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by PETER MITHAMVANCOUVER – Farmers are among the mostrespected workers in BC, second only to nurses,according to a national survey that polling rmInsights West conducted this spring.Despite pollsters being among the least-respected people, the rm managed todetermine that 89% of BC residents had apositive view of farmers. The national averagewas 91%.Caring professions ranked particularly high,with the top ve also including veterinarians,doctors and scientists.Positive media coverage of farmersundoubtedly played a role; a 2014 survey thatMcAllister Opinion Research conducted for theReal Estate Foundation of BC and VancouverFoundation found strong support among BCresidents for local farmers and the AgriculturalLand Reserve.The support, McAllister said at the time,reected a desire for more information abouttheir food. This translated into greater interestin farmers markets, where relationships couldbe built with growers.Similarly, an earlier study by Torontoconsulting rm Strategic Counsel found thatpublic associations with agriculture wereassociated with concepts such as “green,”“local” and “farmers markets.”Speaking at the Pacic Agriculture Show inPostmaster, Please returnUndeliverable labels to:Country Life in BC1120 East 13th AveVancouver, BC V5T 2M1CANADA POSTESPOST CANADAPostage paid Port payéPublications Mail Post-publications40012122Vol. 102 No. 7Trade BC agri-food exports outpace forestry, resources 9Symposium Poultry farmers impacted by antibiotic restrictions 14Anniversary BC Farm Museum celebrates 50 years 32Lifein BCThe agricultural news source inBritish Columbia since 1915July 2016 • Vol. 102 No. 7Cattlemen identify water act as highest priorityPublic holds farmers in high regardby DAVID SCHMIDTPENTICTON – Saying anorganization is only as strongas its volunteers, outgoing BCCattlemen’s Association(BCCA) president Lary Fossumpraised the association’s newgovernance structure.“We are operating moreeciently nancially and wehave more people involved,”he told members at the BCCAannual meeting in Penticton,May 27. The numbers conrm hisclaims. The BCCA postedsurpluses each of the past twoyears and even though theboard has been reduced to 13members, there are nowanother 35 people on itsvarious committees. The BCCAalso adopted a new format forits 88th annual meeting,completing the association’sbusiness in a single day, so daytwo could be devoted to amorning water workshop andan afternoon eld trip.Adapting to the new WaterStewardship Act has becomeBCCA’s highest priority.“Licensing of yourPlease see “POSITIVE” page 2Please see “WATER” page 2YCOUNTRYHot, dry spring weather in the North Okanagan turned cool and wet in June and made square baling challenging for even the mostseasoned hay farmer. Ed DeBoer was racing the clock and the storm clouds as he put up 1100 bales on this eld in Enderby a weekafter it was rst cut. (Cathy Glover photo)Man on a missionIRRIGATION LTD1-888-675-7999www.watertecna.comPROVINCE WIDE DELIVERYPROVINCE WIDE DELIVERYGrowing morewith less waterFREE PTO PUMPSee our ad on page XXfor details!1-888-770-7333Quality Seeds ... where quality counts!YOUR COMPLETESEED SOURCE
WATER WORKSHOPS PLANNED From page 1Country Life in BC • July 20162groundwater is one of ourmain areas of focus and wewill be doing as much as wecan to help simplify theprocess,” general managerKevin Boon said, tellingranchers the BCCA will repeatthe water workshopthroughout the province.The BCCA also completed acost benet analysis ofranchers’ dams. Boon isoptimistic the MNP study willlead to more governmentinvestment in dams and waterstorage. “The water shortages theLower Mainland faced last yearhave brought about a betterunderstanding of what wehave been presenting to(government),” he said.Boon says they are alsomaking gains in wildlifepredation, another highpriority issue, noting intensivelobbying by the BCCA and itsproducers has led to the newLivestock Protection Program.The program has 35 wildlifespecialists and trained 650people to do loss verications. “It’s very important thatverication be done properly,”noted BCCA environmentalstewardship committee chairMartin Rossman. He noted last year’s annualcattle loss survey reported1080 cattle lost to predators.The survey also reported anestimated $2 million in lossesdue to drought and over$250,000 in losses due towildres and oods.Ranchers are not justconcerned about predatorywildlife but the impact of allwildlife, particularly on Crownrange.“We feel wildlife is theCrown’s livestock andgovernment needs to manageits wildlife with the sameintegrity and responsibility asyou do with your livestock,”Boon insisted. Check-off uppedRanchers approved aproposal to increase thecheck-o from $3 per head to$5 per head. The proposalwould increase the nationalcheck-o from $1 to $2.50 andthe provincial check-o from$2 to $2.50. Five provinceshave already approved theincrease in the nationalchecko, reported CanadianBeef Cattle Research, MarketDevelopment and PromotionAgency chair Jack Hextall. TheBC increase must be approvedby the BCCA, BC DairyAssociation, BC Breeders andFeeders Association and BCAssociation of Cattle Feeders.Linda Allison, chair of theCattle Industry DevelopmentCouncil and vice chair ofCanada Beef, said the increasesare necessary to implementthe national beef strategy andto make up for dwindling cownumbers in the province.Hextall said governmentwill provide 3:1 funding forresearch and match anymarketing dollars but wantsindustry “to take the lead.” More research and moremarketing require moremoney, he stated, pointing out“the (national) levy hasn’tchanged since 1999. $1.00 in1999 is worth only 73¢ now.”In this togetherCanadian Cattlemen’sAssociation vice-president andBCCA past president DavidHaywood-Farmer said rancherscreated the national beefstrategy and it is up to them tosupport it.“I’m completely behind thenational increase and we needthe extra 50¢ in BC,” he said.“We’re all in this battletogether and need the fundsto go forward.”Also going forward is theVeried Beef Program, which isadding a “+” to its acronymJune 15. The cattle industry’son-farm food safety program,VBP is being expanded toPOSITIVE PERCEPTIONS From page 1Abbotsford this past January,farm business consultantCharlie Touchette, principal ofWhite Loaf Ridge ManagementCo. in Massachusetts, said thatagriculture is nally being seenby many as desireable work.While he left the family farm,his children now want to getback into the business.The desire to farm builds onthe positive perceptionsoutlined in the surveys: youngpeople long for a job thatallows them to make adierence in the world, carefor the environment and enjoythe outdoors.“The young people I wasworking with wanted to workwith plants and soil and waterand sunlight, and steward theenvironment and grow goodfood,” said Kent Mullinix ofKwantlen PolytechnicUniversity’s Institute ofSustainable Food Systems indiscussing the farm labourmarket last fall.Whether the public knowswhat farmers do is anothermatter, however.Strategic Counsel’s studyfound that people were just aslikely to associate farming withwasteful and destructivepractices, not to mentiongovernment handouts and alack of innovation.While farmers have thepublic’s respect, building trustis a work in progress that mustbe cultivated.The new BCCA board of directors poses for a pic at the BCCA AGM in Penticton. (David Schmidt photo)include new modules foranimal care, biosecurity andenvironmental stewardship.Beef Cattle Research Councilexecutive director AndreaBrocklebank says producersare already doing those thingsbut VBP+ will verify it. Whilethere was not much of ademand for it when the VBPprogram was introduced, endusers are now demandingVBP+.“Just saying ‘trust us”doesn’t work at this time.Consumers have questionsand want to know how theirfood is produced,” she said,stressing the public “whichmay not even eat beef” isdriving policy and regulation. Pointing to recentcampaigns by A&W andothers, Brocklebank noted“labels sell even if sciencedoesn’t support them.”Earl’s recent plan to accesscertied humane beef fromoutside Canada provides botha warning and a reason forhope. “Consumers want to beassured of humane handlingbut want to support Canadianproducers,” Brocklebank said.“VBP+ will become asimportant as beef grading infuture,” added CCA executivevice-president Dennis Laycraft,noting the national beefstrategy includes somefunding for the program.www.tractorparts4sale.caABBOTSFORD, BCBus. 604/807-2391Fax. 604/854-6708 email: sales@tractorparts4sale.caWe accept Interact, Visa and Mastercard MENSCH SAND THROWER W/JD LOADER QUICKATTACH ............... 3,700BALE SQUEEZE FLEXIBAL MODEL W/JD OR ALO QUICKATTACH ... 1,750KVERNELAND 2428 10 FT WIDE, 3 PT DISC MOWER/NO CONDITIONER, LIKE NEW ........................................................................................ $9,500CLAAS 470S SINGLE ROTARY RAKE, 15FT, GOOD CONDITION ...... 6,500NEW IDEA 3739 MANURE SPREADER, TANDEM AXLE ................. 14,500JD4200 FOUR BOTTOM ROLL OVER PLOW, SPRING TRIP................. 5,500JOHN DEERE 5500 4X4, LOADER, 83 HP, FWD/REV, OPEN STATION, LOADER ATTACH INCLUDED............................................................... 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July 2016• Country Life in BC 3Groundwater licencing takeson more urgency for ranchersby DAVID SCHMIDTPENTICTON – Bureaucratswithin environment and otherBC ministries are working withconsultants and even industryto make it as easy as possiblefor producers to meetrequirements of the newWater Stewardship Act (WSA).However, that does not meanit is an easy process.For most agricultural waterusers, the biggest issues arequantifying their waterrequirements and registeringtheir wells. Although licenceshave long been required forsurface water, i.e., rivers andlakes, the WSA extends therequirement to includegroundwater, i.e., wells“BC is the last province toregulate groundwater,” BCMinistry of Environment (MoE)water strategies andconservation manager TedWhite told a well-attended BCCattlemen’s Association waterworkshop in Penticton, May27.Key for agriculture are newregulations covering licencingand use, fees, dam safety andgroundwater protection.Although WSA maintains theFITFIR (rst-in-time, rst-in-right) principle, environmentalow needs, sh protectionand domestic use supersedeit. Domestic users are entitledto 250 litres of water per dayfor personal use and do notneed to register their wells.White stresses the exemptiononly applies to individualusers and not to communitywater systems. To maintain their FITFIRrights, producers need toregister existing wells byMarch 1, 2019. There is nocharge for registrations beforeMarch1, 2017. The onlineregistration must becompleted at[www.frontcounterbc.gov.bc.ca].Although bureaucrats havetried to make the process assimple as possible, it is stilltime-consuming and highlytechnical at times. In fact, ittook Ray Riley of theOkanagan Water StewardshipBasin over an hour just to walkranchers through it even withthe help of an 82-page guide.Since few will have all neededinformation at hand beforebeginning, he encouragesregistrants to rst get a BCEID(electronic ID), also availablethrough FrontCounterBC. TheBCEID allows them to suspendthe process mid-streamwithout losing data alreadyentered. “Save early and save often,”Riley advises.Registrants will not onlyneed such basic informationas the legal description oftheir property but the exactGPS co-ordinates of each well.One way to obtain that is touse Google Earth to locate thewell, then choose “displaydecimal degrees” on thewebsite.Users need to conrmwhen each well was rst used.