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Postmaster, Please return Undeliverable labels to: Country Life in BC 36 Dale Road Enderby, BC V0E 1V4CANADA POSTES POST CANADA Postage paid Port payé Publications Mail Post-Publications 40012122Vol. 107 No. 2The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 FEBRUARY 2021 | Vol. 107 No. 2POULTRYEgg producer questions support for local eggs 7 LAND USENorth Saanich approves Sandown proposal 12 HONEYResearcher brings experience to sweet role17by PETER MITHAM VICTORIA – There are more farm properties worth more money in BC this year than there were two years ago. The tax roll unveiled January 1 by the BC Assessment Authority includes 52,073 farm properties with an assessed value of $1.29 billion as of the valuation date of July 1, 2020. This is up from approximately 51,000 farm properties worth $1.25 billion two years ago. Of course, many properties holding farm status command a higher price at sale as the buyers value them not as farm properties but as development sites. However, the regulations governing the valuation of farms result in a lower value for the purposes of the roll. To obtain farm status, and the tax advantages that accompany it, the property must be actively farmed and meet certain revenue thresholds (farm properties that have yet to enter production may also qualify). However, the most expensive properties with farm class status in the province are not necessarily farmed exclusively. While the value of the portion holding farm class status is set by provincial regulation, BC Assessment notes, “the high-value farm properties typically include a large portion outside of farm class.” The most expensive farm property on the current tax roll is 47 acres of the Cali Olleck and son Atlin Carson stand in a sea of kale and other hardy greens growing in the family's Salmo greenhouse at Salix & Sedge, a market garden that has extended its season by tapping into the natural gas line running across its property. Read more in Tom Walker's story on page 31. PHOTO SALIX & SEDGEFarm properties rising1-888-770-7333 Quality Seeds ... where quality counts!YOUR BC SEED SOURCESee MULTI on next page oCPR on ALR trackRail projects not subject to ALC approvalby PETER MITHAM PITT MEADOWS – Pitt Meadows could lose more than 100 acres of protected farmland if CP Rail wins approval to expand its operations in the community. Plans for the CP Logistics Park [cplogisticspark.ca] were unveiled in December following consultations with the municipality, Katzie First Nation and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority last summer. Sea of greensSee CP on next page oGrowing more with less waterwatertecna.comttttttttIRRIGATION LTD1.888.675.7999 888 6 9999888669999 Diesel & PTO Pumps PVC & Aluminum PipeIrrigation ReelsDRIP IRRIGATIONCentre Pivots
CP plans rail expansion on ALR land nfrom page 1MULTIMILLION-dollar farm properties nfrom page 1An initial public consultation on the project wrapped up January 15. “CP is proposing to construct a multi-modal, multi-commodity transload and logistics facility adjacent to its Vancouver Intermodal Facility in Pitt Meadows, to meet increased rail demand in Canada’s largest trade gateway,” the rail company says. Project documents outline plans for 13 silos accommodating 15,600 tonnes of peas, lentils and beans (the equivalent of 147 train cars, or one unit train), an auto transload facility, and 11 tanks for holding ethanol and transportation fuels from Alberta and the US Midwest for distribution locally and overseas. The project will occupy 101 acres south of Lougheed Highway. CP acquired the properties making up the site between 2012 and 2017. The land falls within the Agricultural Land Reserve. However, railway development falls within the jurisdiction of the federal government. CP does not need to le an application with the Agricultural Land Commission to develop a rail line on the property. This concerns Shannon Roberts of Blooming Meadows, who operates a small-lot mixed farm with her sister near the proposed facility. She also worries about site safety, light pollution and the eect of particulate matter from site activities on her laying hens 2 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSouthlands development in Delta. It has an assessed value of $57.3 million, up from $53.3 million last year. BC Assessment describes the property’s use as forage and grain production. BC’s second most expensive farm property, at $17.1 million, is 31560 Marshall Road in Abbotsford, a 23.5-acre parcel BC Assessment also describes as used for grain and forage production. But satellite imagery shows the property sprouting a healthy crop of trucks. Abbotsford typically limits farm properties to just two trucks, but in this case approximately half the property was successfully excluded from the ALR under the city’s City in the Country plan in 2005 and is now zoned as industrial. A bid by the city to exclude the remainder of the property for industrial use was rejected in 2018. Top five The three other properties rounding out the ve most expensive farm parcels in the province are more recognizeable as farms. They include 2932 176 Street, Surrey, home to a meditation centre and pasture ($15.8 million); 18280 92 Avenue, Surrey, also pasture ($15.5 million); and the Village Farms greenhouse in Delta ($15.2 million). The home farm of Coral Beach Farms Ltd. north of Kelowna ranks sixth at $14.7 million. Three of the most expensive farm properties are greenhouses. In addition to Village Farms, Sunny Bay Greenhouses on Ladner Trunk Road in Delta and Randhawa Greenhouses on Townshipline Road in Abbotsford make the list with assessed values of $14.1 million and $12 million, respectively. Regardless of size or assessed value, all properties claiming farm class status must meet certain criteria, typically a revenue threshold based on size. But in view of the signicant revenue hit many farms took during the COVID-19 pandemic, the province announced last summer it would allow properties to retain their existing farm status until 2022. This resulted in the number of farm properties on this year’s roll remaining relatively even with last year, dropping by just 23 properties. BC Assessment typically handles 200 applications each year for farm class status. All new applications must meet the income thresholds and other requirements to be classied as farms. and eld-grown cut owers. “A dirty ower is not a sellable ower,” she says, noting that hundreds of trucks will be needed to bring ll to the site, which sits on the oodplain adjacent to the Pitt River. Preload will aect the water table in the area, which already suers from drainage issues. “I honestly don’t feel like I’m going to be able to farm my land,” she said. “I feel like it will be ooded.” Drainage concerns Similar concerns were raised when CP bought 58 acres of the site in 2012. Pitt Meadows, which is set to receive at least $4 million in property taxes each year from the proposed development, said at the time it was condent CP would work to mitigate drainage problems. During an open house in January attended by close to 100 people, CP environmental assessment manager Joe Van Humbeck said the railway is studying the project’s impact on surface water and groundwater, and drafting storm water management plans. “This data will feed into our engineering team to ensure that our facility includes the measures required to protect the Katzie Slough, the groundwater as well as the other attributes of the environment,” he says. CP assistant vice-president, market strategy and demand management Je Edwards says mitigation plans for adjacent farmland are also under development. “We recognize the importance of this valuable land and the fact that there is a great deal of support behind the agricultural land across the Lower Mainland,” he says. However, he adds that the site is ideal for the project, since it’s adjacent to CP’s existing facilities in Pitt Meadows. While the loss will be felt locally, the project will benet the agriculture sector nationally. “We are opening markets and supporting the greater Canadian agricultural community through this development,” Edwards says. “I realize that’s not as specic to the local agricultural community … but we look forward to further conversations with local agricultural organizations, and I hope we get to have more of those conversations in the near future to better understand the impacts and the mitigation that we can work with them on.” Speaking as director of operations for Pitt Meadows in 2012, Kim Grout – now CEO of the Agricultural Land Commission – said CP has a long-term vision for its properties. The commission is among the parties that intend to provide feedback on CP’s plans for the farmland. A summary report from the rst consultation will be available in March, with mitigation plans unveiled this summer. 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Genomics lab expands service to local growersHorticulture, livestock sectors benefit from high-level researchThe expansion of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Applied Genomics Centre in Surrey this spring will support researchers like hops breeder Mathias Schuetz in their work with local growers. PHOTO / KPUCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 3by PETER MITHAM SURREY – The expansion of a life sciences lab at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey this spring will deliver a boost to cutting-edge agricultural research in the Fraser Valley. KPU’s existing Applied Genomics Centre oers 750 square feet of space for various research projects focused on genetics, including a hops development program. “One thing we found is that if you look across British Columbia, there’s not a lot of universities that are focused on agriculture. Most are focused on human health, for good reason,” says centre director Paul Adams, who identied the farm sector as a distinctive niche. While a lot of companies could benet from a better knowledge of livestock and crop genetics, Adams says most lack access to the tools and facilities needed to conduct high-level research. “They just don’t have access, especially small [and] medium companies,” he says. “[We’re] helping them do research and development.” Current projects include work with WestGen to identify bacteria responsible for mastitis in dairy cattle and develop a test individual farms can use. The lab also works with Bovitech and Semex to improve the health of cattle embryos beginning at the genetic level. On the horticulture side, the lab has partnered with Van Belle Nursery Inc. in Abbotsford to conduct DNA ngerprinting of local hydrangeas. It is also working to analyze new hop selections as part of a breeding program for the local industry. “The lab at KPU is a big help for us in the sense that they are able to provide us with all the chemical analysis,” says Peter Voogt of Green Flora Greenhouses Ltd. in Abbotsford, who runs trials of new selections and supplies hop growers with plants. “If we would have to farm all that out to a professional lab, it would be very costly.” The expansion will add to the lab’s capabilities, while new funding promises to support sta salaries. KPU allocated funding last year that will give researchers 2,400 square feet of space. The lab is also one of 16 projects shortlisted for a federal grant that could provide approximately $5 million in operating funds over the next ve years. Together with $2 million worth of equipment grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and BC Knowledge Development Fund as well as $500,000 in industry funding, the lab will be in a stronger position to serve local growers. “That will allow us to take what we’re doing and make it bigger and continue to build that out over the next ve years,” says Adams. KPU plant biologist Mathias Schuetz says the lab could cut the time needed to develop new hop varieties by about half. While it can take eight years of eld trials to develop a promising new hop variety, the centre makes a three-year timeline realistic. The rst crosses were made in 2018 and 15 selections were planted out in 2019 in partnership with Green Flora, which has a half-acre dedicated to trials. The top performers were replanted in 2020 at Green Flora and Myrtle Meadows in Pemberton. Twenty of each selection were planted, providing enough hops for analysis. Those trials are set to continue this year. The analysis takes place at the KPU lab. “Their goal is to come up with new varieties that give unique avours,” says Adams. “In the process of creating these new hops, they also want to create ones that grow better in our environment, that are less susceptible to some of the local diseases that are unique here to British Columbia. … We’re involved using genetics as well as chemical analysis to guide this process.” Developing locally adapted hop varieties is important because most new varieties are the result of private breeding programs. Those programs typically patent the new varieties, limiting access. This has prompted interest among BC growers in varieties the local industry can call its own and potentially oer for export. While some local researchers have investigated the potential of domesticating feral varieties, Schuetz is focusing on genetics obtained from the US Department of Agriculture’s breeding program. It’s publicly funded and makes its repository of genetic material available to researchers. “We decided, let’s make a breeding program here,” says Schuetz. “Let’s build something here for our local industry, something that is value-added, that was developed here.” Both government and industry, led by the BC Hop Growers Association, have rallied around the vision. The research has already held plenty of surprises for Schuetz. While mildew resistance as well as oil content, aroma and avour intensity are all important traits, one of the seedlings produced from the early crosses exhibited dwarng characteristics. This is of interest to Schuetz because it could lead to the development of alternative production systems. “We have big tall trellising systems,” he says. “Maybe there’d be a market for a dwarf variety that didn’t aect yield, [was] easier [to] harvest, less infrastructure costs.” A successful selection also has to appeal brewers and consumers. “It has to be something that brewers can use. It has to be something that allows them to make a unique beer style, or has a value-add to them,” says Schuetz. “They have to be easily growable, and have good yields and make nancial sense for the farmer, and also have to be good for the consumer.”
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Publication Mail Agreement: 0399159 . GST Reg. No. 86878 7375 . Subscriptions: $2/issue . $18.90/year . $33.60/2 years . $37.80/3 years incl GSTThe agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol.107 No. 2 . FEBRUARY 2021Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd. www.countrylifeinbc.comPublisher Cathy Glover 604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com Editor Emeritus David Schmidt Associate Editor Peter Mitham news@countrylifeinbc.com Advertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Glover sales@countrylifeinbc.com Production Designer Tina Rezansoff It’s a doozy, PW! Put farmers firstTechnology is great, when it works. With almost a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, farmers’ reliance on technology has grown, whether it was what they wanted or not. Having had in-person meetings cancelled, farmers – no stranger to smart phones – called in, clicked through and logged onto Zoom calls as ordinary farm life went on around them. Tractors, cattle, paperwork and family members were among the backdrops for those of us who couldn’t gure out how to load some exotic image from the tropics. This year’s Pacic Agriculture Show and growers’ short course took place online, a sign of the newfound normality of online conferencing and engagement. But most of us miss the casual, face-to-face opportunities that come with spontaneous interactions. Trade shows and eld days, like the outreach to consumers at farmers markets, provide the soft connections that cement communities. Yet the timing of the pandemic has, in some ways, been providential. It’s given us all a chance to think about the kinds of technology we want in our lives, and how much. Sure, we all want devices that make our lives easier, but when they don’t do what we want (or expect), our stress levels can rise even faster than by doing things the way we’ve always done them. Old-school farming in the interest of stress management and mental wellness is not a bad thing. With the province ramping up investment and resources to develop the BC agritech sector, farmers and ranchers will be on the frontlines of determining what they’re willing to accept onto their farms. Many companies based in the urban centres of Vancouver, Surrey and Kelowna will also have their ideas of how farming should work. Those ideas may not mesh with the experience of those actually making it work. The same goes for the provincial agritech strategy, implemented by the agriculture ministry in partnership with the BC Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation – a name that highlights the ambitions for the sector. But it won’t deliver on any of them if it doesn’t put growers’ needs rst. Buy-in and adoption is the result of a recognized need, not an agenda from on high. There’s plenty of room for partnerships, but the farmer needs to be at the centre. Trying to solve issues farmers don’t see as problems will be putting a new-fangled cart before the proverbial horse. Canadian philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan prophesied the world wide web in 1962, a full 30 years before it came into being. McLuhan held that electronic media would replace visual culture and independence with electronic interdependence and a collective identity which he called the Global Village. His book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, was published in 1964. Media to McLuhan was anything that extended human capabilities and every new medium necessarily resulted in societal change. Imagine two of our Paleolithic forebears wrestling one another over possession of a bed of clams; one of them nds that if he extends his arm with a stout piece of driftwood and applies it to his rival’s cheek bone, he can have all the clams. The following day the sore-jawed foe arrives wielding a stick with a rock tied to the end of it and delivers a two-hander to his enemy’s kneecap. The stick and stone, though useless for picking up clams, are henceforth a necessity. Necessity is the mother of invention which drives the evolution of “arms” and the social adaptation that goes with it. Mankind has been extended by media of all sorts. Horses and wheels, as media of traction and travel, have extended muscle and foot. The alphabet and printing press have allowed eyes to become ears. The light bulb has allowed eyes to see at night by eliminating darkness. The telephone has extended the range of speech and hearing across continents. Ships, trains, automobiles, radio, movies and television have all extended our bodies and senses. McLuhan contends it is not the content of the medium that is important but the eect it has on the societies that use it. The clams were irrelevant to the social change wrought by the stick-and-stone club. As McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message.” The Global Village McLuhan forecast has come to pass. He predicted the computer would become an electronic brain creating a collective identity extending the user’s senses into that identity, the danger being once the senses were coaxed into the collective, they could be engaged on mass and manipulated at will. McLuhan made no moral or ethical judgement of electronic media. His interest was in the social eect it would have. He described users “surfboarding the electronic wave,” instantly accessing a limitless sea of data. This is the web at its best. Prompted by a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, it produces a schematic drawing and parts list of a 30-year-old post-pounder. A few more clicks and it veries the required parts are available and calculates their cost. Less than a minute later, the parts are paid for and on their way. Within hours, a message arrives conrming the transaction and providing a tracking number to monitor the shipment’s progress. There is no disputing the web’s value when employed in such purposes. This column will appear on the publisher’s desktop thanks to the web and there is little downside to popping into the Global Village now and then to do a specic task or two. It is another matter altogether for those who move there. Thanks to cellular and Wi technology, it is now commonplace to live there full time. Every time you cross the threshold, there are powerful forces at work to persuade you not to go home. There are businesses that will show you around the town, seemingly for free. They will keep data concerning your preferences and ensure you will experience them again. If you start watching kitten videos you can bet they will keep coming. What you do on the web becomes part of the collective identity McLuhan predicted. Your presence has value. Bundled up with a million other kitten-watchers, you could be sold as a marketing opportunity for cat-specic goods or causes. Regardless of your interests, the longer you stay in the village and the more predictable your behaviour becomes, the greater your resale value. What that might mean to your worldview and sense of self is quite irrelevant. Despite all its useful functions, welcoming distractions and clever illusions, the Global Village is little more than a crowded mental amusement park. It lacks what is perhaps most needed: solitude and the opportunity for soul searching and contemplation. Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni Valley.The Back Forty BOB COLLINSKnowing when to pull back on extensions4 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCWe acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
A watershed moment for BC farmsAgriculture 4.0 comes with hard questions, tough choices in the data economyCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 5The technologies on oer today for agriculture are wrapped in big promises. However, some hard questions should be asked before farmers adopt them. “COVID-19 has the potential to usher in an Agricultural Renaissance that will drive economic recovery, make us healthier and heal our planet. The convergence of data science, robotics and genomics is poised to herald a new agricultural revolution,” say Evan Fraser and Lenore Newman, two of Canada’s Food Security Research Chairs, in a May 2020 National Observer article entitled “It’s time to pivot Canada’s food system into the 21st century.” The authors refer to an emerging era called Agriculture 4.0 (big data, articial intelligence, cyber physical systems, the Internet of Things), following 3.0 (electronics, computers, automation). The key element of Agriculture 4.0 technologies is data, which underpins distributed ledger technology, new traceability techniques, precision agriculture, robotics, AI and “smart” machinery, circular energy production and more. What is particularly disturbing about the article – and the same applies to last year’s provincial food security task force report – is that the brave new world is described without today’s farmers in it. This makes it even harder to see who might get there from here, and how – if you wanted to. BC farm and food businesses are not strangers to innovation. As they continue to reinvent their way through a pandemic, they have acquired a stronger appreciation for the value of social relationships, and clearer insights into the kind of technology that make their work not only easier, but more connected to the people and world around them. “What we need,” says Arzeena Hamir of Amara Farm in Courtenay, “is technology appropriate to our type and scale of operation. We generate electricity with solar panels; we use electric golf carts to move materials around the farm; we have a weather station and monitor its data through our cell phones; and we order precision equipment from growers in Japan. However, many of the tech approaches currently being promoted at the national level are not a good t for BC.” The late Clarke Gourlay of Morningstar Farm in Parksville used to say that a farm’s values should lie at the heart of a farmer’s decision-making. His family business, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, focused on sharing the farm habitat for the well-being of all. This led it to become BC’s rst SPCA-certied farm; to introduce a voluntary robotic milking system; and to develop a permanent pasture practice to retain carbon in the soil. “Let the values drive what you are building,” said Gourlay, “and ramp that up with innovation.” Questions, both private and public, should be asked about adoption of data technology in agriculture. Big data means too much information. This can drain Viewpoint by KATHLEEN GIBSONyour attention. How will you budget your attention for key decisions to keep your operation on track? Data users must decide what is true and what is useful and understand the programming that selects information on their behalf. Human intelligence is pattern based: it is not the same as machine intelligence. How can data technology serve you rather – or more – than you serve it? When you seek information, every click opens a window onto an ecosystem of third parties looking back at you, paying for access to your data for their own business purposes. Who else besides you has your data, what are they doing with it, and how are they proting from it? Is this okay? How much of the data gathered on your farm – if it is gathered to address collective problems such as climate change – should be in the public domain? Is it? This technology frontier conforms to a predictable pattern. CBC Ideas recently rebroadcast experimental physicist Ursula Franklin’s insightful 1989 lecture series, The Real World of Technology. Franklin describes how at rst the new technology and its creators discourage alternative choices or discussion about them: you engage their way or not at all. Then, over time, the early promises of newness and freedom shift to a growth and standardization phase (where alternatives atrophy), and nally to consolidation and stagnation. The development of the Internet is one example; Agriculture 4.0 will be another. It has become the norm for new technologies to be enabled by publicly funded infrastructures (in this case broadband). Franklin asks why such structures, which aect everyone, are introduced without public debate. Governments, academia and banks are lining up behind Agriculture 4.0. The promise that it will x everything, and the implied threat that resistance is futile, are classic innovation early-stage indicators. You, the user, must navigate the attention and data economy; in terms of data, you are also the product. “Nothing about us without us” could be farmers’ call to government and tech companies for substantive discussions about design and use of data technologies, data ownership, and private and public domains. Kathleen Gibson is a policy analyst and founding member of the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CR-FAIR), the BC Food Systems Network and Food Secure Canada. She lives and grows food on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Nations. Downtown Realty 4007 - 32nd Street, Vernon, BC V1T 5P2 1-800-434-9122 www.royallegpage.caPAT DUGGAN Personal Real Estate Corporation Royal LePage Downtown Realty Ltd. 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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 7sales@baumalight.com | BAUMALIGHT.COMDale Howe 403-462-1975 | dale@baumalight.comMFG A VARIETY OF ATTACHMENTS INCLUDING: BRUSH MULCHERS | ROTARY BRUSH CUTTERSSTUMP GRINDERS | PTO GENERATORS | AUGER DRIVES | TRENCHERS | DRAINAGE PLOWS | TREE SAWS & SHEARSTREE SPADES | BOOM MOWERS | TREE PULLERS | FELLER BUNCHERS | EXCAVATOR ADAPTERS | SCREW SPLITTERSby JACKIE PEARASE DUNCAN – A Vancouver Island egg producer/grader wants the corporate egg business to give consumers more transparency and choice. A blog post on the Farmer Ben’s Eggs website in early December questioned the branding of some eggs sold on the island as being island-produced when, in fact, many of the eggs originate o-island and perhaps even out-of-province. The post also questioned why local grocery stores can’t carry certain eggs thanks to contracts signed at corporate headquarters elsewhere in Canada. Jennifer Woike wrote the piece after being thwarted in her eorts to gain a foothold in larger grocery stores. “Unfortunately, to get into any kind of grocery chain it’s near next to impossible. We’ve been in business for 30 years in the Cowichan Valley and we just get turned away time and time again,” Woike says. “Just last week we had a grocery chain contact us and ask us to oer them some pricing … and then we got an e-mail that said unfortunately we’re under contract with the grader, the other provider, and we can’t take your eggs even though we want to.” Understanding that Vancouver Island egg farmers do not produce enough eggs to satisfy demand, Woike points out that it was local producers who picked up the slack when COVID-19 resulted in empty shelves at grocery stores. “We never shorted one of our customers, not one time through the pandemic. Actually, we uptook one of the major grocery store chains because they called us in desperation, not having any eggs on their shelves. We had product to them within two hours and we serviced them for three and a half months. Then, once the other grader caught wind that was happening and they started to get their supplies back up, the store was forced to drop us,” she says. “We learned through COVID that [the industry] is denitely not sustainable but we could be more sustainable than we are currently.” Woike is also concerned that consumers are being led to believe all their eggs come from the island through packaging and marketing Egg producer questions support for local eggsTransparency needed from distributors, retailersCampbell, Ben and Ian Woike of Farmer Ben’s Eggs. PHOTO / FARMER BEN’S EGGSpractices. “The branding the other grader is using is misleading and confusing. I think that the majority of the population doesn’t know that their eggs aren’t from the island. Even though that word is in all of their marketing,” says Woike. “I think it’s unfair for us but I think it’s more unfair for the consumer.” The misleading information regarding egg origins means consumers can’t buy what they want to buy, and restrictive contracts mean they have less choice at the supermarket. “I really think that’s unfair,” says Woike. Millions of eggs Started in 1994, Farmer Ben’s Eggs is the largest producer/grader serving Vancouver Island. The farm sells 1.7 million dozen eggs a year. According to the BC Egg Marketing Board, Vancouver Island egg farmers produced just under ve million dozen eggs last year through November 2020. BC’s 144 registered egg farmers raise over 3.2 million layer hens that produce more than 87 million dozen eggs annually. According to Egg Farmers of Canada, almost 55.8 million dozen Grade A eggs (in shell) moved inter-provincially and territorially in Canada in 2020. BC purchased almost 9 million dozen eggs from other provinces in 2020 and sold just over 31,000 dozen in total to the Yukon, Alberta and Ontario. Ontario-based Burnbrae Farms Ltd., which purchased Island Eggs in 2007 and is a major grader on Vancouver Island, would not comment on the percentage of its shelled eggs that originate o-island or the volume of shelled eggs See EGG on next page o
