough hand in her back,shoving her ever closer to thethreshold. In a branch, 40 feetabove, a raven spoke itswisdom to her. ... To be continued The Hendersons toil with their obsessionsThe WoodshedChroniclesBOB COLLINSPresented by:biogasassociation.ca/value_of_biogas_conferenceJanuary 27th 2017Tradex Exhibition Centre (Abbotsford)January 27th 2017Tradex Exhibition Centre (Abbotsford)CONFERENCECONFERENCEPresenting Sponsor:Gold Sponsors:tttLearn about one of Canada’s most popular renewablesCovering biogas topics from agricultural,municipal and industrial sectors Lots of opportunities for networkingCountry Life in BC is the gift that keeps giving all year long!We’ll even send a card! Visit our website to send a giftsubscription to someone you know. We now accept credit cards!www.countrylifeinbc.comChristmas list gotyou stumped?

DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC45Evelyn 4-H Club member Ben Glanz, 10, from Smithers, donated$100 from the sale of his 4-H swine project this fall to the SmithersPublic Library. Library director Wendy Wright, left, says the moneywill be used to buy new books on pigs and 4-H. Sharing runs in theGlanz family. Ben’s brother, Thomas, 12, donated 10% from the saleof his 4-H sheep project to the Northwest Animal Shelter. Bothanimals were sold during the 4-H auction at the Smithers Fall Fair.KATHY WILFORD PHOTOIt’s time to sing the songs ofthe season and no, I’m notreferring to the traditionalcarols. I’m talking about therefrains of “Where did the timego?” “Is it already a year?” and“It can’t be December; it wasjust August!”October marked asignicant anniversary of 24years for me. After a ercebattle in 1992 and 1993, I’mcelebrating being cancer-freefor nearly a quarter century. Iconsider that very special andalthough I celebrated quietlyand within myself, there wasno lack of thanksgiving. Then, just as this columnwas due to be submitted, theunexpected took place.Frustrated, I found myselfcounting seven long and veryslow days. Signicant but forthe wrong reasons, I spent veof the seven days without acomputer, during which timedeadlines for three writingassignments passed. I endedup wandering aimlesslyaround the house in search ofa keyboard that wasconnected to something otherthan the piano in our livingroom. By the time this piece goesto press, another milestonewill have come and gone andour neighbours to the southwill have exercised their rightto vote. Here in Canada, wewill be waiting for whateverfallout may or may not result. In this province, we’ve set afew records ourselves. Nothinglike a Noah-style downpour for28 out of 31 days to dampenthe verbiage and spirits.I admit that all this rainhasn’t done anything for myspirits. While I alwayswondered what SeasonalAected Disorder (SAD) feltlike and whether or not itactually aected me, I certainlydiscovered how constant rainand erce winds can dampenthe spirits along witheverything else. In all my ramblings, I’mgoing somewhere with this.We can’t control the weather,and even if we could,individual preferences andpriorities would result in asmixed a bag as we alreadyhave. So it is in life: goodthings happen; so do badthings. But in all that, we stillcan choose our attitude. I’m reminded of aconversation I recently hadwith our six year oldgranddaughter. “I counted up to 100 all bymyself,” she announced andI’m not sure who was moreproud: she, her parents or me.She also reminded me of thesignicance of numbers and,consequently, of time. Lucy has her life ahead ofher while for me, there aremore decades behind me thanahead. The most importantthing, I decided long ago, is tomake the minutes count. Idon’t always remember to dothat (as proven in mycomputer-less week) but as Iremind myself each morningthat today I have theopportunity to utilize 1,440minutes, seven days in thisweek and nearly 8,800 hours ina year I am oered yet anotherchance to truly live. Sobering,but exciting stu. MyDecember and next year’swish: May your minutes, daysand weeks be rich with thethings that really count. PS: Lucy would be proud ofmy ability to calculate suchnumbers.A Wannabe FarmerLINDA WEGNERCounting the daysSSeason’s Greetings & Happy New Year! Thank You To Our 2016 Partners Friends x All Seasons Mushrooms x BC Chicken Growers’ AssociaƟon x BC Egg MarkeƟng Board x BC Farm & Ranch Realty x BC Fairs x BC Livestock Producers Co-OperaƟve AssociaƟon x BC Purebred Sheep Breeders AssociaƟon x Burnaby Lake Greenhouses Ltd. x Canadian Tire (Vernon) x Desert Hills Estate Winery x Diana's Monogramming x Edge of the Earth Vineyards x Fisher Home Hardware x Gordon Bryant x Golden Eagle Aquaculture Inc. x Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites x Horse Council BC x Interior Provincial ExhibiƟon (IPE) x NaƟonal Bank Financial x Nicomekl Farms Ltd x Okanagan RestoraƟon Services Ltd. x Okanagan Spirits x Pacific NaƟon ExhibiƟon x Panorama Veterinarian Services Ltd. x Pressed Wishes x PresƟge Hotels & Resorts x Rancho Vignola x Ritchie-Smith Feeds Inc./Sure Crop Feeds x Resorts of the Canadian Rockies x Rogers Food Ltd. x Rogers Group Financial x Rondriso Farms Pumpkin Patch and General Store x Sapori Olive Oils and Vinegars x Savoy Equipment Ltd. x Save On Foods x Shoppers Drug Mart x Swan Lake Nurseryland x The Mane Event x The Original Australian Leather Seal x The View Winery-Canada West Tree Fruits: Ward Cider x Tolko Industries Ltd. x Taves Family Farmx University of the Fraser Valley, Agriculture Faculty National Partners Platinum Partners x Saanich Fruit Growers’ AssociaƟon x The Mohr Family Charitable GiŌ Fund x Zylman’s Family FoundaƟon Gold Partners Silver Partners Bronze Partners x BC Agriculture in the Classroom x BMO x Tambellini Design Studio x TD Canada Trust x The Western Producer Armstrong