“We will accept an oldinvoice, well tag number or anadavit,” Riley said. If a well is diverting over 75cubic metres per second(1,200 gallons per minute), anenvironmental assessment isalso required. Once the well is sited,registrants need to specify theamount of water for whichthey want to licence the well.Former BCMA water specialistTed van der Gulik has spentthe last decade developing anonline tool to help farmersand ranchers determine justhow much water they need.Available at[www.bcagriculturewatercalculator.ca], the tool allows a userto locate their property,specify whether the water isused for livestock or irrigation,then determine the annualwater demand. For livestock,users specify the type andnumber to be watered. Forirrigation, users choose boththe crop being grown and thetype of irrigation being used.In many cases, the soil typeis already identied althoughusers have the option ofoverriding the defaultselection.Usage calculations arebased on a water demandmodel rst developed for theOkanagan Basin Water Boardand since expanded toinclude almost all BC.“We have over 3.5 milliongrid cells for the province,”van der Gulik says.Although he encouragesusers to apply for their peakusage, it must be noted userswill be assessed a usage feebased on their “demand.”Overstating that will thereforeattract an unnecessarily highfee. If wells are used for bothdomestic and agriculturalpurposes, only the agriculturalusage needs to be licenced asdomestic usage is exempt.Another technical hurdleis the requirement to includemapping information forwhere the water is to beused. FrontCounterBCincludes a mapping tool tohelp with that.Even though she admitsit is challenging, BCCAwater subcommittee chairLinda Allison says it isessential ranchers gothrough the process.“All of our ranches are builtaround water and the onlyway we’re going to ensure thewater we need is to licence it,”she says.Tractor safety trainingfor all farmers in BC, at no cost!www.AgSafeBC.caAgSafeFORMERLY FARSHABook today!Call: 1.877.533.1789 Contact@AgSafeBC.caTRAINING CO-SPONSORED BYIn his last ocial act as BCCA president, Lary Fossum, left, presentsan honourary BCCA lifetime membership to former presidentDavid Haywood-Farmer. (David Schmidt photo)Proudly certifying Producers and Processorswithin BC and Alberta.FVOPA provides year round certification services compliant with the Canadian Organic Standards (CAN/CGSB) and in accordance with the BC Certified Organic ISO 17065 recognized program. Products may be sold Canada-wide and in international markets. FVOPA ensures an efficient, professional certification process for all farm, processing and handling operations. Inspectors are lOlA trained and qualified making FVOPA a leading Certification Agency.Message 604-607-1655Email: admin@fvopa.cawww.fvopa.caPhone 604-789-7586P.O. Box 18591Delta, BC V4K 4V7Phone: 778-434-3070 Admin cell: 604-789-7586PO Box 19052 Email: admin@fvopa.caDelta, BC V4L2P8 www.fvopa.cadrainage is our specialtyVALLEY FARM DRAINAGE31205 DEWDNEY TRUNK RD, MISSION • Fax 604-462-7215604-462-7213 • www.valleyfarmdrainage.comProudly supporting Canadian industryusing Canadian productLASER EQUIPPED & GPS CONTROLLED TRENCHED AND TRENCHLESS APPLICATIONSSUPPLIERS OF CANADIAN MADE BIG O DRAINAGE TUBING
There is a school of thought that claims peopleare at their best when rising to a challenge. Whatdoesn’t break you makes you. The easy road usuallyends up being the long way around. Most farmers and ranchers are pretty good withchallenges, probably because the nature of theircalling provides them with so many learningmoments. Most of them have developed a skill setthat astounds their city friends and family andprobably includes equipment operation andmechanics, meteorology, animal psychology andhusbandry, soil physiology, entomology, veterinarymedicine, plant science, irrigation, book keeping,tree falling, post pounding, wire stringing and awhole lot more than there’s space for here. Mother of inventionIt takes a good measure of ingenuity to employall of this skill and knowledge successfully. It mightbe one thing to know that the ve inch tee in theirrigation main is broken but another altogether togure out how to keep the sprinklers going withouta new one. And knowing what’s needed to deliver acalf with a leg back might seem straight forwardenough but doing it with the cow tied to a tree in arainstorm at three in the morning with deadbatteries in the ashlight is a whole other kettle ofsh. Necessity might be called the mother ofinvention but you could make just as strong a casefor it being the father of ingenuity. Stands them in good steadMost farm and ranch kids assimilate ingenuity atan early age and stands them in good steadregardless of where life takes them. I once met aski-hill operator who was singing the praises of anew hire. “Most of the time, somebody just radios downand says the T-bar isn’t working but this farm kidcalls in and says it’s not working because the cable iso the pulleys on tower six and he knows what toolswe’ll need to x it!” The nal ingredient in the recipe is plain hardwork. While it’s not exclusive to the agriculturalcommunity, the magnitude of it often surprises thenon-farm crowd. With certain exceptions, they havea hard time grasping the idea of living at work. Regardless of how adept the farm and ranchcrowd can be at rising to a challenge, there arecircumstances that defy any amount of ingenuityand hard work. The BSE (mad cow) debacle in 2003devastated the cattle industry for years. Americanonions dumped (ultimately illegally) into the BCmarket in 1986 drove some producers out of thecrop altogether. Farms now (or soon to be) at thebottom of hydro-electric reservoirs are beyond anyagricultural eorts whatsoever. Weather events andnatural disasters constantly test the best ofagricultural eorts and intentions. Updates all springIf challenges bring out the best in us, it should bea banner year for farmers and ranchers in the Peace.Friends there have been updating us all spring. OnMay 16, they celebrated the last day of three weeksof seeding into powder dry soil. The air was lledwith smoke from a host of wildres and they notedthere was nothing left to do but pray for rain. OnMay 19, light rain fell and on the 20th, it snowed,heavily downing power lines and damaging trees. Inmid-June, some parts of the Peace received 130 mmof rainfall in 48 hours leading to widespread anddevastating ooding. Bridges collapsed andhighways washed away. Several States ofEmergency were declared. The wildre problemseems solved for now but it will take a little time tosee how the crops have fared. Spare a thought for all of the folks in the Peace.We’ll probably all be in the same boat sooner orlater.Editor & Publisher Peter WildingPhone: 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003E-mail: countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca • Web: countrylifeinbc.comAssociate Editor David SchmidtPhone: 604-793-9193E-mail: davidschmidt@shaw.caAdvertising Sales & Marketing Cathy GloverPhone: 604/328-3814E-mail: cathyglover@telus.netProduction Ass’t: Ann Morris • Senior Researcher: Phil “Nipsy” GordonCOUNTRYLifeAdvertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, that portionof the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance forsignature will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at theapplicable rate.In the event of a typographical error which advertises goods or services at a wrong price, suchgoods or services need not be sold at the advertised price. Advertising is an offer to sell, and maybe withdrawn at any time. All advertising is accepted subject to publisher’s approval.All of Country Life in British Columbia’s content is covered by Canadian copyright law.Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and not necessarily those ofCountry Life in British Columbia.Letters are welcome, though they may be edited in the interest of brevity before publication.All errors brought to our attention will be corrected.The agricultural news sourcein British Columbia since 1915Published monthly byCountry Life 2000 Ltd.Vol. 102 No. 7July 2016in B.C.1120 East 13th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 2M1 Publication Mail Agreement: 0399159 GST Reg. No: 86878 7375 Subscriptions: $18.90/year • $33.60/2 years • $37.80/3 yearsAll prices incl GSTThe hard work and ingenuity of farmers sometimes just isn’t enoughThe Back 40BOB COLLINSCountry Life in BC • July 20164BC is leading Canada in economicgrowth, and agrifood exports arebooming – overtaking the resourcesector to brighten the economicprospects of a province heavilydependent on trade.But the forest industry, the oil andgas sector, and even the activities ofthe ports that ship the province’sbounty overseas all compete withand lay claim to the land worked bythe province’s farmers. In the case ofthe oil and gas sector, land is just thegateway to subsurface richesawaiting discovery and extraction.But the end result is the same:farmers are under pressure to maketheir bit of super, natural BritishColumbia available to others. Rightsof way, surface rights and sometimesthe land parcels in their entirety areoften the subject of offers thatthreaten to displace agriculturalproduction.The deals are often good news forfarmers seeking an extra stream ofincome, or a payout for retirement.But sometimes they’re too good tobe true, or made without the benefitof sober second thought. A deal thatsounds good might have been betterwith a little outside counsel.To guide farmers in negotiationswith representatives of oil and gascompanies, the province worked withthe Peace River Regional District toset up the Farmers’ Advocacy Officein 2010. The office has quietly goneabout its business, dealing withhundreds of issues every year.But its mandate is limited toimpacts of projects governed by theBC Oil and Gas Commission.The office doesn’t help farmersbeyond the Peace to negotiate fairvalue for access to, expropriation ofor the outright sale of theirproperties. They’re represented by apatchwork of groups, fromlandowners’ organizations to industryassociations. Sometimes marketforces reign, and the only counsel iscaveat emptor.With the range of interestspressing in on farms, and theeconomics of farmland, the idea of anadvocate for farmers as a wholemakes sense. While the AgriculturalLand Commission protects farmland,the farmers who work the land needmore help than they’re getting tokeep pace with the market’s shiftingdynamics.While plenty of professional adviceis available from consultants, there’sno impartial, independent counsel toAgriculture needs co-ordinated advocacywhich farmers across BC can turn forguidance.“Money speaks for money, theDevil for his own,” goes the old song.A provincial advocate for farmers –something Alberta has long had –would give producers a stronger,more informed voice against theseold foes in BC’s highly competitiveland market.