IS THAT EGG LOCAL? Graders should be clearer about the origin of their eggs, say critics, giving consumers the information needed to choose local product. PHOTO / FARMER BEN’S EGGS8 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCEGG marketing nfrom page 7it deals with on Vancouver Island or Canada. Burnbrae president Margaret Hudson says the company collects eggs from 32 farms on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland for its Island Eggs grading facility. She says interprovincial movement of eggs is necessary to meet needs across Canada. “To ensure Canadians have the eggs they need every day, we move eggs from provinces that have an oversupply to those that have unmet demand. British Columbia does not produce enough eggs annually to meet its ever-rising consumer demand, nor does Vancouver Island have sucient egg production to meet the needs of those living on the island. This was true even before the pandemic. Today, we supply approximately 20% of the BC egg market and we are pleased to say that our fulllment rate to our grocery store customers on the island is over 98%.” Hudson would not comment on restrictive contracts and marketing Woike typies as unfair and misleading. “We will continue to do everything we can to supply island-raised eggs to those who prefer them,” she says. “For those consumers interested in only buying eggs processed at Island Eggs, there is an easy way to check. Look for the code on the end of the carton and if it begins with BI, you can be assured the eggs are from our facility on the island. We have added language to our website to clarify our sourcing practices.” Providing choice Vancouver Island egg farmer Ross Springford sells 65% to 70% of his free-range eggs to Island Eggs. The rest are sold to specic customers and at Springford Farm in Nanoose Bay. Springford says providing consumers with choice is critical but going up against the big players is not an avenue he would take. “It’s not a problem for us because we don’t go into the big grocery stores. Our business model works around smaller, niche-type health food stores and a few dierent smaller markets as well as some restaurants,” he explains. “We went into that kind of model in about 2013. We stay out of the big (stores) because Burnbrae, who are the big guys, work on the grocery stores.” Springford is dismayed that restrictive contracts could exist. “I don’t want to really think that happens. It may and it may not. But it’s business and we don’t always know all the ins and outs of all the deals that go on in that sort of thing.” He does understand the need to move eggs to supply demand. “This isn’t the cheapest place in the country to produce eggs. With supply management, we don’t want to be oversupplied in an area where it’s really expensive to produce them when, if you need extra eggs, you can get them from other Western provinces,” he notes. Springford says the egg industry on the island consists of many players producing a variety of egg types, each with its own market. While he appreciates the Woikes’ frustration in dealing with large corporations, he predicts a hard-fought battle. “It’s a little David-and-Goliath and sometimes David has to work really hard to get what David can get,” Springford says. BCAC is conducting a sector-wide survey and would like to hear from you!* Fill out the survey and be entered to win one of the great prizes!1st Prize- $350 2nd Prize - $100 3rd Prize - $50SPECIAL DRAW FOR A 3-YEAR FARMER ID CARD-Visit our homepage at: bcac.ca*B.C. farmers, ranchers and growers
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 9Milk consumption up among young, minoritiesPandemic has provided marketing opportunities to dairy industryA shift in marketing strategy by the BC Dairy Association has been well-received by consumers who are learning to adjust to life during a pandemic. PHOTO / BC DAIRY ASSOCIATIONby JACKIE PEARASE ABBOTSFORD – Dairy producers are learning how to harness the positives of a pandemic that has created greater volatility for commodities that used to depend heavily on foodservice sales. COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a shift for the dairy sector as the hotel and restaurant industry slowed to a stop and people began cooking at home more, explains Intensions Research Consulting principal Nick Black in a presentation at the Mainland Milk Producers annual general meeting on January 8. A BC Dairy Association marketing campaign originally aimed at young consumers was altered to reach a broader audience after the pandemic hit. The ‘Here for you. Always’ marketing campaign ran between May and June. It highlighted how dairy farmers support their communities with quality products and nancial donations to food banks. “BCDA pivoted really quickly. They saw what was occurring, the opportunity to inuence the sense of comfort and safety for consumers and talk about the importance of what producers are doing out there,” says Black. “What was very interesting here is the campaign was predominantly focused on trying to shift perceptions of producers but it also had a side eect of also shifting perceptions of the product, which is really hard.” Black says an average of 43% of the 750 respondents recalled seeing a video, social media post or in-store poster for the campaign, with almost 80% of those feeling positive about the ad. When looking at positive attitudes toward BC dairy farmers and dairy products, Black’s data shows an almost 10% increase across all demographics, including the 16-44 age group and visible minorities (South Asian, Chinese and First Nations). “Incredible across the board but in particular those two groups because they were just so resistant to milk before,” says Black. “Of course, it wasn’t just the campaign. It was the time, the fact that people felt uncertain, the fact that they really started to appreciate where local food was coming from. The marketing reached into that wave that was already occurring and really brought it to life and it hit home for people.” Dairy consumption in the second quarter showed similar increases across all demographics for those who recalled the ad and felt positive about it, with visible minorities and younger consumers pulling numbers up substantially. Visible minorities increased consumption from 14.3 dairy products a week to 18.6 a week while the 16-44 age group went from 17.9 products a week to 23.5 a week. Black says numbers stabilized after the initial increase but the benchmark remains higher than it was prior to COVID-19. Using regression analysis, Black controlled for variables that might aect the outcome of the results, including age, sex, ethnicity, family composition, diet and COVID-19 to determine how eective the advertising alone was on these positive trends. “What we showed conclusively with the model is when you saw those ads you were actually 13% more likely to have positivity around milk and 22% more likely to have positive opinions and attitudes towards yourselves as farmers and producers,” Black says. “When you saw this ad you actually ended up consuming 28% more dairy beverages, so you were drinking dairy at a much higher rate, as well as 20% more dairy consumption whilst holding all these things in control.” Black says dairy producers are well positioned right now to capitalize on the current trends of eating at home, positive attitudes towards farmers and local food production, and changing habits of young consumers. BCDA marketing director Jenn Woron says it’s important to keep dairy at the forefront. “To continue to hold some of these trends, we need to continue investing in having a regular presence and keeping that message out in the market. If we don’t, there’s a strong likelihood that we’ll see these numbers start to decline and slowly go down over time,” she adds. “The farmer message seems to be something that really is sticking with young consumers, the general audience. It’s something we’re looking to continue investing in, in terms of our marketing messages.” BCDA general manager Jeremy Dunn says the current situation could also help the industry over the hurdle presented by increased sales of plant-based beverages. “COVID really presented us with this opportunity to break ... a long-term trend of more people going vegan and looking at those types of lifestyles,” he says. “It’s honestly the break we needed.” While ongoing investment in marketing will be key, the initial responses from consumers shows that it’s possible for consumers to pick up new habits, and those are likely to be more persistent the longer the pandemic lasts. “It’s critical that we follow up on that traction to continue to have it stick and, ideally, grow the sentiments where we can,” he says. “But if we can maintain the sentiments we’ve established here and established as a new baseline for dairy, that sets us up for years to come.” VAN DER WAL EQUIPMENT (1989) LTD. 23390 RIVER ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2W 1B6 604/463-3681 | vanderwaleq.com JUWEL – EASE OF USE AND SAFETY OF OPERATIONFOR ANY STRATEGIC TILLAGE PRACTICELOOK TO LEMKENJuwel mounted reversible ploughs from LEMKEN combine operational reliability and ease of use to deliver excellent performance.@strategictill | lemken.caVanderWal Equipment is now a LEMKEN dealer.■ Optiquick for ploughing without lateral pull ■ TurnControl for safe plough turning ■ Hydromatic for disruption-free ploughing even in stony soils ■ Skimmer with easy adjustment options – all without tools■ Also available as M version with hydraulic turnover device0% Financing. 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10 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSouthern Irrigation will maintain the two formerly Highlands Irrigation retail locations in Williams Lake and Kamloops, BC which are already being redesigned and transformed into Southern Irrigation’s signature white-and-blue designs. These new locations will be added into Southern Irrigation’s four existing storefronts for a total of 6 locations, providing more irrigation solutions across Western Canada. As a result of the acquisition, Southern Irrigation now brings Zimmatic pivot and lateral solutions across British Columbia.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 11Valid Manufacturing of Salmon Arm put its nutrient recovery system to work for a couple of weeks this fall at Sunninghill Holsteins in Grindrod before cold weather shut down the pilot project. Another system is being installed soon at a Fraser Valley dairy. PHOTO / JACKIE PEARASEAs a result of Farm Show cancellations we are oering 10% -15% discounts.Call 877.966.3546 or visit www.agritraction.comApproaching our 25th Anniversary of Traction Milling. Our machines are custom built and patented.We are the only providers of Traction Milling in the world.HAS GROOVING LET YOU AND YOUR COWS DOWN?HAS GROOVING LET YOU AND YOUR COWS DOWN?Silagrow.com1.800.663.6022 | office@silagrow.comMulch FilmLandscaping FabricsShade Nets Bale WrapsBunker CoversSilage BagsTw i n eNet WrapsHay TarpsForage & Grain SeedVisGreenhouse Ground CoverGreenhouse FilmsProtection NetsSALMON ARM 5121 - 46 Ave S.E. SURREY 112-18860 24 Ave (PU & Delivery Only)Serving all of BCby JACKIE PEARASE GRINDROD – New technology from a Salmon Arm manufacturer could be an eective tool for farmers seeking nutrient management solutions. Initial data from a short run of Valid Manufacturing’s centrifuge demonstrates that the nutrient recovery system is working as intended. The centrifuge operated at Sunninghill Holsteins in Grindrod for just two and a half weeks before cold weather halted the pilot because the equipment was not under cover. Valid Manufacturing representative Grant Meikle says analysis from an independent lab shows its eectiveness in removing phosphorus and nitrogen from manure. “The proof is in the pudding. The system is extracting over 50% of the overall phosphorus in the raw material coming in,” says Meikle. “That was really one of our main goals: to strip the phosphorus out as much as we could in the solids.” The equipment also removed up to 90% of the sand used in the bedding at the farm and created a solid product with 60-63% moisture content. “That solid component has higher phosphorus and quite a bit of nitrogen as well so it’s a very good nutrient for application to certain soil compositions. It’s not for every soil composition; they all vary with their needs,” Meikle adds. Dairy farmer John De Dood hasn’t yet analyzed the data from his farm of about 125 cows but says the equipment seems to work well. “I was impressed with the product that came out,” he says. De Dood says local soils generally have adequate phosphorus, if not a deciency, making the equipment better suited to the Fraser Valley where excess phosphorus is a problem. He says nding a market for the solid product could make the equipment more viable for farms that don’t need to or cannot put it on their soils. Meikle will test the machine further at De Dood’s farm in the spring. He set up a second centrifuge in January at an Abbotsford dairy with about 300 head that uses bre bedding. “At this point, we’re looking at a target of 30 to 50 litres per minute of raw material coming in. For most dairies under 225 head, that’s ample. It can handle it,” he notes. While larger dairies may need to install more than one centrifuge, Meikle says the cost would not increase signicantly because some of the infrastructure can be used for more than one centrifuge. The company is also looking at building larger centrifuges. Meikle says product going into the centrifuge needs to be properly homogenized. “Centrifuging is not as eective and ecient if you don’t have consistent product coming into it,” he says. The equipment is simple to run and has fail-safes built into its computer system to alert the operator remotely of any problems. “It’s a continuous ow concept; you just let her go,” Meikle says. “Our intent is to have it so the operator will have to check on it maybe once or twice a day.” Funding boost Valid Manufacturing initially demonstrated the centrifuge at Wabybrook Farms Ltd. during a 2019 North Okanagan farm tour with funding support from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership under the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program. Further funding of $125,000 from the program last August enabled this third stage of the pilot project. Data from the pilot project’s Grindrod run were sent to the BC Dairy Association, as will subsequent data from both farms. BCDA chair Holger Schwichtenberg says such projects are important to the industry and the association will be reviewing the data. “The BC Dairy Association, through our Dairy Industry Research and Education Committee, has supported farm-scale centrifuge trial projects since 2018,” he says. “Nutrient management is increasingly a priority for BC dairy producers, as Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice requirements continue to be phased in throughout the province.” Meikle says the project was initiated in response to a need expressed by the dairy industry. “The idea of having some control over the extraction of nutrients is awesome for the industry,” he says. “This is a tool we can oer not only to big operators but to small operators that they can pre-process their manure coming from the dairy and eliminate a lot of the phosphorus going onto the land with very little control. This way you control the phosphorus, you can spread it or truck it out, keep it out of the system.” Nutrient recovery system in third phasePhosphorus, nitrogen extraction helps the environmentYOURHelping YouHelping YouWEEKLY FARMNEWS UPDATESSign up for FREE.coucountrylifeinbc.comylifeinbc.comKLYMSATESE.
12 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCby BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER NORTH SAANICH – The Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture received nal approval from the District of North Saanich on December 7. The new centre is a venture of the Circular Farm and Food Society: Vancouver Island, which will lease the Sandown agricultural lands, formerly part of the Sandown Park racetrack, for the initiative. “We are pleased to have reached this very important milestone in the evolution of the Sandown agricultural lands project,” says North Saanich mayor Geo Orr. “The transformation of the historic Sandown Raceway lands over the past 10 years has been a complicated, challenging, rewarding and visionary process.” However, the council decision was not a slam-dunk, with the nal vote resulting in a 4-3 split. The lease agreement follows years of discussion and debate by the community and North Saanich council. In April, the Tseycum First Nation served notice to the district of their interest in the Sandown lands, which are adjacent to the reserve. The district considered this and engaged the Tseycum First Nation with the Sandown initiative, then chose the Circular Farm and Food Society to move forward, subject to the outcome with the Tseycum. Prior to this development, North Saanich planning sta had recommended entering lease negotiations with Gobind Farms, a well-established commercial grower with property adjacent to Sandown. What followed instead was months of negotiation between North Saanich and the Circular Farm and Food Society. The 10-year lease, which extends from date of signing to December 31, 2030, will see the district fund Circular Farm for the rst three years, providing $135,000 in 2020, followed by $125,000 for 2021 and $125,000 in 2022. The funding will come from the Agricultural Reserve Fund, which was established by retaining half the municipal taxes on commercial land at Sandown which had been excluded from the Agricultural Land Reserve. The district acquired the Sandown agricultural lands in 2017 as a community asset following the previous owner’s exclusion and development process. A community consultation provided a vision for the site’s 83 acres to be used for sustainable food production with a mix of new and experienced farmers using long-term leases for the benet of the region. The lease agreement with North Saanich includes Circular Farm providing community gardens, a “farmpreneur” program for new farmers, water and soil testing, a showcase for soil regeneration using managed intensive grazing of livestock and other methods, and community workshops, events and programming. Council stated that it will monitor progress of the programs and initiatives as the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture is developed. The farmpreneur program has already sparked interest in the farm community, with 26 applications received by December 7 following the announcement of the pending agreement on November 16. The program is $1,900 for a one-acre plot, shared amenities (irrigation, greenhouse, cold storage, etc.) and mentorship for the rst year. Land lease rates are $500 per acre per year thereafter. The lease term is three years, with an option to renew for a total of six years. A partnership has been formed with the South Island Food Hub to help with distribution and marketing. Partnerships Fickle Fig Farm Market will be a farm cooperator, using part of the site for managed intensive grazing with livestock to build the soil. The University of Victoria is partnering with the farm to provide on-farm research in regenerative agriculture, weed and water management, and climate change adaptation through soil carbon sequestration. University of Victoria doctoral candidate Matthew Kyriakides outlined his four-year research project for Sandown at a student research roundtable at the recent conference for the BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network (ACARN). His main goal is to evaluate the eects of land care techniques on soil quality through the evaluation of cover crops, adaptive livestock management, agroforestry, and native vegetation establishment. “We will be fostering the next generation of farmers,” says Jen Rashleigh, director of partner and community engagement for the Circular Farm and Food Society: Vancouver Island. “We acknowledge with respect that we are embarking on this project on Tseycum ancestral lands, the traditional stewards of this land. We look forward to an exciting and meaningful stage as we work to create a community hub for agriculture.” North Saanich approves Sandown proposalNon-profit society to develop regenerative agriculture centre on former racetrackYOURHelping YouHelping Youcoucountrylifeinbc.comylifeinbc.comFARM NEWS UPDATEScountrylifeinbc.comTRACTOR TIMEVICTORIA 4377C Metchosin Rd. 250.474.330130 minutes from Victoria and 15 minutes from Highway#1 in Metchosin.PREMIUM TRUCKPRINCE GEORGE 1015 Great Street 250.563.0696WILLIAMS LAKE 4600 Collier Place 250.398.7411HANDLERS EQUIPMENTABBOTSFORD 339 Sumas Way 604.850.3601HOUSTON 2990 Highway Crescent 250.845.3333Contact your local MAHINDRA Dealer
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 13The Tsartlip First Nation took possession of the former Woodwynn Farm property on the Saanich Peninsula in December, after the provincial government and Tsartlip signed a historic agreement to transfer the land to the nation. 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As the gauge wheels roll along the surface the brooms forward and lateral float adjust to the surface providing a clean sweep.A Hydraulic Rotary Pick-Up Broom is also available for containment and disposable of gravel, sand, and other debris.FOR BAGGED or BULK ORDERSDarren Jansen Owner604.794.3701organicfeeds@gmail.comwww.canadianorganicfeeds.comCertified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd.by BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER CENTRAL SAANICH – Tsartlip First Nation have taken ownership of Woodwynn Farm, opening a new chapter in the property's history. Since acquiring the propertyin 2018, BC Housing had been leasing it to a local farmer who had worked the land since the 1990s. BC Housing originally announced its intention to use the farm as a therapeutic recovery community to provide support and educational programs to people living in o-site supportive housing. The province put those plans on hold pending consultation with Tsartlip First Nation, which had expressed an interest in the property. When the property was oered for sale in 2008, Tsartlip First Nation led a petition in BC Supreme Court claiming the lands under the Douglas Treaty of 1852. It asked the Crown to honour the terms of the treaty. In 2020, the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation provided Tsartlip First Nation with a $7.8 million grant to facilitate its purchase of the property from BC Housing. The farmer’s lease has been extended to September 2021 as part of the arrangement. Tsartlip councillor and elder Paul Sam noted in the government press release announcing the deal that he was raised as a farmer on the land and that his grandfather grew fruit and vegetables there. While the property is important to the Tsartlip, a future use for the property has not been decided. Housing, recreational and cultural needs have been identied as potential uses. Reserve lands Tsartlip First Nation has approximately 1,000 members. Its reserve lands include 476 acres near Brentwood Bay where most members live, four acres on Senanus Island and 323 acres on Mayne Island. Tsartlip also has 22 acres in Goldstream for traditional harvesting shared with four other nations. Woodwyn’s 193 acres lie within the Agricultural Land Reserve and the agricultural capability of the soil is improvable to Class 1 and 2 soils. As noted in a letter from the Agricultural Land Commission to the Creating Homefulness Society, which operated the property for a decade, “prime agricultural land such as that found on the subject is rare, especially in a large property.” Woodwynn Farm lies adjacent to the main Tsartlip reserve at Brentwood Bay but remains separate from the reserve and is legally part of the District of Central Saanich. A federal process will govern any bid by the band to incorporate the property within the reserve. “If a First Nation adds some ALR land to their reserve lands, they are exempt from provincial oversight,” says ALC director of policy and planning Martin Collins. “If they hold the property in fee simple, it is privately owned and like any other owner they are responsible to approach the commission and ask for permission for a subdivision or any non-farm use.” Advancing reconciliation The province’s press release was issued by Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation minister Murray Rankin, agriculture minister Lana Popham’s neighbour at the legislature. During a year-end interview with Country Life in BC, Popham said she looked forward to working with Rankin on advancing reconciliation with First Nations, as stipulated in her mandate letter. “Our oces are side by side, so I hope that he and I will be able to work together on issues more closely,” she said. The province has supported other First Nations in the acquisition of properties, including Soda Creek First Nation’s purchase of Carpenter Mountain Ranch last year and a deal the province struck with the Malahat First Nation for the former Bamberton lands in 2018. Green Party MLA Adam Olsen, who represents the riding of Saanich North and the Islands and is also a Tsartlip member, expressed excitement “for the community and the new chapter for this important farm.” “These lands have long provided for the W̱SÁNEĆ people and there is an incredible opportunity for that to continue,” he said. Tsartlip acquire Woodwyn Farm with provincial helpPurchase honours 1852 treaty provisionsYOURHelping YouHelping YouWEEKLY FARMNEWS UPDATESSign up for FREE.coucountrylifeinbc.comylifeinbc.comKLYMSATESE.