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 201646It’s time to entertain as wecelebrate the arrival of thelongest night of the year andthen the gradual lengtheningof daylight each day until theMarch equinox. December 21marks the winter solstice thisyear and the beginning,ocially, of winter.It’s the time of year I like tolight the candles and invitefriends and family to join mefor lively conversation,laughter, and good food anddrink.Many will celebrateChristmas December 25 whileothers will welcome the startof Hannukah, December 24,also known as the JewishFestival of Lights, and we willall welcome in a new year atthe end of December.All are great opportunitiesto push back the long darkdays by lighting a re andenjoying a bite of some of thefresh foods available to usdespite the snow and rain thatmakes the outdoorsinhospitable at this time ofyear.Pop open that jar of salsa orantipasto; thaw the basil pestoand dig some potatoes out ofthe root cellar or thebottom of the fridge.Focus on what’s localand still seasonal,despite the weatheroutside.To my mind, there’snothing like a glass ofsparkling wine to celebrateand champagne-like bubbliesare amazingly versatile in thefoods you can pair with them.BC grape growers andwinemakers produce someworld-class bubblies, amongthem the award-winningproducts from SummerhillPyramid Winery, such as thepopular Cipes Brut.For dessert, try some of themany award-winning icewines produced by our coldweather in local vineyards,including those fromCedarCreek and Quails’ GateEstate Wineries.Have a wonderful month ofbaking and serving yourfavourite recipes, made withlove for the friends and familyyou’ll entertain in the comingweeks.Jude’s KitchenJUDIE STEEVESEntertainingappiesThese make tasty, refreshing bites for the appie tray and they come in seasonal colours, which is abonus. If fresh chives are unavailable, substitute a fresh green onion.24 cherry tomatoes 1/3 c. (75 ml) cream cheese 1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh chives1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh parsley 1 tbsp. (15 ml) fresh basil salt and pepper, to tastefresh basil leaves, to garnish cocktail skewers• Using a small, sharp knife, cut out the top of each cherry tomato, or make a cross in the top andopen it up to receive the cheese lling.• Bring the soft cream cheese to room temperature and chop all the herbs nely. Combine the •herbs and cream cheese with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, seasoning to taste.• Put a dollop of the cream cheese lling in each little tomato.• Using small bamboo cocktail skewers or plastic ones, skewer a tomato or two on each andarrange on a serving dish.• Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Makes two dozen appies.These also look very seasonal with the green pesto and red tomato and they’re crisp and light andtasty. Luckily, BC’s greenhouse growers keep us supplied in winter with lovely fresh little tomatoes.thin toasts cream cheese basil pestocherry tomatoes parmesan cheese• I made my own toast crisps by thinly slicing a whole grain baguette and toasting the slices in a250 F oven for about 25 minutes but you could use store-bought Melba toasts instead.• Cool and smear each with cream cheese, then a thin layer of basil pesto. I used the pesto I’dmade at the end of summer when the garden was full of lush basil. I froze it in dabs for winteruse.• Top with a slice of cherry tomato and sprinkle with dried parmesan cheese.• Arrange on a serving plate and serve immediately before the toast softens up.• If you must make them ahead of time, try arranging a tender baby spinach leaf between thetoast and cream cheese, but ensure it’s very dry rst.These make delightful appies and who doesn’t love potatoes? Latkes are a traditional food that isserved to celebrate Hannukah, the Festival of Light, which begins at sundown December 24. You couldalso make these larger to serve with a meal, or for breakfast or a snack.2 potatoes 1 small onion 2 eggs2 tbsp. (30 ml) our salt freshly-ground black pepperoil, for frying butter, for avour• Grate Russet potatoes (1 1/2 to 2 lbs.) and mince onion into a medium-sized bowl. Add eggsand beat, then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.• Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat and dab small spoonfulsof the mixture onto the pan, pressing down to make a bite-sized, at cake. I add a tiny dab ofbutter to the top of each before ipping, for avour. • Turn when the bottoms are nice and brown and crisp. Remove when the other side is browntoo, about 10-15 minutes in total. Serve hot. Makes about three dozen appies.Cheese stuffed tomatoes: easy-peasy JUDIE STEEVES PHOTOCHEESE-STUFFED TOMATOESBASIL PESTO CRISPS WITH TOMATOMINI POTATO LATKESTim ArmstrongMemorial Bursaryin Agriculture and JournalismIn memory of JR (Tim) Armstrong's outstanding contribution toBritish Columbia journalism and the agricultural industry,a bursary in the minimum amount of $1,000 is awarded each yearfrom the proceeds of the JR (Tim) Armstrong Memorial Fund.The fund is raised by public subscription and administeredby the BC Farm Writers' Association. Applications are now being acceptedContact Bob Mitchell604-951-8223 . robert_mitchell@telus.net. We are pleased to congratulate Kasha Foster of North Vancouver on beingawarded the Tim Armstrong Memorial Bursary for 2015.At the time of receiving theaward Kasha was enrolledin third year in the GlobalResource Systems program atthe University of BritishColumbia in the Faculty ofLand and Food Systems.www.bcfwa.ca

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