Little known service helping farmers with legal issues in PeaceJuly 2016 • Country Life in BC 5region, where they overlapwith farm activities, makes theoce a natural t for theregion.The oce isn’t in regularcontact with the BCAgriculture Council, and thecouncil’s executive directorwasn’t aware the oce evenexisted. However, he saidfarmers outside the regioncould benet from advocacyas energy projects expandacross the province.The twinning of TransMountain’s pipeline fromAlberta to Burnaby, which willsee 900 new kilometres ofpipe built acrossapproximately 403 kilometresof range and farmland, is acase in point.Without an advocate whocan address the issues oflandowners across theprovince, it’s up to regionalgroups such as theCollaborative Group ofLandowners Aected byPipelines, which representsabout 80 rural propertyowners in the Fraser Valley.But the pipeline alsoimpacts producers and theiraccess to land further north.“We denitely can’t doeverything for everybody. Ifsomebody needed helpdealing with an oil and gaspipeline, we just don’t havethe resources to get involved,”Ens said. “We’re very limited inwhat we can do.”And that isn’t just the casefor issues in the energy sector– it’s a case for any issuefarmers face. Alberta’s farmers’advocate will help resolvedisputes with equipmentdealers, for example. Whilefarmers in BC haven’tdemanded such help, thereare other issues.“Do we need farmadvocacy? Denitely,” Ens said.“We need industry capacity inour associations – for allthings, not just oil and gas.”Well established 9.14 acre winery. Beautiful property with elegant 5 bed/3 full bathhome on the Shuswap River. Private yet close to Hwy 97 with free-standing retail wineshop. Several varieties of red & white wine grapes processed and bottled onsite underthe Waterside label. Level property with ample water supply. Great small business withbeautifully finished home & gardens. 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Together with our four other exclusive auger features, we produce a faster and more uniform mix than sluggish conventional augers, which typically take too long to process forage, resulting in too many fine particles in the shakerALEXANDER KNIVESVERTICAL KNIVESSIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGER RESISTS SORTING:www.JAYLOR.com | 800.809.8224SIX REASONS WHY OUR SQUARE-CUT AUGER RESISTS SORTING:REASON 3: Our Alexander Knives, when paired with our patented Vertical Knives, create an unparalleled cutting action. The curved carbide coated cutting edge and angle of the Alexander Knives increases the aggressiveness of cut to improve the processing rate of round baled forages, especially coarser forages. Our Vertical Knives, which are mounted on our slide plate, improve processing and feedout of high forage rations. 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It wasmodelled on an existing oceAlberta established in 1973 tobe a resource to the farmsector and represent the ruralAlberta perspective on mattersof concern.Based in Dawson Creek, theoce is little known elsewherein BC and focuses primarily onmanaging landowners’relationships with explorationcompanies.“We deal with one thingonly, and that is theirinteractions with the oil andgas industry,” explained AnneClayton, who holds thecontract for the oce throughher company, Aspen GroveProperty Services. “And wedon’t do it for all of BritishColumbia. We do it for thePeace River Regional District.”The advocacy oce hasassisted landowners in relationto initiatives such as theDawson Creek-Chetwynd AreaTransmission Project (DCAP),which was built to serve the oiland gas sector. It aected 82landowners, and Claytonprovided expert testimonythat helped Murray Caven winadditional compensation fromBC Hydro for its expropriationof a 400-square-foot patch ofthe 20-acre parcel where hishome, garage and a smallguest cabin sit. Claytonobserved that BC Hydro “failedto recognize and respect thenature of the rural market” inits initial valuation of the land.The advocacy oce hasalso represented landownerswith properties in both BC andAlberta in dealings withenergy companies on theAlberta side of the border,even though Alberta has itsown long-standing farmers’advocate ensconced withinthe province’s Ministry ofAgriculture and Forestry.“There’s a lot of issuesaround oil and gas here; wecould be even busier than weare,” Clayton said.A key issue at the momentis the failure of someexploration companies thathave gone bankrupt to makepayments on wells located onfarmland.“There is recourse throughthe Oil and Gas Commissionfor them, but we get a lot ofphone calls,” Clayton said.“The Farmers Advocacy Ocehas been getting a lot ofinformation for them.”The work of the oceimpresses Ken Boon, presidentof the Peace Valley LandownerAssociation, which has been avocal opponent of the Site Cdam.The oce has helped himpersonally, among othermembers of the association.“It is a much-needed servicein the Northeast and theyreally know their stu inregards to oil and gas issuesthat impact landowners,” hesaid. “When a landownerneeds advice or help dealingwith a problem, it is only rightthat a service as such is therefor them.”But the limited mandate ofthe oce means farmers haveto look elsewhere for helpwhen it comes to demand byhydro and pipelinecompanies.Boon’s association retaineda Vancouver law rm to makeits case regarding the Site Cproject. It’s now working witha lawyer specializing inexpropriations to addressconcerns regarding BC Hydro’sbid for land to facilitaterealignment of Highway 29,part of work for Site C.Both lie outside themandate of the advocacyoce.“We don’t deal with the SiteC dam at all. We are funded forthe purpose of oil and gas,”Clayton said, noting thatpipeline issues are alsobeyond its ambit. “If it’stwinning of a pipeline – and aNational Energy Board[regulated] pipeline – there aresome landowner groups.”While oce sta, includingElvin Gowman (a partner inAspen Grove) and JudiLeeming, are active in theNational Energy Board’s landmatters group, the oce itselflimits its work to projectsgoverned by the BC’s Oil andGas Commission. The concentration of theseprojects in the Peace River
Country Life in BC • July 20166by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – Theproposed twinning of theTrans Mountain oil pipeline(TMEP) is a “burden without abenet,” says Brian Kingman,secretary-treasurer of theCollaborative Group ofLandowners Aected byPipelines Association (CGLAP).Although “if we had our way,we wouldn’t have a pipeline,”he fully expects the pipelineto be built.On May 19, the NationalEnergy Board (NEB) issued itsrecommendation that thepipeline be allowed to goahead, subject to 157conditions. It is now up to thefederal government whetherto accept the NEBrecommendations.Formed to participate inNEB hearings into the TMEPand to develop acompensation framework foraected Fraser Valleylandowners, CGLAP held itsthird annual meeting inAbbotsford, June 2. Theassociation now has 73members from Popkum toPort Kells. Together, they ownover 90 properties coveringabout 60 km of the pipelinecorridor.Eight additional memberswere expelled after theysigned individualcompensation agreementswith Trans Mountain.Members conrmed CGLAP’sintent by changing thebylaws to automatically expelmembers who signagreements contrary to itscompensation framework andany other recommendationsfrom CGLAP’s 10 directors. “We have a verydetermined group and weshould stick together,” CGLAPpresident Peter Reus toldmembers.As part of the NEB process,concerned parties can accessits Participation FundingProgram (PFP). PFP “providesfunding to facilitate theparticipation of the public inhearings with respect to newor abandonment projects forpipelines or powerlines.” NEBallocated $3 million for theTMEP, distributing just overthat amount to 72 groups.CGLAP applied for$125,000, but received only$67,760 plus travel for two ofthe hearings, a total of$72,000. In contrast, the Sto:loCollective, which has less thana km within the pipelinecorridor, received $550,000and individual First Nationswithin the collective receivedalmost $200,000 more.“We wrote an ocialcomplaint to NEB chair PeterWatson in regard to ourquestions on the method ofgrant distribution. We alsomentioned that the originalPFP grant was predicated onFarmers getting a raw deal from Nat’l Energy Board15 months of hearing process.That is now close to 30months due to extensionsgranted by the NEB and nofault of the participatingintervenors,” Kingman says.Of most concern to CGLAPare issues surroundingcompensation and the safetyzone.While Trans Mountain isproposing a one-timepayment to aectedlandowners based on aproperty’s assessed value plus5%, CGLAP is “adamant”landowners receive annualpayments for the life of thepipeline. It insists paymentsbe renegotiated every veyears based on fair marketvalue.