14 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCMarketing British Columbia to the World®www.landquest.comToll Free 1-866-558-LAND (5263)“The Source” for Oceanfront, Lakefront, Islands, Ranches, Resorts & Land in BC®CHILCOTIN WILDERNESS CATTLE RANCHANAHIM LAKE, BCWATERFRONT LOT SEVILLA ISLANDLUND HARBOURCREEK FRONT ACREAGE WITH MOUNTAIN VIEWS - COOMBS, BCINVESTMENT OPPORTUNITYHEFFLEY, BCPRISTINE LASQUETI WATERFRONT ACREAGERIVERFRONT FAMILY FARM WITH INCOME POTENTIAL - VANDERHOOF, BCEDGE OF WILDERNESS RANCHCHRISTIAN VALLEY, BCRUSTIC RIVERFRONT RETREATMERRITT, BCPOTENTIAL EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY WITH STUNNING RESIDENCE - LAC LA HACHEIDEAL HOBBY FARM PROPERTYEDGEWATER, BCSaddle Mountain Ranch 1,457 acres, 9 titles, former buffalo ranch, 2 homesteads, including a super comfortable off-grid home with solar power at the edge of wilderness in stunning mountain setting. Ideal for families who like adventure, self-sufficiency and privacy. Priced right $1,595,0000.31 acre lot with 290± feet of waterfront. Property faces southwest and overlooks Savary and Hernando Islands. Hydro, telephone, water and sewer connection is available. Water access only. Situated in Lund Harbour, the gateway to Desolation Sound. $289,00034.5 acre equestrian farm with stunning views of Mt. Arrowsmith. 900+ ft of creek frontage. Lots of room for everyone. 2,600 ft2 home with in-law suite, a second home as well as a 12-stall barn with a caretaker’s suite on the upper level. Large riding ring, 28 x 30 ft shop & multiple outbuildings. $1,750,000Currently leased as a cow / calf operation. There is a homestead & buildings. Mix of irrigated & dry cultivated land, pasture, browse, treed grazing & grazing licence. 19 prime acreages, most with road access & power. Excellent location. This is a re-sale, executive ranch or holding opportunity. $4,195,000Picturesque 72 acre east facing waterfront parcel. Approx. 850 ft along the water with a nice little bay. Typical arbutus, 昀r cover with rocky outcrops rising in elevation to the west. Located on the east coast of Lasqueti Island with a view Vancouver and Mt. Baker. Road access available but not built. $825,000Well-maintained home on 220 acres complete with income potential, over a mile of riverfront & stunning views of the Nechako River. 4 detached rental units, large sand pit, woodworking shop, barn, equipment shed & covered RV parking. Perfect setting for a family farm. Only 20 minutes from downtown Vanderhoof. $998,000Riverfront estate. 611 acres in 5 titles at north end of the Christian Valley. 2.5 kilometres of riverfront. 4,246 ft2 house, large shop with unfinished suite, 2 rental hunters cabins, greenhouse, hay storage. First class off-grid systems. Fenced and cross fenced. Epic hunting and 昀shing. $2,599,900This 13 acre piece of heaven sits on the Nicola River just off Highway 8 between Spences Bridge and Merritt and is only 3 hours from Vancouver. This property is entirely in the ALR and is all about outdoor living and family, with a state-of-the-art off-grid cabin! $459,000Immaculate 10 acres, perfect for equestrian lovers & hobby farm enthusiasts. Only 15 mins from 100 Mile House, this rural 4,176 ft2 home provides uncompromised countryside living with access to urban amenities. Fenced & cross fenced, existing barn structure & access to miles of trails. $739,000Perfect size acreage with a little of everything! 68 acres. Lightly forested & very accessible with a central road running through & trails throughout. Driveway in place. Land extends out towards Columbia River. Views of Rocky Mountains & Columbia River. A few nice open pastures offer excellent grazing. $399,900RICH OSBORNE 604-664-7633Personal Real Estate Corporationrich@landquest.comJASON ZROBACK 1-604-414-5577 JAMIE ZROBACK 1-604-483-1605KEVIN KITTMER 250-951-8631kevin@landquest.comJOHN ARMSTRONG 250-307-2100john@landquest.comKURT NIELSEN 250-898-7200kurt@landquest.comLandQuest® Realty Corp Comox ValleyFAWN GUNDERSON 250-982-2314Personal Real Estate Corporationfawn@landquest.comSAM HODSON 604-694-7623Personal Real Estate Corporationsam@landquest.comROB GREENE 604-830-2020rob@landquest.comCOLE WESTERSUND 604-360-0793 CHASE WESTERSUND 778-927-6634MATT CAMERON 250-200-1199matt@landquest.comWoodwynn Farm was first known as Máwuećby BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER CENTRAL SAANICH – Woodwynn Farm has a rich history. Known to the Tsartlip First Nation as Máwueć, meaning “honoured grandfather,” it was used for traditional hunting, gathering of medicinal herbs and ceremonial practices. Under the Douglas Treaty, Tsartlip would retain use of village sites and enclosed fields. The Tsartlip assumed that the treaty would protect Máwueć for them, but in 1854 a Hudson’s Bay Co. employee built a cabin and settled there. In 1872, the province issued land grants in the region to encourage settlement. By the 1940s, the property was owned by Lt. Gov. William Culham Woodward and his wife Ruth Wynn Johnson Woodward, who renamed the farm Woodwynn, a combination of their names. Ruth was really the farmer, since she was raised at the Alkali Ranch in the Chilcotin. Her husband was heir to the Woodward’s department store chain. She initially raised Jersey cows, then switched to Aberdeen Angus. After her husband passed in 1957, she continued to raise and show cattle. The Woodwards were friends with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and entertained Princess Margaret at the farm. After Ruth’s passing in 1972, daughter Elizabeth and husband Barney Russ operated the farm until 1988. Although there were community discussions about the possibility of public ownership, Jack Arnaud purchased it in 1988 and it produced cattle, hay and grain, remaining in private hands until he died in 2007. In 2008, a high-profile battle for the farm played out between Creating Homefulness Society and the Farmland Trust Society, punctuated by the Tsartlip First Nation announcement of their claim to the land. Creating Homefulness Society won out in 2009, purchasing the property as a therapeutic farm for recovering addicts and the homeless. The society aimed to provide a supportive environment for residents as well as an opportunity to learn skills. Unfortunately, the group had issues with both Central Saanich council and the Agricultural Land Commission as they attempted to house the homeless and develop the property. By 2018, Woodwynn Farm was shut down as the ALC denied a request for additional housing and nancial backers pulled out. BC Housing stepped up in July 2018, securing the farm from the Creating Homefulness Society. Of the $6.9 million approved by the provincial government for the purchase, $5.8 million was for the land, and $1.1 million was for renovations and other costs. Although Woodwynn continued to be farmed, the plans for a therapeutic recovery community did not materialize. In 2020, the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation provided Tsartlip First Nation with a $7.8 million grant to facilitate its purchase of the property from BC Housing, a deal that closed December 16. The iconic barns at Woodwynn Farm in Central Saanich. PHOTO / BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 15Village Farms will be tapping landll gas for its co-gen plant until at least 2040. FILE PHOTOby ROOHI SAHAJPAL DELTA – A greenhouse vegetable producer is greening up its cogeneration facility as part of a new agreement with the city of Vancouver. Vancouver renewed its contract with Village Farms International Inc. at the beginning of November, allowing the greenhouse tomato, pepper and cannabis producer to capture natural gas from the city’s landll in Delta until at least 2040. Under the original contract, signed in 2000, Village Farms tapped landll gas for heat and electrical power generation. The power was sold to BC Hydro and during the winter, heat from the process warmed the farm’s 60 acres of greenhouses. Carbon dioxide generated during the process couldn’t be harvested to feed the crop, however. Greenhouses that burn natural gas are able to do this because natural gas is relatively clean compared to landll gas. “Landll gas by nature is a very irregular and dirty, nasty fuel,” says Jonathan Bos, vice-president, asset development with Village Farms. “Greenhouses in BC that grow vegetables and cannabis and owers, when they combust natural gas, natural gas is clean enough that after they combust it for heat purposes, they would scavenge the exhaust gases and utilize the CO2 to enrich their crops. … We've never been able to utilize the CO2 that's in landll gas for that purpose.” The extension, which includes the option for an additional ve years, will see Village Farms develop infrastructure to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) for distribution through the provincial natural gas utility managed by FortisBC. With the pivot from landll gas to renewable natural gas, Bos says Village Farms will be able to isolate CO2 so that it will be safe and eective for greenhouses to use. “Although we will not be producing electricity for BC Hydro and we will not be producing heat anymore for the greenhouse, we will be producing renewable natural gas that has a better economic return on investment than our past business model,” Bos explains. “Between our cannabis greenhouses and our tomato greenhouses, we have a tremendous opportunity to utilize the CO2 in those greenhouses.” It will also generate food-grade liquid CO2, reducing the reliance of Village Farms and Pure Sunfarms, its cannabis division, on natural gas. “This project ensures that Village Farms can continue to use landll gas benecially for another 20 years,” says Albert Shamess, zero waste and resource recovery director for City of Vancouver. “While there is no increase in the amount of landll gas Village Farms will take as part of the new contract, there are additional benets to the community through the replacement of fossil-based natural gas with renewable natural gas.” Linda Delli Santi, executive director with the BC Greenhouse Growers Association, says that projects like this are benecial to greenhouses. “Using that methane, it helps the environment and for the good of the world,” she explains. “But it also helps that greenhouse grower because he has a source of gas that he can use and the CO2 that comes o, it is also usable in his crop.” The project is slated to begin in early 2022, pending regulatory approval. Delta greenhouse ups ante on co-gen facilityLandfill gas will be cleaned up for food productionVillage Farms International Inc. has bought out its joint venture partner in cannabis producer Pure Sunfarms Corp. Village Farms completed its acquisition of Pure Sunfarms from Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc. in November for $79.9 million. Prior to the purchase, Village Farms held a 58.7% interest in the venture, originally formed in 2017. It is now one of the largest greenhouse cannabis producers in the world with a growing area of approximately 25 acres. It turned a prot of US$27.4 million on revenue of US$62.3 million in 2019. Sole ownership strengthens the company’s hand as consolidation ripples through the cannabis sector and the number of licensed producers shrinks. “Pure Sunfarms is well positioned for long-term growth as one of what we believe will be just a small number of major suppliers to the Canadian cannabis market,” says Village Farms CEO Michael DeGiglio. —Roohi Sahajpal Village Farms acquires Pure Sunfarms
16 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCPandemic was profitable for nursery growersSales, demand set to rise as more people take up gardeningSocial distancing and travel restrictions in 2020 saw consumers turn to gardening, resulting in a boom for growers of bedding plants, owers and ornamentals. FILE PHOTOKuhnNorthAmerica.comVisit your local British Columbia KUHN dealer today!INVEST IN QUALITY®www.kuhn.comMatsqui Ag-RepairAbbotsfordNorthline EquipmentPouce CoupeHuber Farm EquipmentPrince GeorgeSmithersNorthline Equipment, Ltd.Dawson CreekHR/HRB POWER HARROWS Secondary tillage4’ – 26’5" working widths • rigid & folding modelsSUPERIOR SEEDBED PREPARATION• Adaptable Combinations - Combine multiple operations to reduce field passes• Excellent Seedbed Preparation - Levels, crumbles and packs soil for increased germination rates• Performance Adjustability - Match rotor speeds to available horsepower and ground• Fast-Fit® Blades on the 104 Series - Quick, easy maintenance• Durable Drive Components - Lubed-for-life drive system increases machine uptimeby PETER MITHAM SURREY – Despite ongoing challenges on the labour front, the past year was a good one for members of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association thanks to shifts in spending as a result of public health orders introduced to ght COVID-19. “Our industry has actually weathered things quite well,” said association chair Michael Mills, who stepped down from the board at the November 27 meeting. Restrictions on activities meant the association ended the year with a small nancial surplus, but even more encouraging, membership has continued to increase to a total of 337 active members. The industry was especially thankful that nurseries were designated an essential service by the province at the beginning of the pandemic, allowing them to continue operating in what proved to be boom times. “We’ve never had an opportunity like this,” said guest speaker Brian Minter of Minter Country Garden Ltd. in Chilliwack, who addressed the association on what the year ahead could hold. “If you are in our business right now, you have to be grateful.” Minter, who received the association’s Garden Communicator of the Year award, said the coming months hold many uncertainties. There are no guarantees how social restrictions will evolve, and supply chain disruptions mean product may not be available from nurseries to meet retail demand. Yet consumers took to gardening in record numbers last year and seem set to do so again, Minter said. Citing surveys by both gardening supply company Scotts and research rm Axiom Marketing, Minter said 86% of households that began gardening during the pandemic plan to continue gardening in 2021. Moreover, 47% expect to expand their gardening activities, pointing to growth. “All of us have some indication, some feeling, that there’s going to be a repeat of last year,” Minter said. “Talking to some of the larger growers in our country, particularly ones that deal with food stores where their market is stable, they are increasing their production.” Statistics Canada reports that about 61% of BC residents typically grow owers, fruit, vegetables or herbs each year. The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University found that about 17.4% of home gardeners began growing their own food this year. However, owers and ornamentals led the way in terms of what gardeners wanted in 2020, according to Axiom. Vegetables ranked third. One of the reasons for the growth, noted Minter, is that people are stuck at home and investing more in their surroundings. Renovations and home improvements replaced leisure travel, driving demand for plants from nurseries. Those who didn’t invest last year will likely do so this year. Moreover, an outux of people from the cities to larger properties is also driving demand. Sales both to homeowners and landscape companies contracted to undertake property improvements have increased, with demand for larger trees and potted shrubs challenging producers. “We don’t know how long this boom will last. This boom is still going on right now. There’s a hunger for plants,” Minter said. Retailers are placing orders that are 10%, 20% and even 30% above last year, he said. Some nurseries have scaled up and specialized, and are capturing market share. “It’s not business as usual. They’re looking at being a little more innovative and creative, gathering niches,” he said. “Growing a little bit of this and a little bit of that doesn’t work, and won’t work in the future.” He pointed to Qualitree Propagators Inc. in Chilliwack, which has developed a booming export market for its perennials, as well as Van Belle Nursery Inc. in Abbotsford. “Give them a lot of credit for branding products, getting new products out there. They are capturing a market,” he said. Growers shouldn’t take the good times for granted, however. Costco and other major retailers are gearing up to serve the home market this year, presenting a challenge to the independent stores that claimed a 45% share of the market last year. Moreover, pent-up demand for travel when public health restrictions lift are another risk. “In my opinion, it’s going to be strong for a long time,” Minter said. “[But] just as quickly as we had this gift, it could be taken away.” YOURHelping YouDon’t forget to RENEW your subscription toCountry Lifein BCYOURping Youpingpingpping Youription toon toe
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 17New BC Honey Producers Association president Heather Higo is no stranger to the sector. She was honoured by the Canadian Honey Council in 2016 for her contributions to the industry. PHOTO / AMANDA GOODMAN LEEby TOM WALKER LANGLEY – The new president of the BC Honey Producers Association is positive about the present and future state of the industry. “I think we need to appreciate that as beekeepers we are not COVID-restricted; we still get to work,” says Heather Higo. “The bees seem to have an ability to kind of regenerate and refresh your mental state and I think it is really important to have that outlet in times like this.” Higo was acclaimed president of the BCHPA at the association’s 100th annual general meeting last fall. She is well known to beekeepers, having managed Mark Winston’s bee lab at SFU for 20 years. “I didn’t know anything about bees when I started as an undergrad summer student in 1987,” she says. She completed a Masters while working in Winston’s lab then took on the job of research technician. “I basically ran the lab and all the honeybee colonies and several research projects and mentored students as well,” she says. But it’s her current work as eld project manager at UBC that has really developed her connections with industry. “We have done a lot of projects where we interact directly with larger-scale beekeepers,” says Higo. “It gave me more of a avour for the industry as well as the science side and the hobbyist side.” BCHPA’s 680 members are an eclectic mix of commercial beekeepers, sideliners and hobbyists. Higo considers herself a sideliner, keeping a colony of 30 hives in south Langley. She rears and sells a limited number of queens as well as “nucs,” small starter colonies of bees complete with a queen that will grow to a full colony over the summer. The association’s diverse membership is both the strength and the future of the industry, Higo says. “There are lots of opportunities to advance various aspects of production,” she says. BC beekeepers are not simply tied to honey production, she notes. Southern BC’s mild climate makes it an ideal location for rearing queens and stock. “That is where some of the hobbyists can help out if they have the incentive to extend their operations,” she says. Stock replacement is both a challenge and an opportunity for the industry. International travel restrictions introduced to ght COVID-19 last spring limited ights from New Zealand and Australia, leaving many apiarists in BC and across Canada short of bees. Bee packages are expensive Higo says, but they are very convenient and usually a reliable way for beekeepers who have suered winter losses to restore colonies in the spring. But local stock is an alternative, she points out. “It is just a dierent way of thinking,” she says. “It is investing your money and investing your time in a dierent way of running your operation.” She gives a nod to Stan Reist, owner of Flying Dutchman Apiaries in Nanaimo. “People like Stan are developing local stock rearing … and he is bringing in more and more people to participate with him,” she notes. “I think that is a big step forward.” There is also an opportunity to increase honey sales both locally and for export, Higo believes, but the prevalence of adulterated honey on the market keeps international prices low. This makes exports unattractive, she explains. She supports the work of BC researchers Peter Awram and Leonard Foster to develop means to authenticate honey and ensure genuine honey receives a fair price. “The other thing I would like to see is more collaborative work done with the blueberry growers and the beekeeper pollinators,” Higo says. A closer relationship between the two groups would enhance crop output and the pollination services provided by honeybees without having an impact on bee health. “Blueberry growers can really increase the amount that they produce per acre by increasing the numbers of bees or by having healthier bees on their property,” Higo says. “And as beekeepers and pollinators we need to appreciate the issues that growers are dealing with, too.” This is an excellent time to be looking at developing a technology transfer team for BC, says Higo. Technology transfer teams exist in all provinces except BC and Quebec. “A tech transfer team could be a huge help teaching queen rearing in BC, for example, and promoting it to a level where surplus queens could be exported to the rest of Canada,” she says. The team would be ideally positioned to help with more extensive research into the health of bees in blueberry elds. 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18 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCDustin Stadnyk CPA, CAChris Henderson CPA, CANathalie Merrill CPA, 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 Exemptions Approved consultants for Government funding through BC Farm Business Advisory Services ProgramARMSTRONG 250-546-8665 | LUMBY 250-547-2118 | ENDERBY 250-838-7337View over 100 listings of farm properties at www.bcfarmandranch.comBC FARM & RANCH REALTY CORP.Buying or Selling a Farm or Acreage?GORD HOUWELING Cell: 604/793-8660GREG WALTON Cell: 604/864-1610Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI Call BC’s First and Only Real Estate Office committed 100% to Agriculture!PROFESSIONAL SERVICESCALL FOR AN ESTIMATE LARRY 604.209.5523 TROY 604.209.5524 TRI-WAY FARMS LASER LEVELLING LTD.IMPROVED DRAINAGE UNIFORM GERMINATION UNIFORM IRRIGATION FAST, ACCURATE SURVEYING INCREASE CROP YIELDS We service all of Southern BCProudly certifying Producers and Processorswithin BC and Alberta.FVOPA provides year round certification services compliant with the Canadian Organic Standards (CAN/CGSB) and in accordance with the BC Certified Organic ISO 17065 recognized program. Products may be sold Canada-wide and in international markets. FVOPA ensures an efficient, professional certification process for all farm, processing and handling operations. Inspectors are lOlA trained and qualified making FVOPA a leading Certification Agency.Message 604-607-1655Email: admin@fvopa.cawww.fvopa.caPhone 604-789-7586P.O. Box 18591Delta, BC V4K 4V7Phone: 778-434-3070 PO Box 19052 Email: admin@fvopa.ca Delta, BC V4L2P8 www.fvopa.ca FVOPA delivers year-round certication services to all regions of Canada, in compliance with the Canadian Organic Standards, the BC Certied Organic Accreditation Equivalent Program, and ISO 17065. Products may bear the Canada Or-ganic logo and be marketed Canada-wide and internationally. FVOPA provides procient certication services for all types of Producers, Processors, Packers and Distributors. FVOPA is a self-sustaining, proactive, leading edge Certication Agency. Proudly certifying Producers and Processors across Canadaby PETER MITHAM CHILLIWACK – BC agriculture lost a trusted source of advice in January with the passing of Jack Reams, a veteran of the hog industry who advised others based on his rst-hand knowledge of farming. “He called a spade a spade but he always had farmers’ interest at heart where he could,” says BC Agriculture Council executive director Reg Ens, who counts Reams as an informal mentor. Ens crossed paths with Reams several times over the years. “I can’t keep track of how many times my life interacted with his,” he says. “My rst real recollection is when I worked for CIBC. My boss was Jack’s brother-in-law. I heard the stories of Moscow, Idaho – incredible history.” Reams was born in Idaho in 1936, growing up on 800 acres on the edge of the rich grain-growing region of the Palouse at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. His parents’ farm gave him a love of agriculture, and he quickly took to pigs. Moscow was also a university town, and following service in the navy, Reams pursued studies in animal husbandry as well as history. It was a well-rounded education that, in combination with his military service, gave him a clear perspective on the challenges facing farmers. During university he also owned a dairy and hog farm, but in 1965 he pulled up stakes and came to Canada. A shortage of homegrown talent at the time gave Reams an edge, and he quickly became provincial swine specialist for Alberta. Within two years, he was once again raising hogs through a partnership with Ross Hudson in a Fraser Valley farm. The venture would last until 1986, when the partnership dissolved and the farm was sold. Through this time he was active in both the provincial and national pork associations, including serving as president of the BC Pork Producers Association. Jack DeWit, current chair of BC Pork, says Reams “had a desire to serve.” DeWit entered the industry in 1976, and recalls the signicant time Reams spent on behalf of the sector, which counted 350 producers at the time. Reams was at the forefront of industry negotiations with government and processors as the industry met the challenges of the 1980s. With the sale of his own farm, Reams joined the East Chilliwack Co-op as credit manager in 1988. “It was the people of agriculture that gave him life, or energy,” recalls Ens, who respected the hard work Reams put in and the personal interest he took in his clients. “We were both doing farm business assessment work, and I looked at the way Jack approached it versus the way I approached it,” he says. “Being able to chat with farmers is what gives us energy and enjoyment, but with Jack it was even beyond that. … He lived the industry as an advisor.” A professional agrologist, Reams launched his own consulting business at the age of 61 in 1998. A lifetime of experience was brought to bear on a number of farm business challenges, from developing business plans to managing nancial challenges. He developed agriculture plans for Richmond and Pitt Meadows and worked with farmers, ranchers and First Nations groups across the province to address everything from nutrient management to wildre recovery. His rst-hand knowledge of agriculture was also important as an organic inspector, work that took him across Western Canada and the US Northwest. He also served as a third-party auditor for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, working with meat producers to write standards and audit labelling. His enthusiasm and engagement with the industry remained strong at the time of his death on January 9. “Jack had a strong work ethic and most importantly he was able to meet people and renew annual acquaintances, always gaining and sharing knowledge in the areas of nance, organics, animal welfare, and specialty meat labeling,” states the ocial death notice. Reams is survived by his wife Marlene, their children and grandchildren as well as his brother Jim and a large extended family. Consultant delivered practical advice Jack Reams took a personal interest in his clientsJack Reams passed away January 9 after a brief illness. SUBMITTED PHOTOMonitor TSUM on farmwest to schedule manure and fertilizer application!
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 19Tributes pour in for Island farmer Colin Springford Generosity and mentorship remembered“Serving British Columbia proudly since 1946”Machinery LimitedROLLINS RToll Free 1-800-242-9737 www.rollinsmachinery.comChilliack 1.800.242.9737 | 44725 Yale Rd W Langley 1.800.665.9060 | 21869 - 56th Ave Chemainus 1.250-246.1203 | 3306 Smiley RdChilliwack 1.800.242.9737 . 47724 Yale Rd W Langley 1.800.665.9060 . 21869 56th Ave Chemainus 1.250.246.1203 . 3306 Smiley Rd Kelowna 250.765.8266 . 201-150 Campion StToll Free 1-800-242-9737 www.rollinsmachinery.com info@rollinsmachinery.caYou’ve tried the rest.Now try the BEST.by PETER MITHAM NANOOSE BAY – A heart attack has claimed Colin Springford, who gave generously of his time to advancing agriculture and communities on Vancouver Island. “Pretty well everyone knew him and everyone respected him,” says Sam Pickard, a former president of the Coombs Farmers Institute. “We’re certainly going to miss him.” Pickard was raised on the property that later gave Springford his start farming north of Nanaimo. “I knew the property well,” says Pickard. “He certainly shows that with capitalization and the right vision, you can achieve some very fine things in agriculture.” What began as a hobby farm grew. Springford bought 225 acres in Nanoose Bay in 1998 and built Springford Farm Ltd., a mixed operation known for its beef, poultry, eggs and fresh produce. Born in Sidney in 1945, Springford was raised on a small dairy farm. It didn’t take long for him to begin tending berries and other crops. His parents also ran a small store, which taught him the people side of business. The lessons stuck with him, giving him a knack for dealing with local government and building consensus within the industry. He served on the Nanaimo Regional District’s agricultural advisory committee and as president of the Coombs Farmers Institute for 10 years before stepping down in 2014. But that didn’t stop his involvement. “Quite often you’ll get some organizations that are held together just by a core of people who, when any of them gets sick or dies, things fall apart badly,” says Pickard. “He was the kind of person who contributed to cohesion and cooperation, and that meant things worked pretty smoothly.” Stints working in banking and construction honed his business sense. His contracting work took him to Australia for three years, rounding out a practical experience that stood him in good stead when he returned to farming in 1979 with a nine-acre property in Parksville. What began as a hobby farm grew into a diverse farming operation that set an example for others. Springford wanted to do things right, paying attention to the details that would lay the foundation for success. Speaking of his participation in the Environmental Farm Plan program in 2005, he said farmers have to put the land first. While the growing number of rules and regulations governments are burdensome, farmers have to do right by the land. “We have to be stewards of our land,” he said. “We really have to be custodians of the environment.” However, it was also important to maintain good relations with governments, because they set the ground rules. “You need local government on side so that they don’t hinder you. If local government’s not on side they can be as big a stumbling block as any,” he said while he was chair of the local agricultural advisory committee. Tributes Springford died January 17 following a brief illness. The news, posted to Facebook, drew many tributes testifying to the breadth of his impact. Many noted his guidance and support of their businesses, his contributions to community organizations such as the Nanoose Bay Volunteer Fire Department as well as farm organizations including 4-H and the BC Hereford Association. He was also a linchpin in gathering donations for the annual Coombs Farmers Institute auction in support of the $2,500 scholarships the institute offers each year to students pursuing careers in agriculture and related fields. Springford is survived by his wife Diane, children Ross and Clarice and four grandchildren. The farm continues to operate under Ross’s management. A small family service took place January 24, but the family plans a public celebration of life later this year when circumstances permit. Colin Springford was an early advocate for environmental stewardship on farms, and among the rst to secure an Environmental Farm Plan. The Nanoose Bay farmer passed away January 17. SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Alberni Valley livestock producers can now apply for a Class D on-farm slaughter licence, but there's plenty of work to do to increase slaughter capacity on Vancouver Island. PHOTO / STONEHAVEN FARMCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 21“Serving and Supporting the Community Together”PROVINCIALLY INSPECTED ABATTOIR B.C. #34ALL SIZES MARKET GOATS & LAMBS604.465.4752 (Ext 105)FAX 604.465.4744 ashiq@meadowvalleymeats.comby TOM WALKER PORT ALBERNI – The rst new Class D licence awarded in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District following an expansion of eligible areas last June has been awarded to Lisa and Jamie Aylard of Stonehaven Farm. “We are happy to be able to go ahead with our own on-farm slaughter,” says Lisa Aylard. “But at only 25 animal units, I don’t believe that it will contribute much to the viability of our family farm.” Alberni-Clayoquot was one of three regions added to the list of areas eligible for Class D on-farm slaughter licences under changes the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries announced last year. Also added were electoral area D in Central Kootenay and electoral area H in Fraser-Fort George Regional District. December 1 saw the ministry assume responsibility of all meat inspection in the province, removing D and E licences from the oversight of regional health authorities and making them subject to the Meat Inspection Branch just like Class A and B plants. Aylard and other Vancouver Island farmers attended a Slaughter Safe course in early December organized by the Vancouver Island Health Authority with assistance from the Meat Inspection Branch. (VIHA has no prior experience with Class D facilities, though it oversaw several Class E facilities.) “It was a helpful course, but it was clear that the woman from Island Health felt that it was really adding [work] to her plate that she didn’t want,” says Aylard, noting that the health authorities still seem to be involved. “I know we are supposed to be under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries now, but I have been told that I am still to obtain my licence from Island Health. It’s a mess.” Being a member of a multi-generation farm family, Aylard knows the economics of processing her own animals and selling direct to customers, but now nds her protability threatened by new insurance requirements and cut-and-wrap costs. “My husband is not feeling very optimistic,” says Aylard. “We have already faced extra nancial costs for commercial insurance as our provider said they would cancel our farm liability if we didn’t add the commercial portion for our processing.” She says the cheapest they could nd was $1,200, adding about $30 to the cost of processing a lamb and probably $100 for a beef animal. Aylard estimates cut-and-wrap services of a local butcher – Class D licences don’t permit on-farm packing – will be about $1.50 a pound for an average order. “But if you want anything special like extra-thick steaks, that would be more,” she explains. “We’ve been trying to get the health inspector to tell us what we need to do to be able to do our own cut-and-wrap but she is not returning our e-mails or phone calls.” Aylard notes she’ll save on transportation costs as the only provincially licensed abattoir options for area farmers are in Courtenay and Duncan, both an hour’s drive away. Agriculture minster Lana Popham downplays the concerns, saying improvements are on the horizon for meat processors. “We are just compiling feedback from the ‘what we heard report’ and I am expecting that we will be able to make some changes sooner than later,” she says. “This rst D licence since taking over from the Ministry of Health is a bigger deal than most will probably realize.” She acknowledges the province’s slaughter capacity lags demand. But just because there’s a need doesn’t mean anyone is going to build an abattoir, least of all the province. But Popham says the province is exploring the idea of meat processing hubs similar to the foods hubs the province has funded. “Can we support communities that want these smaller-scale hubs and we put in money just like the food hubs, where we buy the equipment?” she asks. “That is where I would like to see things move over the next year.” BC Association of Abattoirs executive director Nova Woodbury agrees with Popham that there is a capacity issue but cautions against the government putting dollars into processing hubs that compete directly with privately owned facilities. “[We] would prefer to see support given to existing businesses,” Woodbury says. “Are there ways to increase our proven capacity with better equipment such as manual assist tools, facilities like more cooler space, training for existing workers and hiring of additional workers that would allow our members to better serve their livestock owner customers?” On-farm abattoir approved for Alberni ValleySlaughter capacity still lags demand despite changesRite-Lix® and Rite-Blox®Predictable controlled consump琀onLower cost per head per dayBioplex® trace mineralsLOW COST PER DAYBETTER PERFORMANCECONTROL GRAZING PATTERNSNO ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTPLASTIC OR BIODEGRADABLE CONTAINER OPTIONS
22 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCBC LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS Proudly Supporting BC Ranching Since 1943Your BC Livestock Marketing Team Has You CoveredTRADITIONAL RING SALES | DIRECT SALES | IN HOUSE VIDEO SALES | TEAM SALESwww.bclivestock.bc.caKamloops Head Oce: 250.573.3939 Fax: 250.573.3170kam@bclivestock.bc.caFEBRUARY 27 KAMLOOPS Pine Butte Horned Hereford & RRTS CharolaisOnline Bidding with NEXTLOTMARCH 23 KAMLOOPS Still Meadows Bull SaleOnline Bidding TBAMARCH 26/27 NEW TIMED ONLINE Red Moon Anguswww.bclivestock.nextlot.com/publicAPRIL 3 WILLIAMS LAKE Best Bet Bull Sale Mitchell Cattle Co. & GuestOnline Bidding with DLMSAPRIL 10 VANDERHOOF 46th Annual All Breeds Bull SaleOnline Bidding with DLMSAPRIL 15/16 WILLIAMS LAKE 84th Annual Bull SaleOnline Bidding TBAAPRIL 19 OKANAGAN FALLS All Breeds Bull SaleOnline Bidding with NEXTLOT2021 BULL POWERFOLLOW US for Sales & Event Updateswww.bclivestock.nextlot.com/publicKAMLOOPSDarrell Comazzetto250.319.3992WILLIAMS LAKEWade McNolty250.398.0429OKANAGAN FALLSShawn Carter250.490.5809VANDERHOOFMike Pritchard250.524.0681PROVINCE WIDEAl Smith250.570.2143NEXT LOTElysia Penner250.570.1415VISIT OUR WEB PAGE for NEW Sales DatesPlans for a provincial weather network move forwardStudies underway to determine areas of greatest needby BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER CAMPBELL RIVER – Plans for a weather network that makes local climate data available to producers were discussed during the BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network late last year. The fully virtual workshop attracted record attendance, with participants joining in from across Canada and as far away as Europe to hear how BC producers are adapting to the challenges of a changing climate. Plans for the BC Agri-Weather network were the focus of a presentation agrometeorologist Andy Nadler of Peak HydroMet Solutions in Campbell River delivered. Plans are based on the 2018 gap analysis of weather station data by Stephanie Tam, a water management engineer with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and Faron Anslow of the Pacic Climate Impacts Consortium at the University of Victoria. Based on discussions at last year’s annual ACARN workshop, Nadler started addressing those needs this past October. “A lot of the work is still underway,” says Nadler, who is asking producers to reach out and tell him what gaps they have in their production, how improved weather monitoring would help, and what decision support tools would benet their sectors. A report on the ndings is expected in March, and Nadler will present his work to the public, producer associations and research institutions this spring. According to Nadler, regional climate adaptation plans for the period 2013-2020 revealed gaps and vulnerabilities and the need for better weather monitoring. A good weather data and forecasting system can help producers better manage pests, nutrients, irrigation scheduling, harvesting and evaluate the feasibility of new crops. The goal is to strengthen the agricultural weather station network, improve the quality of data and enhance its usefulness. The federal government used to be the sole source of weather data, but Environment and Climate Change Canada’s weather stations now account for just 27% of weather monitoring stations. An agreement via a climate-related monitoring program (CRMP) allows stations to share meteorological and meta data, facilitating collaboration. There are three main agricultural weather networks in BC currently. Farmwest, administered by the Pacic Field Corn Association with operational support from the provincial agriculture ministry; the BC Peace Agri Weather Network, managed by the Peace River Forage Association and BC Grain Producers Association; and the Growers Supply stations in the Okanagan, funded by BC Tree Fruits. Some areas of the province lack weather station coverage. Nadler uses cluster analysis to determine those farming areas furthest from operational and applicable weather stations. The areas most in need are those with the greatest acreage of under-represented farmland. One system that has attracted Nadler’s attention as a potential model for BC is AgWeatherNet, hosted by Washington State University. AgWeatherNet provides weather data and weather-related decision support tools specically to improve agricultural production and eciency throughout the state. “An innovative feature of this program is that it allows users to purchase their own on-farm weather stations that can be tied into the network,” says Nadler. “These farmers benet by having access to site-specic decision support tools. The overall network benets by improved coverage across agricultural areas.” Support for a provincial network is strong across commodities and within the research community. “Agriculture is really heavily dependent on weather data and weather forecasting data,” says systems agroecologist Kirsten Hannam of the Summerland Research and Development Centre. “Our ability to adapt to climate change will be enhanced if we can develop good decision-support tools driven by good-quality data.” FILE PHOTO
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 23Feedlots under pressure with kill instabilityStrong market fundamentals challenged by rising costsby TOM WALKER OKOTOKS – Despite the events of the past year, the fundamental outlook for Canadian beef remains strong, says Dr. Kee Jim, a veterinarian and founder of Feedlot Health Management Services in Okotoks, Alberta. “The only thing that has really changed is the COVID situation,” he told Country Life in BC. “So long as the COVID hangover doesn’t persist, we have the underpinning of a good situation for Canadian beef.” But in the near term, cow-calf producers in BC are likely to see the eects of COVID-19, as well as rising feed prices, impact the price of their calves. Jim points out that the fundamentals of the supply and demand equation were solid over the past year. “The only problem was with the serious plant closures. You couldn’t get cattle slaughtered,” he explains. “The consumer saw a shortage of beef and the retail price went to record highs, while the feedlot operator had too many cattle waiting to be slaughtered.” That backup in feedlots was a serious situation says Jim, who operates feedlots in addition to being a vet. “It has been a very rough year for feedlot producers,” he says. “No money has been made this year at all, nor will be made in the foreseeable future.” Yet the eects of feedlot losses were not, for the most part, passed on to cow-calf operators in the BC fall run. Prices mostly stayed above $2.00 a pound for a benchmark 550-weight calf. “Things might not be so rosy, but the cow-calf producer did not see the impact of that this year because feedlot producers were still betting on a better life ahead, so they were willing to step in one more time,” says Jim. “It will be interesting to see how long the feedlot guy can bleed.” A change may come by fall 2021, says Jim, thanks to rising grain prices and a stronger Canadian dollar. “We are looking at big grain prices,” he says. Canfax reported January 21 that barley for summer delivery in Alberta was $315 a tonne compared to $240 last year. Corn is similar at $315 to $320 tonne up from $235-$240 a year ago. The feedlot producer will be paying more to feed calves and they will eventually have to pass those costs back to the primary producer, Jim explains. “Prices could drop to $1.50, $1.60 a pound quite easily,” he says. The fundamentals for beef exports remain strong. Export markets are a key to the success of the Canadian cattle industry, with approximately 50% of all beef raised here being sold abroad. Despite reports of Canada AAA rib-eye steaks retailing for $27.90 a pound and tenderloins for $34.90 a pound in Costco stores in Madrid, the European market is not likely to be a windfall for many Canadian beef producers, warns Jim. “The EU market has not grown as much as I would have thought,” he says. “We had higher expectations given our preferential taris.” He says the demand for high-quality grain-fed beef has just not materialized and more marketing is needed to establish a place for Canadian product. Canadian packers made record prots on what they were able to sell in 2020, despite signicant reductions in processing capacity last year. “Packers made enormous amounts of money whenever they were able to slaughter,” says Jim. “It was not by their design, it’s just what happened in the world. But there is not a lot of incentive for them to look for other markets.” While cautioning that he’s not an economist, Jim says the volume of debt countries are racking up as a result of pandemic relief eorts concerns him. “We used to worry about a $30 billion decit in Canada, but it is going to be $300 billion-plus,” he says. “It is unprecedented in human history.” If you go out in the woods today ...The rainforest of Haida Gwaii offers plenty of hiding spots for mama cows to keep their calves out of harm’s way while they socialize with the rest of the herd. Even once found, though, mama kept her distance and baby stayed put. PHOTO / RICHARDSON RANCH
24 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCselling HOMOZYGOUS POLLED PUREBREDSFEB. 16FEB. 16thth1 PM TUESDAY - at Royal Western Gelbvieh - RED DEER COUNTY, ABCONTACT TO REQUEST A CATALOGUE2021BULL SALEDevon SmithersThree Hills, Alberta403.412.4226Cody Congdon & Melissa PochapskyBASHAW, ALBERTACody: 403.350.5791Melissa: 403.586.3144Rodney & Tanya HollmanRED DEER COUNTY, ALBERTARodney: 403.588.8620Tanya: 403.352.9283CFIA services get a funding boostMeat inspection to benefitby PETER MITHAM OTTAWA – The federal government has pledged $162.5 million over ve years to support the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as well as giving its annual budget a $40 million boost in perpetuity. “This funding will increase the CFIA’s inspection, surveillance and oversight programs within Canada to respond to the detection of new food pathogens, invasive species and animal diseases that threaten Canada’s agricultural and natural resources,” stated a press release announcing the funding. The funding will boost meat inspection capacity at the national level and assist in restoring capacity lost in budget cutbacks prior to 2015. This will help address processing backlogs while ensuring that markets domestically and abroad can count on high-quality meat products from Canada. While the funding will be allocated to CFIA operations across Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada indicated that BC will benet signicantly from the funding. On the one hand, BC has such a diverse range of products – growers harvest more than 200 products here – that CFIA requires specialized capacity to accommodate market access for each of these. For example, specialized inspection was needed to obtain access to Japan for sweet bell peppers and cherries. Moreover, a signicant portion of Canada’s plant science and monitoring capacity is at the Sidney plant health centre. The centre’s laboratory is integral in preventing the entry of plant diseases and ensuring clean plant material for growers across Canada and overseas. The new funding will support an additional three full-time sta positions at the facility. The lab is being rebuilt with $80 million allocated in the 2017 federal budget. Design and construction contracts have been awarded with a view to the new facility being operational by summer 2024. The funding will also support CFIA eorts to digitize its services and issue export certicates in a timely manner. The integrity of export certicates is critical to maintaining trade access. In 2019, Chinese ocials alleged that counterfeit export certicates arrived with meat shipments from Canada. While proper documentation accompanied the product that left Canada, the dispute resulted in China temporarily closing its doors to meat from Canada. Recent months have seen China tighten scrutiny of frozen meat products entering the country. The latest funding will ensure exports have the best possible documentation. “CFIA is committed to developing a modern, agile, inclusive and digitally equipped workforce to meet the current and future challenges and opportunities,” says CFIA president Siddika Mithani. Round bale bountyAn abundance of grass in the Cariboo last summer means plenty of wintertime feed. PHOTO / LIZ TWAN
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 25Help available for farm business successionLand Matching program expands from property to businesses“Grampa Pete” Amyoony, 80, shares smiles with Zavion Assemat. Until recently, Amyoony was uncertain about the future of his market garden and greenhouse business but Zavion’s parents now appear poised to take over. SUBMITTED PHOTO Feb 27, 2021 : 26th Annual Pine Bu琀e Ranch Hereford Sale, Kamloops April 10, 2021 : 46th Annual Vanderhoof All Breeds Bull Sale April 15 & 16, 2021: 84th Annual Williams Lake Bull Show & Sale BCHA Secretary Janicice Tapp 25050-69999-6466466 BCHA President Johohn Lewisis 25050-21818-253537 British Columbia Have you herd? VBP+ TrainingWorkshops or Webinarsare Free!Looking to learn moreabout how to raisehealthy beef cattle?Open to producers of allsizes!free to all beef producersin bc!Producer Check-o Supports Beef Industry Projects.www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333by RONDA PAYNE DUNSTER – With the average age of BC farmers close to 60, retirement and farm succession is a looming issue for many operators. Pete Amyoony, who has a small market garden and a 1,250-square-foot greenhouse on a 10-acre property in the small community of Dunster, understands what it’s like to be anxious about what the future holds. He’s produced bedding plants and vegetables on the property since 1996, but in his mid-70s he began thinking about the future. “I was sort of at my wit’s end,” he says. “I thought, I’ve got to do some kind of preparation and get ready for this transfer. I can’t spend ve hours a day down on my knees transplanting. And I thought, I’ve got to nd somebody to come here and help out or take over the place. I was in a real quandary.” Now 80, Amyoony has nieces and nephews, but they are in Nova Scotia and have no interest in coming out west. But 10 years ago, Yann Assemat was visiting from France and fell in love with the mountains around Dunster. He visited with Amyoony for a few months and worked on the farm. Over the years, he continued to come over from France through the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program and further explore the province. On one of these visits to BC, Assemat was touring Vancouver Island, met Katrina Agnew and got married. “When Yann started saying, ‘Oh, I’d love to nd a place around here but I don’t have much saved up,’ I said, ‘well, let’s talk about you taking over this place,’ and his eyes just lit up,” Amyoony says. “So what we’re working out is an agreement that I can stay as long as I want in my little home, which I still really love. I said, ‘Come on, let’s talk about it and see if we can make everybody winners here,’ and that’s what we’re doing.” Home sweet home Assemat and Agnew, originally from Prince George, and now their son Zavion, live in a yurt on the opposite side of the property from Amyoony. The couple operate the farm as Roots ‘N Thyme with Amyoony serving as “garden guru.” “I have my privacy and they have theirs, but we share meals,” Amyoony says. “They’re here with the baby and I’m grandpa Pete.” They also share the Internet. It’s not as good at his house, so Amyoony heads over to the yurt for better connectivity. See PEACE on next page o