“The fair market value isten times the assessed value,”Kingman says. “We’re askingfor 0.02¢ per barrel. It’s apittance for the mostproductive land in Canada.” He stresses CGLAP is onlyasking for what the Actallows, saying it specicallygives landowners the right toannual and/or periodicpayments to be reviewedevery ve years. Although theAct also allows parties toapply for arbitration in thecase of a dispute, Kingmanprefers mediation, as it, unlikearbitration, is not binding.Of equal concern to CGLAPis the impact of the “safetyzone.” Until October 2014,pipelines were given a 60-foot(18 metres) easement andlandowners were restricted asto what they could do on thateasement. Even such basicactivities as drivingequipment across theeasement, tilling the land andplanting certain crops neededapproval from the pipelinecompany. In October 2014,the NEB instituted a SafetyZone around all pipelines,adding 100 feet (30 metres)on either side of the existing60-foot easement. Farmersnow face the samerestrictions in the Safety Zone.Kingman notes only 1.85%of his 40-acre property wasrestricted by the originaleasement but adding thesafety zone means 20% of hisland is now restricted.“Kinder Morgan haspromised us a blanketexemption but it’s vague,” hesays. “Is it annual; is itconditional?”Despite a detailed brief,CGLAP was mentioned onlyfour times in NEB’s 533-pagereport. By contrast, BurnabyMountain protestors werementioned six times and FirstNations 690 times including63 times for the Sto:loCollective.“We have to work harder”Reus says.SUPERIOR MIXING OF WET BYPRODUCTS AND DISTILLERS GRAINSKuh n No rth Am er ica.c omINVEST IN QUALITY®Abbotsford, BC Armstrong, BC Kamloops, BCVisit your localKuhn KnightDealer today!RA 100 SERIES HELIX™ REEL AUGGIE® REEL MIXERS• NEW Helix Reel provides faster, more complete mixing• Improved load leveling with the open-concept Helix Reel• Lower horsepower requirement for more efficient, economical use• Handles both roughages and small grains360 & 420 cu. ft. mixing capacities • truck, trailer & stationary models r hLg wnileved laod levorpmI•divorl peex RileW HEN•S HEIRE0 S0A 1R iicfft fix Rilept Hecnco-nepe ohh ttig wxie mtelpme coro, mrr,etsas feIGGU AEELR™XILES H Ial uicleex RgniSERXI MEELR®EI ®YTLIAU QN ISTENVI 604-826-3281 BCd,AbbotsforAg-RepairMatsqui 250-546-3141p BC,mstrongArractor & EquipmentTNobleag cnix. mit. fu0 c20 & 463egahguoh rots beldanH•uqer rewopesror hewoL• 250-851-3101nKamloops,ractor & EquipmentTNoble250-546-3141ractor & Equipmentoitatr & seliar, tkcurs • teiticapsniarl galmd ss aneco, etneiicffe eror mot fnemeriu AmhtroNnhuKDealer todasKuhn KnightVisit y250-851-3101 BCKamloops,ractor & EquipmentNobleledoy mraesal uicmonco com.caireAmy!Dealer todaKuhn Knightour localVisit yPeter Reus, right, president of the Collaborative Group of Landowners Aected by PipelinesAssociation, consults with fellow director Gord Taylor during the CGLAP annual meeting inAbbotsford, June 2. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 7by DAVID SCHMIDTLANGLEY – At 50,000 acres,China has the second largestblueberry acreage in theworld, next to the US’s 85,000acres, but lag way behind therest of the world in productionper acre. While US blueberryelds yield an average of 6,700pounds per acre, the yield inChina is a miniscule 2,000pounds per acre. Chinese production occursfrom May to July meaning themarket from mid-July on iswide open for foreign berries.The Chinese market is also ripefor expansion. While US percapita consumption ofblueberries is 560 grams, theper capita consumption inChinese cities is only 37 grams.Add rural China and theoverall per capitaconsumption drops to aminiscule seven grams.Those were just some of thefacts Luis Chadwick and JessieChan of Chile and Hong Kong-based Global Andes Companypresented to BC blueberrygrowers during their annualmeeting in Langley, June 1.Chadwick says blueberriesare important to the Chinesebecause they are looking forhealthy products. Blueberriesare not only a boost tomemory and high inantioxidants, but retain theirantioxidants when frozen.Right now, Chile isproviding over half of China’simported blueberries but afterChina nally approved theimport of fresh Canadianblueberries last year, BCgrowers, packers andprocessors are licking their lipsin anticipation of a sweet newmarket.It is a market they could bedesperate for. Not only aremore new and maturing eldscoming on stream throughoutNorth America each year butthis year’s warm winter andearly spring mean PacicCoast blueberries will ripen atjust about the same time asthose on the East Coast.The market “is going to beugly this year,” BC BlueberryCouncil (BCBC) executivedirector Debbie Etsell warnedgrowers, saying “we can’t bedependent on the US market.”BCBC chair Jason Smithseconded that, saying theamount of fruit in cold storagegoing into the season was“about 20 million pounds morethan at the end of April 2015.”Smith was making his lastreport as chair as he reachedthe end of his two-term limiton the board. Growers electedCase Guliker of Chilliwack ashis replacement for theAbbotsford-Mission-Chilliwackposition. Vice-chair Ray Biln ofMaple Ridge also reached histerm limit and was replaced byhis brother, Alec.To access the Chinesemarket, both growers andpackers must be pre-approvedand GAP-certied. Berriesmust be rm and sweet andconsistently sized from 14-16mm.“Firmness is the rst qualityissue,” Chadwick told them.The berries should also bepacked in 125 gram clamshellsas that is the most popularconsumer size.“Chinese generally do theirgrocery shopping daily so onlywant enough berries for onemeal,” Chan explained.Those who can deliver whatChina wants can expect ahealthy return. Chan expectsBC wholesalers to receive anet return at least US$18 for a1.5 kg case (12-125 grclamshells) of blueberries inJuly.Etsell expects growers andpackers to just get their feetwet in the Chinese market thisyear but hopes for increasesnext year and beyond.“We will do a big splash inChina next year,” shepromised, saying it will notinclude marketing at tradeshows, but education events“for people who don’t knowblueberries.”She also promised moredomestic marketing, saying“we can’t just grow berries andexpect them to move. Wehave to build the market.”To do that, BCBC hasbudgeted to spend $2 millionthis year, much of it for marketdevelopment. Theexpenditures also includeextensive funding for theberry breeding program andother research initiatives.Etsell stressed the berrybreeding program is critical,noting the industry-standardBluecrop is now 50 years oldand may no longer be theright variety for today’sclimactic conditions or marketdemands.While the breedingprogram looks for new andbetter varieties and otherresearchers look for solutionsto pest and disease pressures,growers should be focusingtheir eorts on food safety.“Food safety is important tous and important to you asgrowers,” Etsell told them.Blueberry growers hope to cash in on Chinese marketJason SmithLuis ChadwickThere’s work to be done, so use that foot-pedal control and smooth Continuously Variable Transmission. Make those tight turns, grab that bale, load that tall spreader and weigh the bucket as you go. Take advantage of the best cab visibility there is. Grab it, scoop it, load it, spread it, do it.Get more done every day in the new 500 from Fendt.Fendt® is a worldwide brand of AGCO.© 2015 AGCO Corporation. AGCO is a registered trademark of AGCO. All rights reserved. AGCO, 4205 River Green Parkway, Duluth, GA 30096. FT15N014STfendt.com/usAll in a day’s work.ABBOTSFORD 1.888.283.3276KELOWNA 1.800.680.0233VERNON 1.800.551.6411www.avenuemachinery.ca
0000.000.000aNteertS0000CAR THTMIS moc.etsireleademaNnwToemaROTC 8Country Life in BC • July 2016HANDLERS EQUIPMENT39451 No. 3 Rd. Abbotsford604-850-3601 | handlersequipment.comAURORA TRUCK CENTRE2206 Nadina Ave. Houston250-845-7600 auroratruckcentre.comTRACTOR TIME4377 Metchosin Rd. Victoria250-929-2145 | tractortime.com Celebrating 25 years of business!Call Joel for cash & finance price options604.850.3601 Ext. 225PUSH MORE. PULL MORE. LIFT MORE.SAVE MOREWITH OUR PACKAGE PRICING!2016 Mahindra 1526 Built by Mitsubishi in Japan. • 3-cyl Mitsubishi diesel, 4X4, 26 HP, 8F/8R Shuttle shift OR 3-range hydro-static transmission. • Cat 1 3-point hitch with 2,646 lbs lifting capacity. Independent 540 PTO.• KMW (USA built) 1526L Loader with a lifting capacity of 1,560lbs. • 60" bucket set up with skid steer quick release.• Included in the package are two Mahindra branded implements built by Bercomac, right here in Canada!• Includes 1 set of front skid steer style pallet forks, and 1 rear 6' angle blade* Total cash price for our package special:$21,900 (Shuttle shift transmission) | $22,900 (HST transmission)*Other desired implements can be swapped out depending on price*
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 9BC agri-food exports outpace forestry, resourcesHay shipments to Asia are raising questionsby PETER MITHAMVERNON – BC has worked hard inrecent years to cultivate strong tradingrelationships with Asia; successive trademissions have promoted the provinceas a lush source of fresh, naturalproducts, opening doors for shipmentsof cherries, blueberries and hay.Rapid industrialization in China anddevelopment of farm land, as well assevere drought on the Koreanpeninsula, have supported the salespitch. While cherries appeal to theluxury market, a wide variety of agri-food products have supported a boomin exports that have made agriculture alucrative sector of the province’seconomy.The province exported more than $3billion worth of agricultural goods in2014, representing about 20% of theprovince’s total agri-food sales. Thevalue of the exports is even greaterthan what farmers across the provincesee in farmgate revenues.It’s big business, and set to getbigger.The latest report from ExportDevelopment Canada (EDC) forecaststhat growth in BC agri-food exports willexceed those of the forest and resourcesectors in 2016 for the second straightyear in a row.While the forecast of 6% growth lagsthe 17.8% growth logged in 2015, thetwo-year run is an achievement for asector that accounts for just 10.7% ofthe province’s exports.EDC credits a weaker loonie andstrong harvests in the BC Interior forthe greater shipments, which havelargely owed to the drought-struckUS.However, eorts in Asia have alsohelped, with signicant investment byChinese rms in forage processing andproduction in places like Vanderhoofand Terrace.TopHay Agri-Industries Inc. bought10,000 acres of property nearVanderhoof in 2012 with a view toexporting up to 100,000 tonnes of hayto serve Asia’s livestock. More recently, in late 2014, TaishengInternational Investment Services Inc.of Burnaby bought 1,187 acres of landin Terrace to establish an alfalfaprocessing plant. Taisheng, a subsidiaryof China’s Qinhuangdao Economic andTechnological Development Zone, paid$11.8 million for the property, which iscurrently under development.But such projects aren’t withoutcritics.While the province is increasingmanagement of local water resources,the export of forage is seen in otherjurisdictions as a kind of water export.Drought conditions in central Chinahave left livestock producers thereshort on feed but some questionwhether tapping in to vulnerableregions in North America is a solution.Since 2009, hay exports to Chinahave steadily increased.“A hundred billion gallons of waterper year is being exported in the formof alfalfa from California,” RobertGlennon, a professor at the ArizonaCollege of Law, told BBC in 2014. “It’senough for a year’s supply for a millionfamilies – it’s a lot of water, particularlywhen you’re looking at the dreadfuldrought throughout the southwest.”Hay shipments have been solucrative that local supplies are beyondthe reach of many California dairyfarmers and cattle ranchers. Meanwhile,shipping costs to China are less than toin-state customers, adding furtherinsult to injury.The scenario will sound familiar toBC ranchers, some of whom foundthemselves high and dry last summeras restrictions on irrigation kicked inand hay prices topped $10 a bale, upfrom $7 in 2014. Rather than paypremium feed costs, some ranchers cutback their herds. This allowed them totake advantage of strong beef prices,but at the cost of a smaller herd goinginto the current season.While tighter controls on water usestand to complicate production in thefuture, discussions in Canada have yetto take the turn they have in the US.Water bottlers have taken theprimary heat when it comes toextractions from aquifers. Growingdemand from China and increases inproduction to take advantage of exportmarkets in areas of the world evenharder hit by drought than BC couldchange the discussion if local farmerscan’t get the feed they need.The latest report from the USDrought Portal notes “surface wateracross Alberta, Canada has beendescribed as ‘non-existent,’” a factunderscored by the devastatingwildres around Fort McMurray.While exports are appealing,domestic food security may well turnattention to opportunities closer tohome in the coming years.Eligibility Requirements• Schedule 2 Highways, Schedule 1 Highways, and Railway Corridors.Secondary (sideroad) paved routes may also be considered.• Must be a livestock producer.• Fence must be part of an existing fencing system to contain livestock.Application forms available at:http://www.cattlemen.bc.ca/fencing.htmCall TOLL FREE 1.866.398.2848 to have an application mailed to you.Application DeadlineAugust 31, 2016 for consideration for the 2017 construction year.NOW accepting applications for theProvincial Livestock Fencing Programalong travel corridorsProvincial Livestock Fencing ProgramAsian corporations are buying up hay land in BC’s central interior and exportingtheir crops overseas. 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Country Life in BC • July 201610Antoni Podszywalow’s falcon service is so eective, itoften ends the need for his presence in Fraser Valleyblueberry elds. (Ronda Payne photo)Blueberry growers treated to informative field dayNo excuse not to!EEEEEEmmmmmmmpppppttttttyyyyyyyy PPPPPPPPeeeeeeeessssttttttttiiiiiiiiccccciiiiidddddeeeeeee CCCCCoooooonnnnnnttttaaaaiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrr RRRReeeeccccyyyyyyyyyyyyccccccllliiiinnnnggggggggggg PPPrroooogggrraaaammm>>>>>>>#1Only rinsed containers can be recycled #2Helps keep collection sites clean#3Use all the chemicals you purchase #4Keeps collection sites safe for workers#5Maintain your farm’s good reputation FFFFFFooooorrrrrr mmmmmooooooorrrrrrrreeeee iiiiinnnnnffffffooooorrrrrrrrmmmmmmaaaaaatttttttiiiiiiiioooooonnnnnnn oooooorrrrr ttttoooo fifififififinnnnnnnddddd aaaaa ccccccoooooollllllllleeeeccccccttttttiiiooooonnnnnn ssssiiitttteee nnnnnneeeeaaaaaaaaaarrrrr yyyyyyoooouuuuuu vvviiiissssiiiiiitttcccllleeeaannfffaaarrmmmmmmss..ccaattt{{{{{{{Now, take your empty fertilizer containers along for the ride!by RONDA PAYNEAGASSIZ – A blueberry field day held in Agassizat the end of May was well attended despite thedownpour partway through the afternoon. Theevent was diverse, providing growers withinformation on new varieties, creative ways tomanage starlings, soil sampling, soil probes andeverything in-between. Joyce Boye, the new director of the AgassizResearch and Development Centre, spoke aboutthe budget approval for four new researchscientists at the centre as well as a dedication toblueberry growers. “I expect in the coming weeks and months, wewill reach out to you to work on development ofthe blueberry sector,” she said. Antoni Podszywalow of Sky Guard Falconry led apresentation on starling control, using two raptors.Podszywalow’s falcons service about 10 farms.The process of deterring starlings is busy at thestart but is extremely effective. Using falcons forcontrol often ends the need for Podszywalow’sservices, it’s that successful. “We work seven days a week, from sunrise tosunset usually,” Podszywalow told growers.“[Falcons] don’t kill starlings but the starlings don’tknow that.”His birds can be trained to hunt anything,including starlings, crows and even seagulls. Because many blueberry growers at the field dayare within the City of Abbotsford, Gerv Brar, anAbbotsford bylaw officer, spoke about the movetoward enforcement this year when it comes tobird cannons. “We understand the need,” Brar assured growers.“The bylaw was set up in a very fair manner.”He noted there needs to be balance thatrespects both farmers and residents. There is nocost for cannon licencing in Abbotsford, unlikeother municipalities, but while the 2015 season wasabout education, this year will see enforcementbegin if sound deterrents are used inappropriately.“If there’s no bird pressure, there should be noauditory bird scare device going off in the field,”Brar said. “Last year, we saw a serious lack of peoplekeeping records. You must be able to show there ispressure and the crop is in danger.”Variety researchBerry research scientists Michael Dossett and EricGerbrandt spoke about their individual projects tobring more varieties to growers. Dossett focused on varieties at the event. “Last year’s crosses went into the ground thisspring,” he said. “It takes a few years to get plantsready for trials.”Varieties currently being trialed are lookingpromising, he noted, and are significantly firmerthan Draper. Gerbrandt discussed the new genetics varietytrials. Five new varieties were presented but thesehad only been planted for about 10 months. Theywere sourced from Fall Creek Farm and Nursery inOregon.“What I’m presenting today is very, very earlywork,” Gerbrandt cautioned. Cargo is a cross between Bluegold and OzarkBlue. While Gerbrandt noted the plant has thedanger of over-cropping and a susceptibility toPlease see “RIGHT” page 11