26 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCPEACE of mind nfrom pg 25ABBOTSFORD1-888-283-3276VERNON1-800-551-6411Avenue Machinery works with farmers to help them implement precision farming techniques to get more out of their operations. Take Advantage of the forward thinking solutions Fendt offers for for farming today and beyond. SOLUTIONSSOLUTIONSGIVE YOURSELF T H E AVENUE“They are family,” he says of Assemat and Agnew. “I’ve let them take over most of the garden space now. They added another half acre last year.” Having someone lined up to take over his market garden gives Amyoony peace of mind, but working out the logistics of the transfer requires legal input. He’s grateful to have the support of Young Agrarians, which manages the provincial land-matching program. The program recently reached a milestone of matching 100 new farmers to 5,000 acres of land through 46 matches. “The Young Agrarians program is just amazingly helpful in a case like this because they have legal advice and forms and that for making lease agreements, and purchase agreements and so on,” he says. “It’s really helping us. Saving us lawyer fees.” Non-family transfer Amyoony is lucky. He was able to nd a successor on his own. For those who need assistance, the province of BC has the BC Land Matching Program, part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. BC Land Matching program manager Darcy Smith notes landowners participate in the program because they want to make sure their land remains farmed. “The reality is that not everyone who wants to farm can aord to buy land,” she says. “And not everyone who can aord to buy land is a farmer themselves.” Young Agrarians’ transition toolkit for non-family farm transfers – the program Amyoony is participating in – launched in November 2020. “We facilitate conversations. There’s lots of detail involved as well as big picture vision stu,” Smith says. “We’re going to help people gure out what their needs might be and then how they’re going to get resources to gure that out. Referrals to lawyers, or accountants or transition specialists. That’s where we see extra support being needed.” Mary Alice Johnson, owner of ALM Organic Farm and Full Circle Seeds in Sooke, has 15 acres that she wants to see continue to be farmed. She’s 77, but her kids don’t live in Canada and are unlikely to carry on the legacy. Because the land isn’t in the Agricultural Land Reserve, it’s vulnerable to development. “It would be very protable for a developer to get it and subdivide it and build big houses with lawns and campers and boats,” she says. “And that’s my nightmare. … I love my farm passionately. I love my land. I feel like I have crawled, literally crawled, over every square inch.” But she knows she can’t farm it forever. “I worry about not only my physical strength, but I also worry about my mental ability to hold ideas and gure them out. To run a farm takes a lot of detail. There’s a lot of paperwork,” she says. “And to organize the transfer into something like a farmland trust – that takes a lot of mental acuity.” Johnson is hoping to turn her 15 acres into a farmland trust. Her daughter has joined her in meetings with interested parties but no one has stepped forward to spearhead a trust. Johnson has discussed the idea with Young Agrarians but is mostly exploring the options herself at this point. “I would love to see it farmed beyond me,” she says. “But can I expect a person to devote their life to it? What if that person doesn’t have a second income? What if they’ve started a family or haven’t? I keep pouring money into it, building infrastructure. If somebody buys it, it’s not going to be cheap.” —Ronda Payne Considering all the optionsMary Alice Johnson, in green sweater, doesn’t have family to take over the family farm when she retires (she’s 77) but she also doesn’t want it to be turned into a subdivision. SUBMITTED PHOTO
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 27Naomi De Ruiter of Birdsong Farm in Armstrong is looking for ways to diversify her family’s dairy farm. “You either get big, or you diversify,” she says. SUBMITTED PHOTOResilience is created when new options are brought into the mixServing the Okanagan and Fraser Valley We’ve been proudly family owned and operated since opening in 1976. And with two blending plants, we’re one of BC’s largest distributors of granular, liquid and foliar fertilizers. Our buying power and proximity to the Fraser Valley makes us the logical choice for truckload shipments. OKANAGAN FERTILIZER LTD 1-800-361-4600 or 250-838-6414by RONDA PAYNE CRESTON – Naomi De Ruiter of Birdsong Farm in Armstrong has 13 Jersey cows and helps on her husband’s and father-in-law’s dairy farms. She also makes cheese and teaches others how to do so. “At some time, I wouldn’t mind going into more of the cheesemaking,” says De Ruiter. To understand the options available to her to further diversify the farms, she joined BC Young Farmers on December 2 for its virtual Farm Fest event to hear Erin Harris, co-owner of Kootenay Meadows Farm in Creston, describe her family’s operation. The family milks about 100 cows and processes the milk onsite, a venture launched in 2008. While the farm had obtained organic certification, it faced limited organic processing options. So it built its own plant. Kootenay Meadows is required, like all regulated producers, to sell its milk to the BC Milk Marketing Board. It then buys back the milk at a premium, explains Harris. It processes the milk and sells the finished products through an on-site shop and local retailers such as Kootenay Co-op in Nelson. It recently launched a distribution division to deliver products from both its own farm and other local producers. “There’s a lot of opportunity for other expansion in the future,” says Harris. Hearing how Kootenay Meadows Farm has created opportunities for itself gave De Ruiter hope that she might do the same. “The reason I signed up was because of the farm tour,” De Ruiter says. “In recent years, there’s been a lot of trade deals that have been signed and quota has been given away. For us to be able to survive, you have to look at diversifying. You either get big or you diversify.” Diversity University of the Fraser Valley assistant professor Renee Prasad spoke about diversity during the session, focusing on crops like sweet potatoes and okra. “Diversity allows [farmers] to be resilient,” she says. “If you can understand your risk better… you can mitigate some of those things.” Prasad mentioned a number of resources available to farmers who want to pursue diversification. One is the BC Forage Council’s Guide to On-Farm Demonstration Research. “It is written in a very accessible manner and I think it is a pretty great resource that I wish more farmers knew about,” she says. “Even though it is written for forage, the principles could be applied to any crop.” Prasad encourages growers to stay ahead of shifts by doing market research that takes into account geographic, population and industry trends. “Being very intentional in looking at that stuff is probably step one,” she says. “If you can’t sell it, don’t grow it. That sentiment is the thing to know. It’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake.” Farmers need to consider what they can slowly add into their existing operation, adds Prasad. By exploring options before a market shift happens, farmers are better prepared to adapt when change occurs. These options need to be measured and assessed as it takes more than just “tossing seed in and waiting and wondering” to determine viability. “You’ve laid some groundwork so that if you’re forced to change, you’ll have something in your back pocket,” she says. “It’s sort of a proactive process, and [farmers] are trying to diversify, not because they need to, but it’s part of their future risk management.” De Ruiter says she can benefit from this approach, and plans to read the forage council’s guide to on-farm trials. “There’s stuff there that definitely can be applied to the dairy industry,” she says. “Why should I go and reinvent the wheel?” Outreach Prasad also noted that the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries offers great expertise to growers considering a change in direction. “When I have a question and I need to know something, I reach out to the ministry,” she says. “The commodity specialists are really great at providing support. The folks with the ministry, they go to conferences and they go to workshops and they learn about other people doing things in other places. You don’t have to start your network from scratch.” Prasad adds that COVID-19 has encouraged government to provide funding for exploring new options. There may also be funding opportunities for growers doing research and development on their own that could benefit others in the future. Programs such as the Small Farm Business Acceleration Pilot Program can provide valuable financial support. Harris says her family “jumped off the deep end” when it began expanding its operation, an approach to diversification that’s not for everyone. “It’s going to be probably harder than you think it’s going to be,” she explains. “You need to have the right mindset because it’s not the same as farming.” Diversification helps farms prepare for challengesUSED EQUIPMENT N/H FP230 27P GRASS HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,500 CLAAS VOLTO 1050 8 BASKET TEDDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500 KV 9469S VARIO, 2014, RAKE, 1 OR 2 ROWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,500 NH 1033 BALE WAGON, 105 BALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000 USED TRACTORS KUBOTA T2380 2017, 48” DECK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,500 KUBOTA BX2360 2010, 1,900HRS, TRAC/MWR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,750 DEUTZ TTV 6130.4 2014, 1,760 HRS, LDR, FRONT 3PT/PTO . . . . 97,000 NEW INVENTORY: *NEW* GREENWORKS COMMERCIAL CORDLESS BLOWERS, CHAINSAWS, STRING TRIMMERS, HEDGE TRIMMERS, LAWNMOWERS. 82/48 VOLT NEW MODEL- JBS MISP1436 IN THE YARD KUBOTA RAKES, TEDDERS, MOWERS, POWER HARROWS…CALL JBS VMEC1636 VERT. 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28 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCJoe Roth of Kickin’ Joe’s Seasonings & Spices says a food hub in Creston would be benecial to many small-scale producers and entrepreneurs. SUBMITTED PHOTOCreston advocacy group continues push for food hubDiscussions for a local processing facility began in 2013by TOM WALKER CRESTON – In early summer, Joe Roth of Kickin’ Joe’s Seasonings & Spices in Creston, will dry about 8,000 lbs of local garlic scapes to use in his spice blends. “I do that over about four days and I have my dehydrator running 24 hours a day,” Roth explains. “I could sure use some extra horsepower to get the job done quicker.” Roth doesn’t need a second dehydrator, he’s just looking for equipment to use as needed. That is the kind of support that a regional food hub could provide, says Elizabeth Quinn, coordinator of Fields Forward, a Creston-based food and agriculture initiative. “We are talking about a food processing facility together with dry, cold and freezer storage,” Quinn explains. “We also see a need for wet and dry food processing equipment as well as aggregation, and distribution and sales.” Fields Forward has just completed a second regional food processing survey that asked 106 respondents how they might use a food processing hub in the Creston area. They had a mix of primary and secondary food processors, often together with agriculture production, while others were strictly growers. “We had a range of responses from grapes to grains as well as tree fruits, but we also had straight processors such as Joe,” explains Quinn. The latest study follows a feasibility study of food processing potential in the region for the Columbia Basin Trust, completed in 2019, and follows work on-going since 2013. “The CBT report conrmed that our region was ready for a permanent dedicated food processing facility and we applied for food hub funding from the Ministry of Agriculture. We were fourth in line for the initial application,” says Quinn. To date, provincial funding has supported the establishment of food hubs in Vancouver, Quesnel, Port Alberni and Surrey. “We are hoping that this additional data will further describe our needs and help us with a second application,” says Quinn. Fields Forward developed Kootenay Farms Marketplace, an online marketplace launched in 2019. It launched Kootenay Mobile Press in 2016, a popular juicing initiative that processes, pasteurizes and packages fruit and vegetable juice for area farmers. “This year we kept 450,000 lbs of culled fruit from going to the landll,” says Quinn. Just a Mere Organic Farm in Creston is bottling its cherry juice, but Joe Roth is Under the Terms of the Bylaws of the Association Members are Directed to Take Notice of the 132nd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the BRITISH COLUMBIA FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATIONDue to the pandemic, the BCFGA Annual Convention will be held in accordance with the current Provincial Health Orders in place, including any changes to the orders made before February 25. Current plans are for the business session of the Annual Convention to be held by videoconference, followed by a ‘drop-off’ election for the Board of DIrectors whose positions are up for election this year. A Special General Meeting of BCFGA delegates is being held on February 10, 2021 to consider bylaws changes to allow the ‘virtual’ Convention and ‘drop off’ election of the Board of Directors to proceed as scheduled. • Business Session - 10 am - 2 pm, Thursday, February 25, 2021 • Recess for drive through election - 2:30 - 4:00 pm, Thursday, Febru-ary 25, 2021 � • Reconvene for announcement of election results, 7:30-8:30 pm, Thursday, February 25, 2021 Watch the BCFGA website for current Information for any changes to the Annual Convention plans and information on the internet link to the video conference. BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION office: 880 Vaughan Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4 250-762-5226 (T) www.bcfga.comTUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021All members, industry and government representatives are welcome to attend the Annual Convention. Registra-tion is required to facilitate video participation - make par-ticipation requests to info@bcfga.comlooking at using by-products from the press. “I’ve been experimenting with the apple mash,” says Roth. “I can dry it, grind it, and turn it into apple our which I sell, but it’s also a natural sweetener and I can use it to reduce the amount of sugar I put in my spice blends.” He is also testing granola bar recipes using both the mash and cherry juice. “If I can get the bars into production, I can ask local grain producers to supply me with the oats,” he says. Roth also sees the proposed food hub as a technology incubator. “Here in the Creston area, and really all of the Kootenays, we are in kind of a cubicle,” he explains. “We can grow just about anything in the Creston Valley, but often not in the commercial quantities for a commodity production, so we are forced to look at value-added to make a good return.” Quinn agrees, saying the food hub will help producers scale up their operations. “People will be able to innovate, experiment and test products on a commercial scale,” she says. “To go from yearly gross sales of say $30,000 to $80,000 or $100,000, you need a facility.” Support for local products is very good, says Quinn. She points to the local farmers market as an excellent way to get retail response, but also gives a nod to Creston’s Pealow’s Independent Grocer, a Loblaws brand, as a strong ‘local’ advocate. “We have this grocery store who are willing to carry local products that has some 10,000 customers a week,” says Quinn. “We have so much going for our region already, we just need a facility that will help us ll in the gaps in the supply chain.” Results of the consultation will be made available later this year. YOURHelping YouHelping Youcoucountrylifeinbc.comylifeinbc.comFARM NEWS UPDATEScountrylifeinbc.com
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 29Markus Frind in his new West Kelowna winery. PHOTO / FRIND ESTATE WINERYwww.tubeline.ca 1.888.856.6613@TubelineMFGFind us onBALEWRAPPERSSPREADERSSILAGE BLADES BALE PROCESSORSWrap up yoursavings with low rate financing.Visit us online for program details.by MYRNA STARK LEADER KELOWNA – Markus Frind sees data as an opportunity –collecting it, analysing it and using it to predict outcomes and make decisions. Frind did it with his dating website Plenty of Fish and now, in his early 40s, the Vancouver-based entrepreneur is using data as the foundation for his new Okanagan vineyard and winery. In just three years, Frind has amassed more than 1,200 acres of mostly uncultivated land, some within the ALR and some outside of it. The parcels include south-facing slopes near Vernon, and property at Kelowna, West Kelowna, Oliver and Osoyoos. Since acquiring established vineyards would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre, Frind began developing Frind Estate Winery from the ground up. “In the Okanagan, established vineyard land is too expensive and there is so much additional great growing potential,” he says. Frind has the resources to put behind such an ambitious project. He created then sold Plenty of Fish to Match.com in 2015 for $575 million. Plenty Of Fish used data and logic to match people. The more things in common, the greater the likelihood of a match. Frind has claimed it resulted in millions of marriages. Now, he’s hoping data will propel his vineyards and winery in West Kelowna to become the fourth-largest producer of wine in the Okanagan after Arterra Wines Canada Inc., Andrew Peller Ltd., and Mark Anthony Brands, owner of the Von Mandl Family Estates portfolio that includes Mission Hill. “He's bringing tech-world passion for data to an industry that maybe hasn’t had this level of data collection,” says winery general manager Ruth Hanbury, who has worked in the BC wine industry since 2012 and most recently served as president of Liquidity Wines in Okanagan Falls (now part of the Von Mandl group). “He’s very heavily involved, from where and what we plant to harvest and providing guidance on the wines.” Hanbury says Frind’s approach is very analytical, with an interest in data many BC wineries – 97% of which are small producers – don’t have the time or tools to exercise. “His models and how we’re structured gives us the ability to capture data about the vines, soil, weather patterns and winemaking practices,” she says. “Our winery lab, for example, is one of the best labs I've seen in the Okanagan and internationally.” This fall, planting began on a 300-acre parcel northeast of Kelowna on the slopes of Black Mountain after engineers developed a plan to recontour the land to accommodate a new vineyard of up to 225 acres. In Vernon, Frind planted 14 acres of Pinot Noir in 2019. When the properties are fully planted, he’ll have approximately 800 acres of vineyard, or nearly 8% of the BC total. This compares to more than 1,000 acres owned and operated by Von Mandl. Frind has also purchased established Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot vineyards in the south Okanagan, in addition to existing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling vines. Within the past three years Pinot Meunier was planted, intended for their bubbly program. Frind will also plant Pinot Noir, more Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Vines are being sourced through local growers and suppliers, as well as his own small nursery. It’s no surprise there will be more Cabernet Sauvignon grown since it’s produced what Frind considers his favourite wine from the winery to date. “A lot of things inuence production so we’re gathering data to plant the best varietals to suit a particular property,” Hanbury explains about their grape choices. “Based on what we've seen, like heat units, growing degree days, soil type, Frind matches his love of data with grape productionEntrepreneur aims to be BC’s fourth-largest wine producer See TEAM on next page otCFECBUI8JOUPO)PNFtDBSIFBUFEHBSBHFt4MBUFNBSCMFDIFSSZXPPEt1SJWBDZNPVOUBJOWJFXTMerrit, BC $1,735,000Call/Txt Freddy 604.997.53986,000 sq/ft Luxury Estate Home 20 Acres Stone Ridge Meadow Luxury Horse Ranch3 Bedroom Home on Peaceful 8.2 AcresCall 604.491.1060Take a drone tour at www.theBestDealsinBC.comSelling BC’s Lifestyle Propertiesinfo@thebestdealsinbc.comtCFECBUI$PMPOJBM)PNFt"DSFTXJUIMBLFWJFXTtTRGUDVTUPNIPSTFCBSOt5XPHBSBHFTYYFort St. John, BC $1,725,000Call/Txt Freddy 604.997.5398tCFECBUITRGUt)JHIFOE&VSPQFBOCVJMEt7BVMUFE$FJMJOH4BVOBt8PSLTIPQ(FPUIFSNBM100 Mile House, BC $839,000 Call/Txt Sabine 778.363.2750Secret Pond- 70 Acres of Privacy - Home & Shopt-PH-PEHFMPHDBCJOTtGVMMIPPLVQ37QBETt$BNQJOH#PBU3FOUBMTtTRGU0XOFST)PNFUncha Lake, BC $1,065,000Call/Txt Freddy 604.997.5398Moosehorn Lodge on 48 Acre BaytTRGUTUPSFZTt(SBOJUFCJSDILJUDIFOt3FBMIBSEXPPEøPPSTtMBOEUJUMFTHSBWFMEFQPTJUChetwynd, BC $589,000 Call/Txt Linda 604.997.5399tTRGU-PHIPNFtCFECBUILJUDIFOTt"DSFTFTUBCMJTIFEUSBJMTt#BSONJOTUP%FLBMBLF Lone Butte, BC $1,250,000Call/Txt Linda 604.997.5399Private Equine RetreatBeaver Guest Ranch
30 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCTEAM work makes the most of data nfrom page 29rootstock, we feel condent Cab Sauv will produce on the Vernon property.” In addition to Hanbury, Frind has assembled an experienced team. His winemaker is Eric von Krosigk, who helped create and establish Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna. With more than 30 years of experience, von Krosigk was an initial consultant Frind engaged to explore opportunities in the Okanagan. “Eric kind of led the charge on what we're going to make, how we're going to make it, the style, that sort of thing,” says Hanbury. Vineyard manager Joszef Bretti spent almost 20 years as a vineyard manager at Quails’ Gate Estate Winery before moving down the road to Frind. “I heard about what Markus was doing, pushing the limits and boundaries of viticulture in the Okanagan Valley and had to be part of it. It’s been awesome to be part of such innovation,” says Bretti. Frind had nearly 100 people working for him on this project at the peak of the 2020 season, including four Okanagan-based vineyard foremen. Foreign workers have also been essential in the vineyards. Hanbury says they tried to recruit locally but had 100% attrition in week one. “It’s a skilled and hard job,” she says. “Our foreign workers come with agricultural experience. Without a foreign labour program, it would be dicult for us to maintain this kind of vineyard growth and quality management.” Hanbury says the relative youth of the BC wine industry and opportunity to experiment attract people like Frind, who grew up on a 1,200-acre grain farm at Hudson’s Hope in the BC Peace. He was four when his parents emigrated from Germany. “If you're in Burgundy, you're going to make Gamay and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” says Hanbury. “But here you can try dierent growing techniques, dierent blending, dierent winemaking; you’re not bound by this long history of structure.” The winery’s 13.5-acre property overlooking Okanagan Lake belonged to BC’s famed Bennett family. Frind bought it in 2017. As visitors enter the driveway, they pass three-year-old Maréchal Foch vines. Hanbury says a 500-person grand opening was planned but given health restrictions the winery opened quietly. Nevertheless, 2020 was a great rst year with local support. Frind, whose other business interests include a steel mill and Burnaby-based online furniture and freight logistics rm Cymax Stores Inc., is clearly excited by his winery venture. He and his wife Annie spent much of the summer in West Kelowna with their two young children, a retreat from the COVID-19 pandemic and a chance for Frind to be more involved in the winery. Frind’s parents have also moved into the area. “I’m involved at the strategic level. Grape harvest is my favourite time,” says Frind, adding that water management is his least favourite part of the venture. “I really enjoy working with Markus. He's passionate and has this vision and drive. Let's go and let's push as hard as we can. And if there's a challenge, address it, solve it, move past it, just keep pushing. It's clear why he's been as successful as he has,” says Hanbury. Ruth Hanbury stands in the still-being constructed addition to the Frind’s winemaking and ofce facility on the winery’s home property in West Kelowna. PHOTO / MYRNA STARK LEADER TOLL FREE: 1-877-553-3373 WWW.PRAIRIECOASTEQUIPMENT.COMPRINCE GEORGE 250-561-4260 | KAMLOOPS 250-573-4412 | KELOWNA 250-765-9765 | CHILLIWACK 604-792-1516 | NANAIMO 778-441-3210MEET THEWRAPPINGBALERC451RBy combining the multi-crop capability of our V series balers with the ef昀ciency and innovation of our bale wrapping system, the C451R is a true productivity powerhouse.
The weather outside is chilly, but the lettuce – and its caretakers – are at least above freezing. Brendan Parsons and Cali Olleck have just completed their rst year of greenhouse operation in Salmo. SUBMITTED PHOTOGreenhouse sets example for others to followSalmo venture helps extend season for market gardenersCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 31by TOM WALKER SALMO – It’s -8°C and snowing in the central Kootenay town of Salmo, but inside the greenhouse at Salix and Sedge Farm, lettuce and arugula are growing in the soil. “It’s not really growing, it’s more like being in a refrigerator,” claries Brendan Parsons who with his partner Cali Olleck owns the farm. “The low winter light and the temperature just above zero keep the plants alive, but mostly dormant, and we are able to harvest fresh lettuce through the winter.” Parsons and Olleck are just nishing up their rst complete year of running the greenhouse, built as an addition to their ve-year old market garden. Rather than cram all their production into six months like other market gardeners, a greenhouse was a way to broaden their production window. “We were looking to balance our workload over the course of the year and extend our season,” says Parsons. “We began by growing storage crops that we could sell during the winter and create some additional cash ow, and the greenhouse is a way to extend that and give us some work during the winter.” The greenhouse also allows them to produce high-value crops out of season, a key element of their business plan. Those greens were sown in September, and although the greenhouse gives the couple the technology to hold them through February, they were sold out by Christmas. Come March, they will be seeding tomatoes and cucumbers with an intercropping of greens. “We will start harvesting the cucumbers in early May and the tomatoes will be ready in June,” says Parsons. That’s early by any standard. By comparison, the cherry tomatoes they grew outside last year under high tunnels weren’t ready until August. Parsons says the greenhouse revenue has allowed them to ease out of their o-farm jobs (Parsons worked as a carpenter, and Olleck was in forestry) and have a bit more time for their three-year old son as well as the skiing and climbing that drew them to the area in the rst place. “I was living in Nelson and Cali was going to school in Castlegar and we were looking to farm, but still stay attached to the outdoor community here,” he says. The two are new farmers. Olleck completed a year at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s farm school in Richmond and Parsons did a gardening program at Linnaea Farm on Cortes Island prior to starting Salix and Sedge. “But it would have been good to have spent time on a commercial farm to learn the business side of things,” says Parsons. The farm initially had chickens, pigs and bees, but they have focused on vegetables over the last three years. Their 20-acre property is tucked away on the west side of the Salmo River just outside of town. The name reects the surrounding ecosystem. Salix is a genus of willow in the area and sedge is the primary perennial weed the farm has to deal with. “Our soil is wonderful Salmo River bottom, but we have a lot of wetlands on our property,” explains Parsons. “We have been able to lease a neighbouring property that has the same great soil, but better drainage where we have our garden and greenhouse.” The property sits on a natural gas mainline. “The gas line was an important part of our decision to build the greenhouse, but I think that using propane would be a similar cost,” says Brendan. The 120x35-foot greenhouse was manufactured in Quebec and engineered to withstand the snow load in Salmo. Two layers of polyethylene with air in between provide cover and some insulation. “It sheds the snow really well, but I have to clear the snow from around the base with a blower attachment for my tractor,” explains Parsons. “We get so much [snow] here that it would impact the wall of the house if I didn’t clear it.” Salmo itself is a small community, but it’s in a strategic location, being a half-hour drive from the three main towns in the central Kootenays. Their certied organic produce is available at grocers in Castlegar, Nelson and Trail, and at their farm stand. “We don’t have a retail outlet in Salmo, but we are so close to town that people can ride their bikes or even walk to our farm store and we have enough of a range of vegetables to make it worth their trip,” says Parsons. “The local community has been really supportive of our farm, and more so this year. We have been able to sell out everything that we have grown.” The greenhouse has been a steep learning curve. “It’s only been our rst year and I imagine that in ve years we will look back and realize we have come a long way,” says Parsons. Plant nutrition, pest and disease management as well as responding to shifting temperatures have all been new challenges. An outbreak of spider mites shortened their cucumber season. “We need to develop a better IPM plan this year,” says Parsons, noting the lack of other greenhouses in the area to share ideas. But that could change. Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors organized an early November tour of Salix and Sedge for 12 attendees who had a “commercial interest” in greenhouse production. “They had some very in-depth discussion of the greenhouse business,” says KBFA coordinator Rachael Roussin.
32 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCby PETER MITHAM OTTAWA – Strengthening rural Internet access is a top priority of the federal government, which launched a $1.75 billion fund last fall to support rural broadband service. But sometimes, farmers need to take matters into their own hands, says Jesse Hirsh, who has added to his experience in the tech sector by becoming a small-scale grower in the Ottawa Valley. “It’s essential not to wait for companies to set you up, but to gure out how you and your neighbours can set you up,” Hirsh said during a Farm Credit Canada webinar on December 15, hours after a bre connection had been laid to his property to overcome connectivity challenges. Even then, Hirsh cut out during his explanation of how to overcome the challenges. “This is a problem a lot of farmers face, partly because the Internet has always favoured cities rather than rural communities,” he said. “So even though you hear a lot about the future being in the cloud, being in technology, you have to have the on-ramp to the information super-highway in the rst place, and unfortunately I’m here to tell you that may be up to you.” Hirsh recommended that farms with substandard Internet set up their own on-farm networks, complete with a server that can provide data storage and processing services. He pointed to farm groups in the UK and Spain that have banded together to establish local high-speed networks for sharing data amongst themselves. Closer to home, Hirsh has tapped technology from US providers Ubiquiti and EdgeCloud to wire his farm. “Pretend that your farm is the only Internet that matters, then you use technology to extend the Internet across your farm,” he said. “For people who have crappy Internet, slow Internet, satellite Internet, EdgeCloud provides an option that still allows you to use all the technology, that still allows you to embrace the bleeding edge of ag automation without necessarily being cut o or slowed down by a terrible Internet connection.” Hirsh has his main Internet connection at his house, and a wireless signal transmits it to his drive shed. A cable runs across the rest of the farm, establishing access points across the property. “I’ve literally run Ethernet cable along my fence line to the barn,” he explained. This on-farm network has allowed him to install surveillance cameras for monitoring his livestock, collect data and analyze it. Linux-powered servers run o old computers provide data storage, allowing him to control the data he collects. “None of these video feeds were going into the cloud, going out of my Internet connection, but we’re still able to monitor our property and monitor our animals 24/7,” he said. “There’s arguments about why you should be thinking long-term about the data you’re collecting.” By storing their own data, farmers don’t have to worry about losing control over it to corporations or invasions of privacy. With the right software, even a small farm can run simple analyses and identify patterns that help anticipate issues and opportunities. With an increase in people moving to rural communities thanks to remote working arrangements, Hirsh hopes governments will start investing in the infrastructure that supports rural areas. “We are starting to see a swing of the pendulum back to rural communities,” he said. “We need appropriate public policy to support it and enable it, broadband being a big one.” Hirsh’s presentation attracted an audience from across the country, including BC farmers and several sta from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Recently, BC launched a $3 million agritech grant program to support the development of “technology that will help farmers increase their productivity and economic opportunity.” Companies employing 10 people or more are eligible for grants of up to $500,000 covering no more than 25% of project costs. The deadline for applications is February 12, with awards announced by March 31. On-farm networks wire farms for successCreating your own Internet can open doors to new toolsILLUSTRATION / FCC / SKETCH EFFECT
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 33These remnants of a bear-trap diversion dam on Belgo Creek, in the headwaters of the Black Mountain Irrigation District in Kelowna, date from 1912. PHOTO / JUDIE STEEVESOK irrigation systems have a long history Farmers continue to benefit from historic infrastructureby JUDIE STEEVES KELOWNA – Today, digital technology makes it possible to control irrigation on your farm even when you’re in another country. But for the rst farmers in BC, hand-held devices for water management meant shovels and hand-digging a ditch to bring water to their elds from upland lakes and nearby streams. In 140 years, there has been a revolution in irrigation practices, and those changes have turned the landscape –particularly of the arid Okanagan Valley – from brown to green in summer. In the 19th century, settlers in the Okanagan Valley had to either locate adjacent to a stream or lake or construct a ditch system to carry water from higher up in the watershed to their elds and farms. Today, the pressurized pipes that do that same job are not even visible on the landscape. But the underground irrigation infrastructure of today usually follows very similar routes to the ones pioneers chose for their dirt ditches, rustic concrete-lined aqueducts and wooden umes a century ago. Initially, farmers made do with random precipitation or whatever a stream carried down from the mountains. There, snow melted slowly during spring and early summer and lakes provided natural storage of the meltwater from higher levels and rain later in the season. However, in times of drought or late summer, streams could run dry and a farmer’s crops could be lost due to lack of water. So, they began to provide their own storage by damming streams or expanding wetlands and ponds at higher elevations, then releasing water as needed throughout the season into a system of umes and ditches. The system was gravity-fed. When a ravine or a creek in the path of the irrigation ditch got in the way, they used a siphon system to push the water down with enough power to continue its passage across to a ditch or canal on the other side. Sophisticated wooden trestles were built to carry the umes along the edges of canyons and across ravines and wetlands where it might otherwise have spread out or owed in a dierent direction. Innovation was key to the success of carrying water many miles to the farms below. Remnants of these early irrigation systems still remain on the hillsides and in streams at upper elevations of watersheds around the province. A hike into the headwaters of Belgo Creek near Kelowna, following the moss-covered sections of a concrete-lined ditch that still remain from the early 1900s led eventually to the remains of a bear-trap diversion dam on the creek, a works that date from 1912. This intriguing structure operated similar to a bear trap, with large metal hinges used to close the wooden structure. That stopped and diverted water from the high-elevation creek into a ditch that carried it downhill to farms in the Rutland area of Kelowna. The foot-square timbers used as the foundation of this structure are still in place, although the ow of water over the past century has rounded them o. It still diverts a quantity of water into the ancient ditch, but now the ow returns to the main body of the creek a ways downstream. This site may once again be used to divert water for irrigation to support new cherry plantings on the benches below, albeit with a new structure to replace the old bear-trap dam. “We’re reusing old knowledge to restore the cleverly-planned early routes for carrying irrigation water from high in the watershed to farms in the Okanagan Valley far below, bringing things full circle,” says Bob Hrasko, administrator of the Black Mountain Irrigation District (BMID). 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34 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCIRRIGATION districts green up the Okanagan Valley nfrom page 33BMID was originally formed to provide reliable ows of water to irrigate farms and orchards in the Okanagan Valley, similar to neighbouring irrigation districts up and down the valley – and agriculture is still a focus for BMID. BMID, as well as irrigation districts in Vernon, Glenmore, Naramata and South East Kelowna, received their letters patent in late 1920, and more followed in 1921, due to passage of provincial legislation permitting the formation of public improvement districts governed by boards made up of users. Prior to that, private development companies built irrigation systems in order to add value to their land, which they then parcelled out and sold to new settlers – in many cases, complete with planted orchards. Unfortunately, this hastily constructed infrastructure wasn’t built for the long term. Many of the systems suered leaks and deterioration, and the development companies were unable to pay for maintenance and repairs. It took years, and intense lobbying by the Western Canada Irrigation Association, which was formed in 1907, to convince the provincial government that legislation was needed to permit public entities to manage irrigation. “Irrigation is critical for farming in BC’s southern Interior where annual precipitation is often less than 12 inches,” says Hrasko, who also chairs the Water Supply Association of BC, an association representing the interests of BC’s water utilities. “This legislation was critical to the survival of farming, which was the largest economic driver in the region at that time. As a result, irrigation districts were formed around a century ago, from Osoyoos to Kamloops and east to Castlegar.” Although today many of the irrigation districts have been amalgamated with municipalities or regional districts, Hrasko notes that water supply has a vital place in both the history and the future of this province, “and the WSABC is pleased to be part of it,” he adds. To celebrate 100 years since it was formed, the Black Mountain Irrigation District (BMID) has published a hard-cover, full-colour, 107-page book on the history of water in the Rutland area of Kelowna. It’s called Black Mountain Gold: A Century of Water, and it was written by Judie Steeves, mainly from research conducted by a team of dedicated volunteers and sta, including: administrator Bob Hrasko, John and Evelyn Vielvoye, Lynn Stevens, Elaine Senger and Al Horning. It’s available through BMID, Mosaic Books in Kelowna or the Kelowna Centennial Museum.High above Kelowna and Okanagan Lake, on a slope of Black Mountain, lie remnants of the concrete-lined irrigation ditch constructed more than a century ago. PHOTO / JUDIE STEEVESAgricultural Grade Products - Made in the U.S.A. Contact your local Nelson Irrigation dealer today!THE ORIGINAL BIG GUN®TWIG® Wireless Automation Systems (Approved for Canada) Rotator® Sprinklers for Center PivotsRotator® Sprinklers for Field & Orchard CropsIrrigation Control ValvesNEW HANGINGSPRINKLER SOLVESPROBLEMS FORORGANIC GROWERS15-50 PSI8.5-75 GPH9-16’ RAD.Introducing the S7 Spinner - a new Nelson innovation designed to combatrising energy and labor costs. The S7’s modular design allows quick and easynozzle exchange - and the Quick Clean (QC) technology reduces irrigatorhours — simply turn, flush and reconnect. Special insect protection helpsprevent plugging or stalling. Find out more at WWW.NELSONIRRIGATION.COM
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 35Will, Brenda and Bruce Miller have reinvented the family’s century-old Pemberton Valley farm and have launched the Beer Farmers Family Brewery. SUBMITTED PHOTOPemberton family farms beer with deep rootsCentury-old farm recognized for its longevity and innovation Winterize YourWorkplace Safety PlanWinterize YourWorkplace Safety PlanWinter condions increase the riskof slips, trips and falls. Properly fied non-slip footwear improves safety.by MARGARET EVANS PEMBERTON – Half a world away from the idyllic and wild Pemberton Valley, Bruce and Brenda Miller were touring Europe, visiting France and Spain. They loved how rural culture and identity had been preserved, especially how each town was famous for the unique wine made there for centuries. It got the Millers thinking. Back home in Pemberton, they raised cattle and grew vegetables, including the area’s famous seed potatoes. But why not grow barley and make beer? Brenda was pretty skilled at brewing. Why not create their own unique product to appeal to consumers and tourists? Striking out on their own was in Bruce Miller’s DNA and he had his grandfather to thank for that. Born in 1867, William Miller travelled the globe. He enlisted in the army at 16, and his service led him in a round-about way from Scotland to Pemberton. “I’m not sure if William Miller’s family history was in farming,” says Will Miller, his great-grandson. “We know that he joined the military as a 16-year-old and travelled to South Africa, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong before becoming a military police ocer, which eventually got him to Vancouver/Lynn Valley. Pemberton was an important link in the gold rush trail during this time.” The route through Harrison Lake/Pemberton/Andersen Lake/Lillooet made for a relatively easy journey to the interior of BC, with only a short portage of 96 kilometres. It’s likely in this way that Miller made it to Pemberton, rst settling in 1895 at what became known as Miller Creek. The other route at the time was via the treacherous Fraser Canyon. Life was anything but simple in the 1890s. A handful of families in the settlement worked together to clear land for farming as well as doing occasional jobs like logging and milling. Miller’s friends included the Ronayne brothers, who had arrived in Pemberton before him. But when an opportunity came to sign on to the famous Klondike cattle drive of 1898, Miller left to join the expedition setting out from Quesnel. But the drive ended when winter weather overtook the expedition. Miller, however, found fresh opportunities. “Miller was known as a talented hunter and trapper and worked locally hunting for other parties travelling through the area,” says Will. “He recognized the Ronayne brothers heading north and joined up with them, eventually making it to the Klondike but not having much luck. It was at this point that Miller tried his luck down the Yukon River, making it to See GOLD on next page oQuality Pre-Owned Tractors & EquipmentVAN DER WAL EQUIPMENT (1989) LTD. 23390 RIVER ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2W 1B6 604/463-3681 | vanderwaleq.com FARMKING RB10FK WHEEL RAKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 FORD 6610 CAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,500 HESSTON S260 SPREADER . . . . . . . 9,000 JAYLOR MIXER WAGON . . . . . . . . 13,500 JCB 409 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,000 JD 3720 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COMING KUHN FC313 MOWER TG . . . . . 20,000 KUHN 4 BOT ROLLOVER PLOW . . . . 19,900 KUBOTA BX2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 KVERNELAND 4032 MOWER . . 16,000 MASCHIO B205 ROTOTILLER . . . 9,000 MASCHIO DC4000 POWER HARROW . . . . . . . . . . . .12,500 MF 1523 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,000 MF 6616 4WD LDR . . . . . . . . . . . .95,000 NEW HOLLAND TM150 . . . . . . . 47,000 NEW HOLLAND TS 115 . . . . . . . 25,000 SUNFLOWER 7232 23’ HARROW 17,500 TYCROP HIGH DUMP 16’ . . . . . . . 9,500 WHITE 2-55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,000