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 11shock, it grows vigorously, isexpected to be cold hardyand may do well withadequate pruning.Last Call is a cross of OzarkBlue and Elliot.“In comparison to Elliot, it’sfirmer, larger and bettertasting,” Gerbrandt said. “Ifthis proves true, it could beexciting.”Overcropping dangerAs its name implies, LastCall is a late season berry forthe fresh market that growsvigorously, upright but alsohas a danger of over-cropping.Top Shelf is a cross ofMagnolia and Draper. “I don’t know anyoneplanting this up here,” notedGerbrandt. “There may besome issues. It might not staydormant in the winter.”Toro and what hedescribed as “another lesserknown” variety are theparents of Blue Ribbon whichis a mid-season variety withgood fruit quality. However,the drawbacks are significant.The branches are nearlyhorizontal and there is aconcern with its ability toadapt to BC’s climate.“It’s worse than Reka,”Gerbrandt said of thehorizontal branches. Clockwork is a cross ofReka and a numbered varietymeant for machine harvest. “They’re selling it based onharvesting in one or twopasses,” Gerbrandt noted.“We’ve got these in the fieldin 11 different locations in theFraser Valley.”Having the right toolsSenior soil researchspecialist Dennis Haak toldgrowers the reason for soilsampling is to measure pHand nutrients accurately. Inorder to do so, Haak advisedinvesting in a soil core tool.“The advantage of usingthis,” he said as he held upthe stainless steel rod, “it’svery, very narrow.”Labs require just a cup ortwo of soil and the berryguide recommends 10 to 20core samples. Haak said thattaking cores should be donein the spring from betweentwo mature bushes. Mixingthe samples togetherthoroughly then taking asingle sample from the blendwill generate the best results.“Try to get [the coresampler] in the root zonebelow the blueberries andbelow the drip line,” he said.“Things like pH can varysignificantly between thesurface and a few inchesdown.”Haak is still working on anitrogen management trialand has added two newprojects: nitrogen andpruning management andelectromagnetic (EM38) soilmapping. “I’m hoping to get up to 20farmers interested inparticipating,” he said of theEM38 study.Mike Boot of Engage Agrospoke about the variety ofsoil probes and techniques.He explained the toolsavailable range from thosethat are more of a guessinggame to ones that are quitesophisticated. “At these kinds of events,you hear growers ask, ‘Howlong do you irrigate?’ but noquestion of how old are theplants or the type of soil,” hesaid. Knowing the soil will helpto understand theevapotranspiration(evaporation from the soil)rate to have a starting level ofwater need. Regardless of the type ofprobe chosen, Boot explainssomething with at least 18”depth is the best choice. Healso explained probes thatmeasure soil moisture onlyaren’t telling the whole story. “It’ll tell you there’smoisture there, but not if theplant can get at it,” he said. The tools that measure soiltension – or how hard theplant is working to get at themoisture – deliver a morecomplete picture. Variety researchResearcher Martine Dorais,a scientist in crop physiologyhas been involved in anumber of studies including areview of different irrigationmethods and different ratesof nitrogen as part of anational study; factorsaffecting flower budinitiation; silicon for blueberrycrop resistance; sustainableproduction systems forhighbush blueberry growingand blueberry research aspart of the national small fruitstudy. “There are several activitieshappening within that,”added Thom Forge of theAgassiz Research andDevelopment Centre. Plant studies to analyzeplant health and cropprotection include looking atbotrytis and stunt disease.The latter is not a PacificCoast issue but the study isdesigned to prevent itsarrival. Early seasonBC Blueberry CouncilRIGHT TOOLS From page 10executive director DebbieEtsell spoke about theindustry as a whole andprovided updates, specificallyon the anticipated earlyseason. “That blue wave or thatblue mountain that youheard about – we’re going tobe harvesting at thebeginning of the season,” shenoted. Fortunately, promotionalprograms have bumped toline up with an early harvestand there is work underwayto get early berries to China. “Everybody’s watching usfor the China and SouthKorea markets,” she said. “It’sa lot of protocols; there’s a lotof work in the fields. Thereare more restrictions on thepackaging process as well.”Etsell also noted the foodsafety program does not yethave a date for when thefunding aspect will resume.Food safetyJoe Lariviere of CanadaGAP spoke about theprogram to promote GoodAgricultural Practices (GAPs)for fruit and vegetablesuppliers.The organization is alwayslooking for ways to makethings easier for growers. “There’s misinterpretation,no matter how we simplify,”Lariviere said. “Getting yourhead around the language isone of the biggest hurdles.Canada GAP was developedby farmers for farmers, so it’sa bottom-up design.”Canada GAP is acertification option forgrowers and may be the onespecified by their buyers. “We’ll never eliminate therisks but if you can showyou’re managing it, it will goa long way,” Lariviere said.“Produce is now the numberone source of food-borneillness outbreaks in NorthAmerica.”To become certified byCanada GAP, Lariviereoutlined the following basicsteps:1. Get the Canada GAP FoodSafety manuals from thewebsite[www.canadagap.ca]2. Work through each of the24 manual sections thatapplies “The glossary is key tounderstanding,” he said.“[Certification] needs threemonths of records. You’re notalone. There’s help out there,but it takes time.”Joyce BoyeSERVICE ANYWHERE!FREE ESTIMATES CALL 604-530-2412www.superiorpaving.caMENTION THIS AD FOR SPECIAL DISCOUNT!Replacing gravel or dirt and repaving withasphalt invari ably guarantees a healthy increase in your farm’s value, now and intothe future. We have the men and equipmentto do the job right the first time. We own our own asphalt plant and we’vebeen paving BC for nearly 40 years! Paving the way to 100% customer satisfaction!“Serving British Columbia proudly since 1946”MachineryLimitedROLLINSRCHILLIWACK • 1.800.242.9737 | 44725 Yale Road West • 604.792.1301LANGLEY • 1.800.665.9060 | 21869 - 56th Avenue • 604.533.00480% FINANCING OR CHOOSE CASH BACK!Being ready for tomorrow starts today. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 13Can the legislaturebe turned into abeehive of activity?by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – BC Ministerof Agriculture Norm Letnickand Surrey-Cloverdale MLAStephanie Cadieux dropped into the Honeybee Centre inSurrey to proclaim May 29 asthe Day of the Honeybee.Noting “honeybees pay acentral role in BC agriculture,”Letnick said governmenthopes to increase awarenessof the importance ofpollinators. “Bee habitat and health iskey to our food supply,” hesaid.More bee forage plantsGovernment initiativesinclude putting hives ongovernment buildingsthroughout the province. Thatcould include the legislaturebuilding, literally turning itinto a beehive of activity. Italso intends to work withstakeholders to promote theinclusion of bee friendly plantsat farms, and increase thesales and public planting ofbee forage plants.The Honeybee Centre hastaken a rst step with itsCommunity Bee GardenProject which has createdprototype bee gardens at veSurrey sites, including theHoneybee Centre. Eachgarden includes bee foliage,two honeybee hives andbumblebee and mason beenests.“We hope to have 100 hivesin Surrey within ve years,”said Honeybee Centreoperations manager LeanneBuhler.Honeybee Centre ownerJohn Gibeau is one of over2,400 BC beekeepers whotogether manage almost47,000 colonies of bees.Through pollination,honeybees help to generate$250 million in eld crops and$220 million in greenhousecrops.Owns and rents hivesGibeau maintains 1,400 ofhis own hives and rentsanother 6,000 hives fromAlberta which he puts in localblueberry, cranberry andraspberry elds. Blueberrypollination is complete bymid-May, raspberry pollinationcontinues until early Junewhile cranberry pollinationoccurs from early June to mid-July.Once the bees have donetheir job in BC, they areshipped back to northernAlberta to pollinate clover.The Honeybee Centre notonly sells the locally-producedhoney but also buckwheathoney from Manitoba, orangeblossom honey from Californiaand even manuka honey fromNew Zealand.“We sell about 20 types ofhoney including eight mybees produce,” Gibeau says.Beekeepers seem to begetting a handle on the varroamite and colony collapsedisorder, and Gibeau says thelong warm winter and earlyspring mean his bees “havenever done better.”“Day of the Honeybee” hopes toraise awareness; gov’t will beginputting hives on government buildingsBC Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick, left, and Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Stephanie Cadieux, right,were at the Honeybee Centre in Surrey to proclaim the Day of the Honeybee, May 29. Joining them infront of their demonstration bee garden were Honeybee Centre manager Leanne Buhler and ownerJohn Gibeau. (David Schmidt photo)www.AgSafeBC.caROPS& SEAT BELTSSAVELIVES!www.tjequipmentllc.com360-815-1597LYNDEN, WAALL PRICES IN US FUNDSARTEX CH-4-02DRY MANURE SPREADER, 18 FT,TANDEM AXLE $18,000LOEWEN 3600 LIQUID MANURE TANKTANDEM AXLE, 28L-26 TIRES $15,0002003 NEW HOLLAND BB960ABIG SQUARE BALER, 964 HOURS,37,286 BALES $27,500BODCO 7200 LIQUID MANURE TANKTRIPLE AXLE, 28L-26 TIRES$29,000The Society seeks nominations of producers, processors, BC Dairy Pioneers,supporters of the BC Dairy industry, writersor other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the BC DairyIndustry. To nominate a worthy individual,submit a short summary of your nominee’scontributions to the industry. E-mail to curator@bcdairyhistory.caor mail to BCDHS c/o Mike Yusko, 52705Parkrose Wynd, Rosedale, BC V0X 1X1.Nominations close at noon, Friday, October 14, 2016. The selection of the award recipient willbe made by the BC Dairy Historical Society.The award will be presented to the recipientat the BC Dairy Conference Gala Banquet, December 1, 2016. BC DairyHISTORICAL SOCIETYSEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR THE2016 BC DAIRY INDUSTRYACHIEVEMENT AWARDwww.oyfbc.com2017 OutstandingBC AND YUKON REGIONYOUNG FARMERNow accepting nominations!Do you know an OUTSTANDINGyoung farmer between the agesof 19 and 39 who derives two thirdsof his or her incomefrom their farming operation?We want to know about them!Nominate them NOW to be eligible to compete as one of BC’s OUTSTANDING YOUNG FARMERS in 2017!www.oyfbc.comOutstandingBC AND YUKON REGIONYOUNG FARMER PROGRAMNominee’s Name:Nominee’s Phone Number:Nominated by:Phone Number:MAIL nomination toHEATHER CARRIERE, 36376 STEPHEN LEACOCK DR., ABBOTSFORD, BC V3G 0C2 Email: zamacaconsulting@gmail.com2016 REGIONAL SPONSORS:GOLDFARM CREDIT CANADASILVERCLEARBROOK GRAIN & MILLING CO. LTD.INSUREWEALTHBRONZEBC BROILER HATCHING EGGCOMMISSIONWHOLE FOODS MARKET NATIONAL SPONSORSAGRICULTURE & AGRI-FOOD CANADAANNEX BUSINESS MEDIABAYER CROP SCIENCEBDOCIBCFARM MANAGEMENT CANADAJOHN DEEREMEDIAADFARMCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC2016 OYF winners Brian & Jewel Pauls