36 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCGOLD rush nfrom page 35Farm and Rural Residential Properties in the Peace Country are our specialtyAnne H. ClaytonMBA, AACI P App, RIAppraiserJudi LeemingBHE, AIC CandidateAppraiser250.782.1088info@aspengrovepropertyservices.caAlaska and walking the sea ice to Nome, where he reported getting a modest amount of gold. He returned to Pemberton and began organizing a trip home to Scotland to visit his family.” One of the Ronayne brothers suggested to him that he visit their sister, Teresa Ross, in Ireland. It was a fortuitous suggestion. William and Teresa met, fell in love and married. Teresa had children from a previous marriage and, when William took his wife back to Pemberton, the children came too. Today, says Will, there are many Ronayne and Ross farmers in Pemberton. In 1911, the couple bought the farm from Teresa’s brother, John. They cleared the land, farmed vegetables, raised livestock and did some logging and prospecting. One of their sons, Donald Miller, took up the farm after returning home from service with the Canadian Military Engineers in Europe during the Second World War. Potatoes and cattle were the mainstay crop, as well as logging, hunting and trapping. “It was very much sustenance living,” says Will. “Power didn’t come to Pemberton until the 1950s and a road to the coast in 1967. When power rst came to the farm, the only building that had power at rst was the dairy barn to keep the cows comfy. Floods were another major issue.” The family has a letter from Miller to his family abroad detailing the losses he sustained in the major ood that hit the Pemberton Valley in 1940. The letter mentions the family raising vegetables, pigs, cattle and more. During the 1940s and 1950s, local farmers created a co-op packing shed at the train station and a marketing board to help sell their potatoes, widely known for their quality. Eventually, Bruce Miller, Donald’s son, took over the family farm after his father passed away in the early 1990s. Potatoes and cattle continued to be primary products and the Millers enhanced them by transitioning the farm to certied organic. But another product was on the horizon. Bruce and Brenda had held onto the dream of making their own beer and they talked about the reality of growing barley with their sons. “Pemberton has always been a popular destination and the idea of being able to create something unique and share it with others appealed to all of us,” says Will. “We grew barley for a few years to test out the viability while we nalized plans for the brewery. Opening our doors after much red tape in 2018 was a major milestone.” He says that the transformation and energy it brought to the farm and the community has been a great reward for the all the risk and hard work. People questioned why they made the shift to include brewing on a farm but, to the Millers, it was not a big deal. “In farming, you are always reinventing and looking for new opportunities or risk being left behind,” says Will. The Beer Farmers Family Brewery was launched on the original Miller farm. Looking to the future, the Millers have partnered with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to bring 200 acres of their farm into Wildlife Protected Habitat. They farm the other 300 acres with organic potatoes, sheep, hay and barley. “A large portion of our farm was on the low side of the river, a large wetland and old growth forest. It was never used for farming, but this is where most of the trees were logged and milled for the barns and where we would gather water for irrigation,” says Will. “It’s home to beavers, wolves, grizzlies and owls and we are happy to have this largely untouched land protected forever.” In 2020, in recognition of its longevity, Miller Farms received the Century Farm Award from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Proudly offering quality farm equipment and wholesale farm product delivery across BC.Call, email or visit us onlineinfo@reimersfarmservice.com855.737.0110reimersfarmservice.comCheck out our Einbock Tillage Equipment For Organic FarmingTine Weeders t3PX$SPQ$VMUJWBUPSTr3PUBSZ)PFT $BNFSB(VJEBODF4ZTUFNAND On In StockAEROSTAR Tine WeedersDELTA Drain Tile Cleaner *NQSPWFT%SBJOBHFr$POEJUJPOT4PJMr&DPOPNJDBM 3FMJBCMFr-PX.BJOUFOBODFr4BGFBOE1SPWFOSPECIAL PRICING On In Stock When life gives you lemonsDee Martens helps her son Porter Milton reach for a lemon in his great-grandmother’s greenhouse at Kensington Prairie Farm in Aldergrove. The farm raises alpacas and offers guided tours. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Vanessa Stockbrugger, far right, with her family, says starting family conversations about money early on makes it “less of an elephant” later on. SUBMITTED PHOTOCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 37Insurance products and services are provided through Assante Estate and Insurance Services Inc. Please visit www.assante.com/legal.jsp or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200 for information with respect to important legal and regulatory disclosures relating to this notice.Financial planning for farm families Farm transition coaching Customized portfolio strategy Retirement income planningDriediger Wealth PlanningMark Driediger, CFP, FEA, Senior Wealth AdvisorBrent Driediger, BAA, CPA, CMA, CFP, Wealth Advisorwww.DriedigerWealthPlanning.com | 604.859.4890 Assante Financial Management Ltd.drainage is our specialtyVALLEY FARM DRAINAGE31205 DEWDNEY TRUNK RD, MISSION • Fax 604-462-7215 604-462-7213 • www.valleyfarmdrainage.comProudly supporting Canadian industry using Canadian productLASER EQUIPPED & GPS CONTROLLED TRENCHED AND TRENCHLESS APPLICATIONS SUPPLIERS OF CANADIAN MADE BIG O DRAINAGE by MYRNA STARK LEADER CALGARY – Creating a solid personal money strategy can reduce stress and improve the likelihood of reaching one’s goals, be they personal, nancial or agricultural. That’s the message Vanessa Stockbrugger of Womencents, a Calgary nancial coaching rm, delivered to an audience of more than 400 people during a November 17 webinar hosted by Farm Credit Canada. According to FCC, the seminar targeted people in the early stage their agricultural or agri-food operations. Stockbrugger says although people may have heard of the steps to build a personal strategy, knowing how to tackle it or where to start may be overwhelming. “It’s like taking Vitamin D. We know it’s probably a good thing, but you still need to know is it right for you, how much to take and then you actually have to take it,” she says. However, at any business stage or age, Stockbrugger contends that a personal money strategy gives people a stronger sense of power and control over their nances, leading to increased peace of mind. “We need to have the right habits in place and processes we feel good about so the money can be directed in the best way possible,” she says. Stockbrugger pointed out that more than 40% of Canadians feel nancially stressed. Household debt is at a record high. More than 50% of parents are supporting adult children, and a similar proportion don’t have wills. She’s particularly concerned by the statistic that 75% of women change their nancial advisor in the year after their husband’s death. It indicates many women may not be as involved in the family’s nancial picture as they should be. Stockbrugger knows rsthand. She lost her dad when she was seven. “I was raised by a single mom, a widow at 35. She had four kids on the farm when my father was killed in a car accident. She was thrown into making all the nancial decisions on her own,” says Stockbrugger, who wants women to be prepared if they face a similar situation. To describe the components of nancial strength, Stockbrugger uses a pyramid. The base layer is engagement, which means making nances and talking about them a priority. This should ideally start at a very young age, perhaps with a child’s allowance. She says starting frequent money discussions early makes it less of an elephant later on. The next layer is education. That’s all about having the right tools and knowledge. Execution is the third layer closest to the top of the pyramid. “This is where I see a lot of people struggle,” says Stockbrugger, adding that people generally don’t want to make mistakes so they may do nothing. More specic to agriculture, she advised those in agriculture to create and draw a regular monthly or quarterly income from their farm to cover household expenses and taxes. “I’ve seen where people will take on personal debt rather than taking money out of the farm to cover expenses because there is guilt,” she says. “There are also situations where a young person on a farm doesn’t have a clear personal nancial picture because they don’t know their parents’ plans. They don’t know if the house on the farm they are living in will be theirs, for example, and there is fear in asking the questions.” Being more strategic around debt is another tip – knowing how it’s structured and if it’s good or bad debt. Typically, good debt will yield a positive nancial return. Poor debt is typically for things that lose value, like vehicles. Stockbrugger says free tools like Borrowell.com and CreditKarma.ca can be used to obtain personal credit scores and should be monitored for errors. Scores can be increased by paying debt on time. “Talk to advisors and lenders to make sure you are looking at all your opportunities around debt payment schedules and interest rates,” she advises. Stockbrugger was asked about whether to build savings or repay debt. She responded that if one’s credit score is low, debt repayment is probably a good choice, particularly if the interest rate is higher than what an investment would deliver. By reducing debt, a person also creates the capacity for future debt. This is important because it allows someone to take advantage of opportunities, such as a piece of land coming up for sale. Another tip is ensuring money is working and not sitting idle. This includes shopping around for the best interest rate, keeping funds liquid only if necessary, diversifying personal investments outside the farm, making use of accumulated investment room in a tax-free savings account (TFSA; currently $151,000 for a couple), participating in any matching savings programs at o-farm employment or the Agri-Invest account, and looking at low-fee investment products. Personal money strategy as important as farm strategyIt’s never too late to draft a financial plan
38 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCCLAAS 860 SP FORAGE HARVESTER 12.5’ PICKUP & 6 ROW CORNHEAD $93,700 CLAAS 970 SP FORAGE HARVESTER 10’ PICKUP & 10 ROW CORNHEAD CALL FOR MORE DETAILS/PRICING CLAAS 4000 4-ROTOR RAKE CALL FOR DETAILS X 2 FENDT 930 MFD CAB TRACTOR CALL FOR DETAILS NH BB340 LARGE SQUARE BALER CALL FOR DETAILS SUPREME INTERNATIONAL 700T MIXER WAGON TWIN SCREW CALL FOR DETAILS Pre-owned Tractors & EquipmentWe cut everything, except corners. www.caliberequipment.ca STORE HOURS MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8-5 SATURDAYS CLOSED ‘TIL SPRING604-864-2273 34511 VYE ROAD ABBOTSFORD I have been reecting recently on the role of technology on today’s farms. I agree, it’s a broad topic and will require some added specicity to rescue it from eye-rolling irrelevance. So let’s be clear, I am talking about the role of technology on my farm, especially. Drilling further down to the core of the issue, I would say I am using the computer a lot these days and I am both thankful for it and yet thoughtful of the implications. Here we have tapped into a classic thematic struggle: the pointy horns of a dilemma, if you will. Endeavouring to resolve the issue may lead to growth and success. At least it oers something to write about when the bare minimum of genuine winter farm work is being done. The bulk of my winter farm work is done outside. I am typically adorned with at least two jackets, inadequate gloves and cumbersome footwear. The work has to do with washing, sorting and packing potatoes, selling at markets, and doing deliveries. It is work I prefer not to be doing when it is raining/snowing/both (so far, this happens to be all the time this winter). The main characteristic is that it must be done to ensure the continuation of the farm business. It’s not optional, and it ought to be done before sitting down at the computer. Website updates, online farm-store order management and customer emails constitute the small volume of legitimate work in the computer-related farm work category. Unfortunately, and hence thoughtfully, engaging in it leads almost immediately to a gaseous period of wasted time. It begins with, innocently enough, interesting and out-of-budget equipment searches, seed catalogue perusals that spawn plans for crops we don’t grow, and farming industry conference programs from around the world. From there, the wide-ranging forays are bottomless. My farming ancestors never did this sort of thing in their free time, assuming there was such a thing. I think they read more (those that had books), and no doubt traded visits with neighbours and possibly even hosted gatherings. They did not, I can say for certain, fret for one second over a lack of self-discipline when it came to computer time. My own eyes have glazed over so I think it is time to ‘fess up here. Basically, what’s happened is that last week I jack-knifed the cargo trailer and the week before backed it into a tree. Yesterday, it suered an avoidable at tire. The uncharacteristic driving gaes have produced the philosophic jag so tortuously described above. Obviously, there is something going on and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I make mistakes when I am tired. My trouble is that although I would like to grant myself some time o, I am forced to carry on because I have been a poor manager of my computer time so far this winter. Mandatory work has been piling up. I am trying to blame this on technology. It’s a weak argument. And that’s as clear as I can be about this farmer’s life right now. This is a great time to bring up climate change, while your senses are all a-swim. So far this year, we have been able to keep the unheated farm stand stocked with potatoes, making few adjustments for freezing temperatures. At the very least, this is lucky. A mind willing to wander suggests the possibility that with climate change, the season for selling potatoes in the outdoors may be longer in the coming years. No technology required. Anna Helmer establishes her farming bona des and thoughtlessly connects to the Internet in Pemberton, BC . Farming isn’t done in front of a screenFarm Story by ANNA HELMERWinter brings the distractions of technologythink it is time to ‘fess up here.
Well-designed vegetable coolers make for hot salesCold storage for small farms doesn’t have to be high-techLouise and Hermann Bruns grow a wide range of eld vegetables on their 12-acre farm in Mara, selling most but not all at farmers markets. They’ve learned a thing or two about cold storage. SUBMITTED PHOTOCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 39by RONDA PAYNE MARA – It’s a feat to grow outstanding vegetables, but without proper storage all that goodness can be lost. In 28 years of farming, Hermann Bruns and wife Louise, owners of Mara-based Wild Flight Farm, have learned a thing or two about how to keep produce in the kind of condition that delivers prots to them and pleasure to customers. Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors hosted a virtual farm tour on December 8 where Bruns outlined his ve distinct storage areas and how they keep vegetables at their best. The organic farm grows a wide range of eld vegetables on about 12 acres each year including potatoes, cabbage, squashes, onions, garlic and carrots. Wild Flight sells through farmers markets and a few wholesale customers. “Each [vegetable] group has their own requirements for storage temperature and humidity,” he explains. The building was custom built in 2001 and expanded in 2012. The walls, ceiling and concrete oors are insulated according to the needs of each of the ve coolers. The facility wasn’t cheap, but it was the most ecient route for the variety of crops Bruns stores. The rst cooler is for squash, which are kept stem up on wooden shelves. The shelves are built four-high on top of pallets, which can be easily moved with a pallet jack. A thermostat at the far end of the room connects to a fan that blows outside air in, keeping the temperature between seven and 10° C. A ceiling fan promotes air circulation. “They want it dry,” says Bruns. “One way to keep it dry is to keep the air moving all the time.” Squash can be problematic and Bruns says even when everything is done correctly, they may not store well. He feels the region’s cooler temperatures prevent the squash from fully ripening. Squash, other than acorn or pumpkins, are left to cure at 30° C for a week before entering storage. This allows them to keep until February or March. Pumpkins and acorn squash don’t keep past December. “We throw out way too many squash in my opinion,” he says. “There’s lots of room for improvement on the squash storage front.” The second cooler is the main vegetable storage. Bruns keeps his cabbage here in unlined apple bins with plastic on top. Bagged carrots and parsnips are also kept in apple bins as are loose beets with a plastic liner. Temperatures are kept as close to zero as possible with active refrigeration, which is monitored using a small dish of water. A skim of ice is good, solid ice means it’s too cold. The plastic liners and bags help to manage humidity and prevent drying out. “We don’t add moisture. On a small scale, it’s a little too complicated to do that,” he says. “There are denitely larger-scale coolers that do that.” The third cooler is designated for apples and pears brought in from other farms. While these also like to be kept close to zero degrees and have active refrigeration, the fruits emit ethylene that impacts the avour and storage quality of vegetables, so they get their own cooler. “We don’t want to have the apples together with the carrots, for example, because ethylene makes the carrots taste bitter,” he says. “If the carrots are sprouting, it’s not cold enough.” The fourth cooler is kept at about 5° C using outdoor air. Bruns stores his potatoes here in sacks. They’re unwashed until it’s time to sell them, to keep the humidity low and prevent disease. Keeping potatoes too cool will cause them to convert their starches into sugars, impacting avour and texture. The fth cooler is for onions and garlic and ranges from zero to 15° C with constant air movement to keep the produce dry. Bruns allows this room to get warmer because the demand for onions and garlic exceeds his supply so long-term storage isn’t the goal. “They like to be close to zero as well, but what’s really important to them is that they are dry,” he says. All coolers are checked daily to ensure temperature, humidity and air ow are in the right ranges. Other elements that are important to consider when building a vegetable storage facility include smooth concrete so bins on rollers can be moved easily, a capacity greater than currently needed (and enough room to move around), coolers that maintain an even temperature, six-foot door frames for ease of movement and establishment of ecient ow of product and workers. “You really want to pay attention to things and how much you need to move them around,” he says. “You really want to reduce the amount of times you have to lift and move a box of produce.” KuhnNorthAmerica.comVisit your local British Columbia Livestock dealer today!INVEST IN QUALITY®www.kuhn.comMatsqui Ag-RepairAbbotsfordCountry TractorKamloopsCountry TractorArmstrongWORLDWIDE LEADER IN SPREADING TECHNOLOGYDesigned to meet the needs of any farming or industrial operation.PS 200 Series ProSpread® Rear-Discharge SpreadersOur innovative, high-quality spreaders provide superior performance with years of low-maintenance service.PXL 100 Series ProSpread®Rear-Discharge Spreaders1200 Series EasySpread®Rear-Discharge Spreaders2000 Series ProPush®Rear-Discharge SpreadersSL 100 Series ProTwin® Slinger® Side-Discharge Spreaders
40 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCWhen we left o last time, Deborah had announced to her mother-in-law Susan and daughter Ashley that she was ling for divorce from Kenneth. Ashley wondered if it had anything to do with “that Janice lady” from work, and Deborah began connecting dots. Rural Redemption, Part 131, Negotiations, continues ... Deborah sat staring out the kitchen window. She seemed far away. “I’ll be o,” said Susan. “Call if you need anything.” Deborah nodded and thanked her. She sat and stared at the number Ashley had written down. Five minutes later, she tapped it into her phone. There was a questioning hello. “Is this Janice Newberry?” “Yes.” “This is Deborah Henderson. Kenneth’s wife. Could you spare a few minutes to speak with me?” “Yes. I’m not surprised you called.” “Why would you be expecting a call from me?” “Kenneth called me two weeks ago and told me he was going ahead with the divorce.” Deborah calculated the days. “Odd,” she said, “I only told him I wanted one a week ago.” “So, you’re divorcing him? I gured as much.” “Are you and Kenneth having an aair?” asked Deborah. “Having an aair? No. Had an aair? Yes. Very briey, but it was over three years ago. You remember meeting me at the New Years Eve party at the beach hotel? Well, that was the end of it.” “So why is he keeping you posted about our marital status?” “Good question,” said Janice. “Because Kenneth has convinced himself I’m here waiting for him.” “And you’re not?” “I don’t know how I could possibly make that any clearer, but I still have to see him occasionally at work and he just keeps blathering on about how great it’s going to be when he gets a divorce, and we can be together.” “Why are you still his secretary then?” asked Deborah. “Why not ask for a transfer?” “Deborah, just give me a minute. I’m going to grab a cup of coee. I think this might take a while.” Janice explained that she wasn’t Kenneth’s secretary any longer and she was supervising the committee he was working for. His appointment was political, so she was stuck with him, but technically she was his boss. She said his appointment would end once the nal committee report was released and he would be leaving government service, and you didn’t hear it from her, but there would be a substantial severance package. She also gave a brief synopsis of their relationship – personal and professional – since they rst met. By the time the call ended, Deborah had two pages of hand-written notes. She was reading them when Christopher came through the door. “Hey, Mom. It’s good to see you. I just talked to Ashley and she told me about you and Dad. Are you okay?” Deborah stood and hugged her son. “I’m okay. ttt Kenneth arrived just before nine the following morning. He asked where his mother and the children were. “They’re still at Newt’s. I thought it would be best for us to talk about this alone.” Kenneth nodded his head. “So, you’ve made up your mind about this divorce nonsense then.” “It’s not nonsense to me,” said Deborah. “Whatever. If it’s what you want, there’s no point beating around the bush, is there?” Kenneth pulled a handful of papers out of his briefcase and threw them onto the table. “Read this. If you sign it today, Larry can get the ball rolling tomorrow.” “What is this and who is Larry?” “Larry Berkovic, from my father’s rm. I had him draw up the papers.” Kenneth went to the oce and poured himself a glass of Glenddich. He returned to the kitchen ten minutes later. “If you’re ready to sign you can call Pullman and ask him to come over and witness our signatures.” “I need time to think this through,” said Deborah. “What’s to think through? You want a divorce and I’ve arranged it. You keep this place and I keep the condo. You can take your pick of the car or the truck. We have joint custody of the kids, $2,000 a month until Christopher is 19, and nearly $100,000 cash.” “I’m not sure.” “Not sure about what?” demanded Kenneth. “This whole thing is your idea.” “I’m not so sure that’s true, Janice Newberry sets the record straightWoodshed Chronicles by BOB COLLINSKenneth. How do I know you’re being fair about any of this?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I had a long talk with Janice yesterday.” Kenneth was taken aback. “Janice who?” “Newberry.” “I haven’t seen Janice Newberry in months. She hasn’t worked for me for three years now. None of this has anything to do with her. If you want this damned divorce, I suggest we get this signed and get on with it,” said Kenneth angrily. “No. I’ll need time to read it properly rst.” “Suit yourself and read away then, Deborah. I’ll be back at noon tomorrow and if you don’t want this to drag on for the next ve years, I strongly suggest you have someone here to witness our signatures.” Kenneth headed for the door. “Don’t you want to see your mother and the kids?” asked Deborah. “I’ll see them tomorrow.” ttt Deborah phoned Susan an hour later and told her Kenneth had come and gone and would be back at lunchtime tomorrow. Susan asked if everything was alright, and would Deborah like her to come over. Deborah said yes please. “What happened? asked Susan. Deborah pushed the papers across the table. “He asked me to sign this.” “Divorce papers?” Deborah nodded. “So soon?” Deborah shrugged. “The sooner the better, I guess. He wants me to get a witness so we can sign them tomorrow.” Susan let out a long sigh. “Deborah, I’m sure you can understand why I really don’t want to get caught in the middle of all this. But, I’m going to give you one piece of advice.” “I’m sorry,” said Deborah. This puts you in an awful spot.” “Not really,” said Susan. “I’m not picking sides; I just want what’s best for all of you and I want to be part of everyone’s life when its over.” Susan pulled a business card out of her wallet and slid it across the table. “Get your own lawyer. Phone this one. She looked after Kingston’s will and estate for me.” “She’s good?” Susan nodded. “She’s smart and tenacious. Her nickname is Bulldog.” ... to be continued CREDIT CARD # _________________________________________________________________ EXP _____________ CVV _____________ Thousands of BC farmers and ranchers turn to Country Life in BC every month to nd out what (and who!) is making news in BC agriculture and how it may affect their farms and agri-businesses! o NEW o RENEWAL | o ONE YEAR ($18.90) oT WO YEARS ($33.60) o THREE YEARS ($37.80) Your Name _______________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________ Postal Code __________________________________ Phone _________________________ Email __________________________________________________ www.countrylifeinbc.com/subscribeMAIL TO: 36 DALE RD, ENDERBY, BC V0E 1V4 | subscriptions@countrylifeinbc.com Please send a _______ year gift subscription to ________________________________________________ Farm Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________ Postal Code ________ _________________________ Phone _________________________ Email _________________________________________________