Country Life in BC • July 201614by DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – Canada isset to severely restrict the non-therapeutic use of antibioticsin poultry and livestockproduction by the end of2017, says Elanco AnimalHealth regulatory aairsdirector Randy Bagg. Health Canada’s VeterinaryDrugs Directorate (VDD)proposes to disallow the useof antibiotics to improveperformance and requireveterinary oversight fortherapeutic use, he told the BCPoultry Symposium inAbbotsford, May 26.“All labels are to bechanged by the end of 2016,”Bagg stated, noting it willimpact over 160 products withgrowth promotant claims.The Canadian AnimalHealth Institute (CAHI) iscommitted to working withthe VDD to develop newlabels dening terms andduration of use. Even thoughdrugs are nationally regulated,usage may still vary asveterinarians are provinciallyregulated. To make up for the lack ofantibiotics in hatcheries, bothhatcheries and hatching eggproducers need to pay greaterattention to detail, says Cobb-Vantress hatchery specialistBen Green. It starts with theeggs.“If (producers) send us junk,how can we make goodchicks?” he asks.Producers should isolatedirty and oor eggs sohatcheries can handle themseparately since “they’re notgoing to do as well.” Spraying eggs with chlorinedioxide using a low-volatilityelectrostatic sprayer alsohelps, increasing hatchability4.39%. Identifying, thenremoving, eggs with hairlinecracks is another goodstrategy. Green notes Cobbgets an 89.6% hatch fromgood eggs, but only gets aAntibiotic restrictions will impact poultry producers66.4% hatch from crackedeggs. As well, chicks fromgood eggs have a 1%mortality rate in the rst sevendays, while those from crackedeggs have a 5% rate.He also stressed the needfor eggs to be right side upwhen they go into theincubator, claiming 75% ofchicks die if they start upsidedown. DSM Nutritional Productstechnical support managerApril Levy told growers to nolonger rely on the 1994National Research Councilrecommendations whenfeeding chicks as they arebased on old genetics.“Today’s broilers are twiceas ecient and turkeys threetimes as ecient,” she pointsout, noting DSM just updatedits guidelines for optimumVitamin D & E usage. Vitamin D helps preventrickets and TD (tibialdyschondroplasia) andreduces eggshell problemswhile Vitamin E helps immuneresponse under heat stressand improves infectiousbronchitis titers. Levy alsoadvocates adding biotin andzinc to reduce footpad lesionsin turkeys, but admits it won’thelp if litter is too damp.Jones-Hamilton businessdevelopment manager BlakeGibson says litter should bebelow 4.3 pH.“Most litter is 6.5 to 7.5 pH,”he states, saying the higherthe pH the more quicklybacteria will replicate.He notes wood shavingsincrease pathogen loads whilestraw and grass are lessabsorptive. Sand is good buttoo much ends up in the crop. Gibson recommends a 10-20% moisture content butCEVA Sante Animale poultryrange manager Kobus VanHeerden wants it at 25-35% ifgrowers are vaccinating birdsagainst coccidiosis. To beeective, vaccine needs tosporulate on the farm and bereingested up to four times.“Each time it cycles, theimmunity gets better andbetter,” Van Heerden says,saying damper litter (and atemperature of 26 to 36°C)facilitates sporulation.While many growers starttheir birds at one end of thebarn, Van Heerden says theyshould start the birds in anarrow lane along the fulllength of the barn, then widenthe lane as birds age. Thatway, vaccine is spread throughthe whole barn, resulting inmore uniform recycling. The experts not onlyRandy BaggMartin Rishoj JensenSPECIAL REPORT: BC POULTRY SYMPOSIUMCobb-Vantress North American hatchery specialist Ben Green.(David Schmidt photos)See “SPECIAL” page 15 !"#$%&'( !" #$%&)*!#+%,-./0' )*!#+%,-./0'( )*!#+%,-./0' (,1/( -2 &// ,1/( -2 &// (, 3+4Large selection of pipe fittings, ball & gate valvesFloor Chain for all makes of Manure & Silage boxes• 16.5 - 14 ply• 21.5 - 14 ply• 11L15 - 8 ply• 9.5L-15 - 8 ply• 11L-15 - 8 ply• 10.00-15 - 8 ply• 12.5L-15 - 12 ply• 16.5L-16.1 - 14 ply• 21.5L-16.1 - 14 plyPOWER WHEEL & MOTOR FOR TYCROP IRRIGATION REELSSTOCK TIRES FOR SALENew!LOEWEN MACHINES FOR SALE3000 MANURE SPREADER $71,500Dual 750 pumps, large 35.5-32 otation tires, heavy duty 10 stud axle,pre-vac, lights, 3" hose & front mandoor• 18 ft. 100 HP Used Agitator with Lift Cylinder ....................... $3,500• 23 ft. 100 HP Used Manure Agitator .........................................$4,150• 18 ft. 100 HP Used Agitator with Lift Cylinder ....................... $3,900FLOTATION TIRES: INCREASE FLOTATIONRadial Tire replacement 1R22.5 Tires on 10 Stud Wheel $2,600 ea
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 15disagree on the right moisturecontent for litter but the rightamount. Gibson wants litter tobe at least 10-15 cm deep(higher in barns with concreteoors and on second oorsand lower in barns with a soilbase), saying birds use it toregulate their temperature.However, Martin RoshojJensen of Skov A/S suggestsstarting with only 1-5 cm oflitter on a concrete oor,saying a shallow litter allowsexcess moisture to evaporate.“We tried it by accident andit worked,” he says, adding ashallow litter also got rid ofdarkling beetles “becausebirds can dig them out and eatthem.”Jensen suggests a peatmoss litter, saying manyNorthern European poultryfarms now use it. Before thelitter is spread, the oorshould be heated to 30-32°C.Birds should be started at aroom temperature of 34°Cuntil they reach 175 gms. He believes temperature isabsolutely critical, saying birdseat less when they are too hot.Despite that, he told growersnot to skimp on heat, saying itis easier to cool birds whenthey are too hot than to warmthem up when they are toocold.Phibro Animal Healthnutritionist Mike Blair suggestsgrowers consider using Nicarbas a feed additive instead ofvaccinating, calling it a “mostecient” coccidiosis control.Nicarb should be added tostarter feed at 125 ppm and togrower feed at 100 ppm andused until birds are 28-29 daysof age.Blair claims some AmericanABF (antibiotic-free) andorganic farms use Nicarb year-round but one local producersays he is not allowed to use itin his RWA (raised withoutantibiotics) chicken.While some antibiotics maystill be used therapeutically,many products have beencompletely withdrawn. As aresult, says retired BC Ministryof Agriculture poultryveterinarian Dr. Bill Cox, thereis no longer any drug to treatblackheads in turkeys.To avoid them, growersneed to keep the birds ashealthy as possible. Barnsshould be completely cleanedand disinfected betweenocks to eliminatehistamonids and sealed toprevent entry of earthworms, aprimary vector. Concrete oorsshould be higher than theground around them.Cox also discouragesrunning turkey on pasture,particularly if it was previouslyused by chickens.“Birds on pasture are thegreatest risk,” Cox says. Concerns over the use ofantimicrobials in food animalsis driven by fears this will leadto resistance in humans but itis not just people which couldsuer the consequences ofunbridled antibiotic use.“Using antibiotics is aselection process for e coli,”says Zoetis veterinary servicesmanager Babak Sanei. Whilee coli can’t be eliminated inpoultry, only a few arepathogenic. The mostcommon result is cellulitis,now the number one reasonfor condemns in Canada.Salmonella enteritidis (SE) isalso a concern.“SE doesn’t make birds sickbut it will make people sickwhen it’s in their eggs,” saysBC Centre for Disease Controlpublic health veterinarianMelissa McLaws, claiming BChas the highest incidence ofSE in the country. The BCCDCis working with the BCMinistries of Agriculture andHealth and the poultryindustry to develop a strategyto remove poor quality eggsfrom the marketplace. It is alsoadding SE-training to itsFoodSafe program for foodpreparers and handlers. SPECIAL REPORT: BC POULTRY SYMPOSIUMRetired BC Ministry of Agriculture poultry veterinarian Bill Cox, left,receives the second annual BC Excellence in Poultry Service andLeadership Award from Dr. Stu Ritchie of Canadian PoultryConsultants during the BC Poultry Symposium in Abbotsford.Blake GibsonMore Crops. Less Ash.604-864-227334511 VYE ROAD ABBOTSFORDSTORE HOURSMONDAY-FRIDAY, 8-5 SATURDAY 8 TIL 12UNIFARM CW4404 BASKET, 3 PT HITCH TEDDER$3,900NH H7550 MID PIVOT MOWER CONDITIONER13’ CUTTING WIDTH $26,900 CLAAS 3900TC MOWER CONDITIONER, 12.5’ CUTTING WIDTH $29,900MCCORMICK CX105MFD CAB TRACTOR$28,900JD 7450 PRODRIVE SPFH4X4 KP, 10' GRASS PU, 676 6 ROW CORNHEADCALL FOR PRICING.NH 315SMALL SQUARE BALER CALL FOR DETAILSPre-ownedTractors &Equipmentwww.caliberequipment.caSOLD!