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 41PERFECT SEEDBED PREPARATION IN EVERY CONDITION, EVERY FIELD, EVERY TIMELOOK TO LEMKENLook to LEMKEN’s Zirkon 12 for one-pass seedbed preparation in any condition. The well-thought-out details o er critical advantages, in-cluding a modular design with a larger range of available transmissions and tines. This ensures that each machine can be optimally adapted to the speci c needs of each individual farm. Hydraulic depth adjustment for ease of operation DUAL-Shift transmission for easy change of the direction of rotation@strategictill | lemken.ca(604) 864-2273caliberequipment.ca(250) 938-0076agrigem.comVAN DER WAL EQUIPMENT(1989)LTD(604) 463-3681vanderwaleq.com Screwed or quick-change tines for short set-up times Versatile range of rollers for any working conditions0% Financing.Certain Conditions ApplyStudy identifies a receptor in plants that can create an immunity to nibblersPlants can recognize attacking herbivoresScientists have long known that plants can protect themselves from leaf-munching herbivores. But it has not been clear what the mechanism is in the rst place that sounds the alarm for plants to know they are under attack. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington have discovered a key receptor – or biological switch – that instantly lets plants know when herbivores like caterpillars feed on their leaves. The scientists studied cowpeas, a type of bean plant, and found that they harbour receptors on the surface of their cells. The receptor is a protein known as an inceptin receptor, or INR. “INR represents the rst documented mechanism of a plant cell surface receptor responsible for perceiving animals,” says Eric Schmelz, a professor of cell and developmental biology at UCSD. “Our work provides some of the earliest dened mechanistic insights into the question of how plants recognize dierent attacking herbivores and activate immunity to animals. It is a fundamental question in biology that has been pursued for 30 years.” Schmelz says that inceptin is a cryptide, a signal hidden and embedded in a protein. “You never know where cryptide signals will come from and you have no way of predicting them in advance. Almost no amount of sequencing or bioinformatics will get us to them. They must be isolated biochemically and proven.” When a caterpillar chews on a leaf, its digestive system starts breaking it down. But tiny bits of that leaf are accidentally released as spit by the caterpillar and the spit contains the plant’s protein fragments (known as Vu-IN). As a result, the plant’s INR receptor not only detects these protein fragments as the plant’s own, but springs into defense mode by boosting production of the hormone ethylene. Plants will produce ethylene in response to chewing by herbivores or other environmental stresses. “Ethylene functions as a plant hormone that regulates (via interactions with additional small molecule hormones) defense responses altering the transcription and translation of proteins,” says Schmelz. “Ethylene can change the taste of the leaves via complex signal transduction cascades.” He says that the INR receptor is a protein that taps into the plant’s defense signalling ‘machinery’. “Plants that respond stronger and faster to caterpillars will slow down pest growth,” he says. “This can reduce the number of populations (generations) possible each year and broaden the window of time the pests are susceptible to natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) and disease (virus, bacteria, fungi).” He adds that it is a natural system and an immune booster. And eective immunity is about having the right response. In specic crops that are challenged by specic pests, there is a need for more natural forms of plant immunity than is apparently present right now. “Despite chemical controls, crop yield losses to pests and disease generally range from 20% to 30% worldwide,” says lead author Adam Steinbrenner, assistant professor of biology, University of Washington, in a press release. “Our ndings are the rst to identify an immune recognition mechanism that sounds the alarm against chewing insects.” In addition to studying cowpeas, the researchers learned more cellular details about INR’s function when they inserted the gene for INR into tobacco plants. When exposed to Vu-IN, the tobacco plants also increased production of ethylene. The experiments showed that a tobacco-munching caterpillar, the beet armyworm, chewed less on plants with INR than tobacco plants without the receptor protein. The research showed that plants like cowpeas sound the alarm only after their cells have detected specic molecules in response to pests feeding on them. For cowpeas, Vu-IN is the trigger for its defenses. Other crops possibly have dierent molecular triggers for their defenses. Understanding how each plant species activates its immune system will help scientists develop more strategies to boost crop immunity and increase yield. Going forward, Schmelz says that it is important to learn much more about how the INR receptor tells the plant specically it is being attacked by an insect. Knowledge of the mechanisms of these receptors promises to oer more options to provide crops with strong defenses against pests. “These novel receptor associations could buy our key agricultural crops the protection needed with less use of broadly toxic insecticides such as neonicotinoids that are devastating non-target species such as honeybees,” says Schmelz. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Research by MARGARET EVANS
42 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSuper simpleDelicious avours make this dish a must-try. 1.5 lb. ( 700 grams) boneless chicken breasts 4 tbsp. (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 c. (60 ml) our 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 garlic cloves, grated zest and juice of half an orange 2 tbsp. (30 ml) hoisin sauce 2 tbsp. (30 ml) rice vinegar 1-2 tsp. (5-10 ml) crushed red pepper akes 1 tbsp. (15 ml) toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil 2 green onions toasted sesame seeds, as a garnish • Cut boneless chicken into bite-sized pieces. • In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chicken with two tbsp. of the soy sauce and the our. Toss, making sure the our has evenly coated the chicken pieces. • In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the remaining two tbsp. of soy sauce with minced ginger, garlic, the orange zest, orange juice, hoisin sauce, vinegar, red pepper akes and toasted sesame oil. • Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken in an even layer and cook, stirring, until browned all over, about ve minutes. • Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is coated, ve to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in most of the chopped green onions. • Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with the remaining green onions and the toasted sesame seeds. • Serves 4. KAI’S FAVOURITE SESAME-ORANGE CHICKEN These were quick and easy to make and made a fresh and crunchy dessert after a big meal. Pu pastry is a very simple prepared pastry to use for many types of sweet or savoury tarts, pies, turnovers, pus or crisps. 1/3 c. (80 ml) brown sugar 2 tbsp. (30 ml) salted butter 1 tbsp. (15 ml) brandy or bourbon 1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract 1 tsp. (5 ml) ground cinnamon 1 sheet frozen pu pastry, thawed 3 small apples, cored, halved and thinly sliced 2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter, melted vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional • Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a small bowl stir together the sugar, warm butter, brandy, vanilla and cinnamon. • Cut the pu pastry into six equal rectangles and transfer them to the parchment paper-lined sheet. • Spread about two teaspoons of the brown sugar mixture on each rectangle. • Core the apples and slice in half; then thinly slice each half apple. • Arrange the apple slices, fanned out, skin side up, on each piece of pastry. Fold the edges of each pastry piece up toward the apple slices, pinching the corners to seal the juices in. • Divide the remaining sugar mixture amongst the tarts, on top of the apple slices. • Brush the edges of the pastry with the melted butter. • Bake until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, if you wish. • Any leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to three days. • Makes six tarts. EASIEST CINNAMON-APPLE TARTSFebruary is apple month, but it’s also the month we celebrate those we love. I never miss an opportunity to celebrate, so whatever the origin of Valentine’s Day, to me it’s another chance to have fun. And, at the same time, it’s a good time to show those you love how much you care. Preparing good food is one way I do that, so it should come as no surprise that I collect cookbooks, as well as writing the occasional one myself. Using fresh, local ingredients is key to preparation of good food, so even if the occasional cookbook in my collection is not Canadian, I still tend to use or substitute local ingredients wherever possible in the recipes I use from those books. Super Simple is written by Tieghan Gerard, who lives in Colorado. She maintains a food blog called Half Baked Harvest, and specializes in fuss-free dishes with great avour. One-pot meals are a feature of many of her recipes along with simplicity, but with sometimes-unusual combinations of avours and ingredients which really set her dishes apart. Since it’s apple month, and I’m a big supporter of BC’s apple industry, I used the Ambrosia apple, which was discovered as a chance seedling in the orchard of Wilf and Sally Mennell in Cawston, to try her recipe for a simple apple tart. Everyone agreed it was delicious. Those at the table felt it would also be great using local pears. Because of advanced storage technology and the nature of the apple, this is one local fruit that’s available fresh nearly the whole year long. It’s also a very versatile fruit that can be used not only as a great low-fat, nutritious snack, but also in a variety of desserts and it’s wonderful with savoury dishes such as pork and onions or in salads with cheese. For a loving gift for your favourite sweetie or your family on February 14, consider the treat of a special meal, capped o with something chocolate. Somehow my personal bias toward dark chocolate always gets in the way of any other sweet for Valentine’s Day. By mid-February there’s always a noticeable lengthening of the hours of daylight, so you can celebrate that as well. Apple tarts are quick and easy to make using puff pastry. PHOTO / JUDIE STEEVESJude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVES
ZcXjj`Ô\[j7Zflekipc`]\`eYZ%ZfdfiZXcc1-'+%*)/%*/(+C@E<8;J1),nfi[jfic\jj#d`e`dld(*gclj>JK#\XZ_X[[`k`feXcnfi[`j%),;@JGC8P8;J1),gclj>JKg\iZfclde`eZ_M[WYY[fjcW`ehYh[Z_jYWhZi$MARCH deadline February 19COUNTRY LIFE IN BC FEBRUARY 2021 | 43countrylifeinbc.comvisit us online couMARCH MARKETPLACE Deadline: FEB 19TRACTORS/EQUIPMENTLIVESTOCKLIVESTOCKREAL ESTATEWANTEDTRACTORS/EQUIPMENTFOR SALECOURTENAY HEREFORDS. Cattle for Sale: yearling bulls and bred heifers. John 250/334-3252 or Johnny 250-218-2537.HAYSEEDBILL AWMACK1-888-770-7333PYESTERDAY’S TRADITION - TODAY’S TECHNOLOGYMANAGERS Phil Brown 250-293-6857 Catherine Brown 250-293-6858 ccr.princeton@gmail.com www.coppercreekranch.com PRINCETON, BC Raising registered polled & horned Herefords & F1s. BREEDING BULLS FOR SALE. Call DON GILOWSKI 250-260-0828 Royal LePage Downtown Realty Ltd INTERESTED IN BUYING OR SELLING OKANAGAN FARM, RANCH OR ACREAGE? DISCOVER PRINCE GEORGE 10070 MCBRIDE TIMBER RD. An outstanding agricultural 445 acre property enjoys a pastoral private setting & lovely views of moun-tains to the east. This attractive home was extensively renovated in 1998 plus some recent updates. WHAT A DELIGHT! Expansive ranch home with exquisite views. Ideal horse property w/private spring fed lake. The home beams with an abundance of natural daylight. Just over 3,000 sqft over 3 levels. 128 acres. $699,900 NEARLY 500 ACRES of prime farm land on Fraser River, almost all in cultivation. 5 bed/3 bath home, outbuildings. Turn-key cattle ranch and/or prosperous haying enterprise. MLS®R2163561 $1,400,000 RANCHERS & DAIRY FARMERS: 320 acres, 2 residences, 6 mas-sive outbuildings, 15 km from downtown PG. MLS C8030418 $2,599,000 150+ ACRES Turn-key horse breeding ranch, 2,900 sq ft log home, fenced/cross-fenced. MLS R2441103, $1,720,000 2 ACRE BUILDING LOT, PG, MLS R2446743, $79,900 55 ACRES Development potential close to airport. MLS R2435958, $599,900 112.02 ACRES IN CITY LIMITS. Potential for development. MLS R2435725. $1,300,000 271 LEVEL ACRES Not in the ALR. Residential/commercial rezoning potential. Fertile soil, MLS C8027179. MOUNTAIN RESORT on 82.2 acres. 17 furnished chalets, 50 RV campsites. MLS®C8019821 $5,500,000Carrie Nicholson PREC* 250-614-6766 FOR SALEBERRIESDeBOER’S USED TRACTORS & EQUIPMENT GRINDROD, BCLOOKING TO BUY USED JD TRACTORS 60-100 HP JD 6140D 2013, MFWD, CAB, 140 HP, 4350 HRS, 24 SP FWD/12 SP REV, HI LO PWR REV $79,000 JD 7810 COMING SOON! IHC 474 W/LDR 7,950 JD 2750 4WD, RB & LDR 26,500 JD 5105 2WD, 2006, 1,400 HRS 15,000 [ADD LOADER TO 5105 3,500] JD7600 MFWD 45,000 JD 6300 MFWD, CAB, LDR SOLD JD 230 24’ DBL FOLD DISK 16,500 ED DEBOER 250/838-7362 cell 250/833-6699 CURT DEBOER 250/838-9612 cell 250/804-6147IRRIGATIONIrrigation Design New and Used Equipmentpiperpivotsr pumps r power units traveling gun / hose reels250.319.3044beyedynamic@gmail.comEQUIPMENT DISPERSAL • LOEWEN AGITATORS 22 ft, 100 HP prop, nice condition $2,250; 16 ft 100 HP prop, nice condition, $2,000 • 2017 KUBOTA M6 -141 4WD LH rev, cab, air, stereo, 24sp Powershift, 126 PTO HP, 540/1000 PTO, 2 sets remotes, radials 12 weights front-cast centers, rear. Loader available. Loaded, as new, 597 hours. Warranty till May 2023. $72,500 • 1988 FORD 7710 2WD, cab, A/C, stereo, 12 speed w/high low power shift, 87 HP, two sets remotes. Very nice original tractor. $28,500 TONY 604-850-4718RAVEN HILL MEADOWS: Coneygeers bloodlines - call for seedstock. 250-722-1882. NanaimoFor Tissue Culture Derived Plants of New Varieties of Haskaps, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Saskatoon Berries and Sour Cherries, Please Contact:DISEASE FREE PLANTING STOCK OF NEW BERRY CROPS 4290 Wallace Hill Road, Kelowna, BC, V1W 4B6info@agriforestbiotech.com250.764.2224www.agriforestbiotech.com HAYLAGE EXCELLENT QUALITY HAYLAGE 950-1100 LB BALES Delivery available on Vancouver Island and along the Trans Canada Hwy corridor in BC. Reasonable prices. 250-727-1966NEW POLYETHYLENE TANKS of all shapes & sizes for septic and water storage. Ideal for irrigation, hydroponics, washdown, lazy wells, rain water, truck box, fertizilizer mixing & spraying. Call 1-800-661-4473 for closest distributor. Manufactured in Delta by Premier Plastics Inc. premierplastics.com. Feeders & Panels that maintain their value!ROUND BALE FEEDERS BIG SQUARE BALE FEEDERS FENCE PANELS CATTLE & HORSE FEEDERSHeavy duty oil field pipe bale feeders. Feed savers, single round bale feeders outside measurement is 8’x8.5.’ Double round bale feeder measurement is 15’x8’. Silage bunk feeders. For product pictures, check out Double Delichte Stables on Facebook Dan 250/308-9218 ColdstreamFARM EQUIPMENT and PARTS • ROLLOVER PLOWS 3 and 4 BTM, in-furrow, and on-land, $3750 to $6750 • FORD and OLIVER Semi Mount Plows, 5 or 4 BTM, $1600 each. • HD BREAKING PLOW, 1Big BTM on wheels, $3,600 • HD V-SPADE Root Cutter on wheels, 1 ripper spade, $2800. • CO-OP 26’ CULTIVATOR, drawbar pull, HYD fold, $6500. • CRUST-BUSTER, 24’ drawbar pull, S-Tines and Harrows, $4,600. • 2 NEW CULTIVATORS, 5’ and 6’, S-Tines, 3PH, $650 each. • JOHN DEERE CULTIVATOR, Row-Crop 4 row, $1000. • CULTIVATOR DUCK FEET TIPS, New and Used, bigger sizes. • NORTHWEST ROTOTILLER, Straw-berry/Row Crop 2 row, $2500. • IH SIDE DRESSER, Granular fertil-izer, Cultivator, 4 row, $1800. • RIDGE MULCHER TD 2000, hydride, draw-bar pull, near new, $5500. • CROP SPRAYERS, Truck, Trailer and 3PH models, 150 to 850 Gal, Call for details. • JIFFY and CRAWFORD HYDUMPS, 14’, $2900 and $5900. • FEEDER HAY, 400 -16’x18’ bales, $6 each • GRAIN BINS, small to medium sizes, $700 and up. • LEWIS CATTLE OILERS, Offers. • TRUCK RIMS or TIRES, many sizes,. • PICKUP BOXES, New and Used long boxes, Dually or Single wheel. • OLDER TRUCKS and Parts. Call Jim for hard to nd items, Abbotsford BC at 604-852-6148 HAY FOR SALE Large quantities of 3x4 hay & 4x4 WRAPPED SILAGE BALES. Located in Salmon Arm. WE DELIVER. 250-804-6081Toll Free 1-888-357-0011 www.ultra-kelp.comREGISTRATION NO. 990134 FEEDS ACT Keeping Animals Healthy The Natural Way FLACK’S BAKERVIEW KELP PRODUCTS INC Pritchard, BC (est. 1985)Wanted: Parts for VICON mower conditioner, KM series. 604-530-2907.It’s the top linethat makes the Bottom LineBC SHORTHORN ASSOCIATION Scott Fraser, President Bob Merkley, BC Director 250-709-4443 604-607-77332009 FRONTIER 1112 Manure Spreader. Very good condition. Kept indoors, maintained regularly. $6,300. Mid Vancouver Island. Photos available. 1-250-751-9690COMMUNITY BC farmers & ranchers raising meat outside the conventional system www.smallscalemeat.caPENDING SALE!PREMIUM HAIR BRED LAMBS FOR SALE Foundation breeding stock lambs: Purebred St. Croix (maternal excellence, parasite resistance, height/length, small bone/less fat) and Registered White Dorper (impressive bulk, rapid gain). Commercial Royal White market lambs available for your pasture finishing. Robust, fast gain, large carcass with high meat yield. All lambs available June 2021. Also, limited PUREBRED WHITE DORPER ewes available. Starter flock packages arranged. All excellent health, ideal conformation, clean genetics. Reserve your selections with deposit, while supplies last. 250-375-2528 proudewe@gmail.com www.harmonykennelandlamb.comAgricultural 'Custom Business' OPPORTUNITY A lucrative custom Forage Business having an established customer base, operating inter-provincially in western Canada. The business includes a good line of modern and well maintained Machinery & Equipment. This sustainable 'turn key' operation is available for the 2021 harvesting season.For more information, contact Maurice at Century 21 Westman Realty Ltd, Brandon, Mb. (204) 729-6644 maurice.torr@century21.caGREAT SELECTIONQUALITY PRICETerra Seed Corp1.800.282.7856terraseco.com• 2015 INTERNATIONAL TERRASTAR 4WD extended cab, automatic trans, custom factory built flat deck with hydraulic lift gate, duel large under deck high quality polished stainless locking storage boxes. This truck is just like new out of the show room with only 17000 km. Perfect truck for any one who wants to improve their business efficiency with a better image. Ideal truck for farmers, land-scapers, traffic control business. Also great truck for delivery work for feed stores. This truck is a must see. • JOHN DEERE 8 FOOT TILLER as new. Only used once, barn stored. Paid over $8,000, asking $4,500 • JOHN DEERE large finishing mower, used only one season. Barn stored . Asking $3,800 . Contact Carl 604-825-9108 or email ourgoodearth@live.comROUND BALED FEED Organic, no chemicals, no rain. These are good, tight, well-wrapped bales – good quality feed. 1st cut $55 per bale; 2nd cut $65 per bale. We offer discounts for large orders. Carl at 604-825-9108 email ourgoodearth@live.com WANTED good condition tandem truck with a Versatran retriever equipment transport deck. Contact Carl 604-825-9108; email ourgoodearth@live.comADVERTISING THAT WORKS!
44 | FEBRUARY 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCPower. Performance. Comfort. Without the cost. That’s the NEW Kubota M7-2 Rancher Edition. Built to handle the toughest jobs, the M7-2’s load sensing (CCLS) hydraulics allow you to run a variety of implements and gives you wide-ranging versatility to handle all your jobs. Work comfortably from the roomy cab with a built-in radio and comfortable seats. Plus, you can add a front loader with an impressive lift capacity of 5776 lbs. The M7-2 certainly earns its “Rancher” title.RANCH-WORTHY POWER AT A PRICE YOU’LL LIKE.RADIOSPECIAL EDITION BRANDINGLED LIGHTSkubota.ca | 1521 Sumas Way, Box 369Abbotsford, BC V2T 6Z6(604) 864-9568avenuemachinery.caAVE010PROUD PARTNER OFOLIVER GERARD’S EQUIPMENT LTD 250/498-2524 PRINCE GEORGE HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/560-5431 SMITHERS HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/847-3610 VERNON AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/545-3355 ABBOTSFORD AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 604/864-2665 COURTENAY NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR 250/334-0801 CRESTON KEMLEE EQUIPMENT LTD 250/428-2254 DAWSON CREEK DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/782-5281 DUNCAN ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD 250/746-1755 KAMLOOPS DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/851-2044 KELOWNA AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/769-8700