Country Life in BC • July 201616No one can underestimatethe importance of bees. Thereare some 25,000 bee speciesin the world and, of the morethan 800 native bee species inCanada, the best known is thelarge black and yellowbumble bee. Bees are considered themost important group in ourinsect menagerie ofpollinators, and theircollective value to thepollination of Canadian cropsis estimated at around $1.2billion a year. But loss of habitat tomonoculture, pesticides,diseases and the loss of nativeowering plants to exoticgardens, lawns and urbandevelopment threaten beepopulations. A decrease inpollinators results indecreased crop yields. Beesalso pollinate wild plants thatproduce fruits, nuts and seeds,foods that birds and bears relyon. Some 20,000 plant species,including major crops, rely onvibrating bees for pollinationservices, a function that onlybees – and certain types ofbees – can full.With pressure to increasefood production and locallygrown foods, beeconservation is a priorityalongside learning how theirunique abilities inuence theenvironment.At the University of Stirlingin Scotland, researchers havediscovered that wild bumblebees are born with the abilityto remove pollen fromnectarless owers using highfrequency vibrations. The study waspublished in theJournal of InsectBehavior and it is therst study to showthat the ability tovibrate owers to extractpollen is an innate behaviourin bumble bees and one thatis rened over time, giving aninsight into their complexpollination skills. “In some of our previouswork with bumble bees, wenoticed that bees obtainedfrom commercial colonieswould quickly start buzz-pollinating owers in ourexperiment,” says Dr. MarioVallejo-Marin, senior lecturer,biological and environmentalsciences. “We found thiscurious as these bees areraised in factories and hadnever experienced a buzz-pollinated ower before. Thisobservation motivated us tolook more closely and try todetermine to what extentbuzz pollination is innate orlearned in bumble bees. WeThe buzz on bumble beesGoodvibrations!Researchersare learninghow bees canextract pollenfromnectarlessowers.(File photo)found that bees indeed areborn with the propensity tobuzz owers.”Dr. Vallejo-Marin says thatbuzzing owers to extractpollen, also called sonication,needs considerable eort onthe part of the bees. Thesonications used to removepollen from specializedowers like tomatoes andother related species canreach frequencies of morethan 300 cycles per second.However, the practice isenergetically expensive. Beesthat learn to sonicate at lowerfrequencies while stillextracting the same amountof pollen are saving energyand, with practice, they canactually tune down theirsonication a few tens of cyclesper second. “We took advantage of thesound produced when thebees y or when they sonicateowers, the audible soundsthat give buzz pollination itsname,” says Vallejo-Marin. “Weused a relatively sensitivemicrophone to register thebees’ buzzes during ight asthey approached the owerand then when sonicatingwhile trying to collect pollen.Then, we analyzed thesesound les in a computerprogram that can dissectthese sonications and collectinformation on theircharacteristics such asamplitude, duration andfrequency. All thesemeasurements were doneunder controlled conditions,which allowed us to observeand record the bees at closerange. In the past, we havealso used lasers that measurethe vibrations produced bythe bees. This techniqueworked through reectinglaser beams onto small piecesof shiny tape attached to theback of the bees, andrecording small changes inthe pattern of reection. Thelaser technique gives a morene measure of thesonications in noisyenvironments, but we havefound that audio recordingscan be very eective whenused in lab conditions.”Bees, he says, arefascinating creatures and thefact that they can buzzpollinate is further evidence oftheir ability to use and renecomplex motor andbehavioural skills. There is still,though, much to learn aboutthe extent to which bumblebees can adjust theirbehaviour while visiting buzz-pollinated owers. “This is important if we areto fully understand thereproductive biology of thethousands of plant speciesthat are buzz pollinated,including major crops such astomatoes, potatoes andeggplants. And, of course,learning about thebehavioural exibility ofbumble bees will help usunderstand how bees copewith changes in theirenvironment.”Vallejo-Marin says thatprevious studies have shownthat bees can learn to identifyspecies with particularlynutritious pollen. But they donot yet know whether beescan selectively adjust theirvibrations to match dierentowers. This will be the focusof more research. Togetherwith researchers at theCollege of the Bahamas, morestudies on buzz pollination areplanned including whetherpesticides aect the bees’complex behaviour.ResearchMARGARET EVANSINVEST IN QUALITY® Abbotsford, BC Armstrong, BC Kamloops, BC Prince George, BCKuhnNorthAmerica.comDRY WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHTGF 102 / GF 1002 SERIES ROTARY TEDDERS• Exclusive DigiDrive® couplers provide low maintenance and long life• Reduce drying time with asymmetrical tines and steep pitch angles• Hydraulic folding for easy transportation between work and field• Multiple options and adjustments allow for tedding in various crop conditions15 models from 8'6" – 56'5" tedding widths • R•G ysh atie wmig tniyre dcude• Rs prelpuco®veirDigi Dvesiulcx E•2 S00F 12 / G0F 1G ip peetd ss anenial ticrtemmyd le ancannetniaw moe ldivoovrs pSERDED TYARTORSEIRE2 S NVIselgh anctiefig lnod lS ®YY®TLIAUN QT ISENV 604-826-32811 BCd,AbbotsforAg-RepairMatsqui• M• H 250-546-3141d BC,mstrongArractor & EquipmentTNoblede" t5'6" – 56'm 8ors fledo5 m1tsujdd as annoipte olpitlu• My tsar eog fnidloic fluardy• H 250-851-3101sKamloops,ractor & EquipmentTNoble250-546-3141 BCractor & Equipmenthtdig wnidarn vg inidder tow fols altnemk anron weewten boitatropsanry t 250-560-5431AmehtroNnhuKsPrince Georarm EquipmentF250-851-3101 BCKamloops,ractor & EquipmentNoblenoitidnp coors cuoiardleid fk an 250-560-5431com.cairAme BC,gePrince Georarm EquipmentHuber
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 17by DAVID SCHMIDTALDERGROVE – All BCvegetable greenhouses relyon technology but someincorporate more technologythan others.“If there’s new technology,I’m interested in it,” saysArmand Vander Meulen ofBakerview Greenhouses inAldergrove.Bakerview was one of fourgreenhouses holding openhouses during the BCGreenhouse GrowersAssociation’s third annual BCVeggie Day, May 21, andVander Meulen used theoccasion to show the publicand his fellow growers hisnew robotic wagon mover. Full load of four tonsBakerview is the rst BCgreenhouse to use a roboticsystem to move peppers fromthe greenhouse to thepacking area. The electricpowered cart attaches to twowagons, each of which holdsfour bins, which in turn eachhold about 500 pounds ofpeppers. A full load, therefore,moves about four tons ofpeppers at a time.“The robotic systemreplaces a man and a forklift,”Vander Meulen explains.Although it doesn’t move asquickly as a forklift, he notes itdoesn’t have to. “It just has togo fast enough to get the fullbins to the packing area andbring them back emptybefore the next bins havebeen lled and it’s able to dothat even if the bins are at thefar end of the greenhouse.” Bakerview grows red,yellow and orange bellpeppers (“We focus on onlyone product and try to do itwell,” Vander Meulen states)and picks ve days a weekduring the season. It takes aweek to pick the entire 21-acre greenhouse.The electric-powered cartfollows a guidewire inset intothe concrete pathways.Sensors at the front of the cartnot only sense the guidewirebut any obstacles which maybe in its path.Expansion comingCurrently, the pickedpeppers are shipped toVander Meulen’s othergreenhouse in Abbotsfordwhere they are graded andpacked for retail sale.However, Vander Meulen hasalready put guidewire in placefor a new grading andpacking shed he plans tobuild when the Aldergrovegreenhouse is expanded inthe near future.While WorkSafeBC isBC Veggie Day highlights hi-tech applicationsconcerned about picking cartsafety in many BC vegetablegreenhouses, that is not anissue at Bakerview. That’sbecause Vander Meulen’sfour-year-old greenhouseuses the latest Dutch pickingcarts. The carts have a railenclosure for the picker whichnot only prevents the pickerfrom falling out of the cart butalso provides something tolean on to reduce fatigue. Theheating pipes which act asrails for the carts, have beenreinforced to avoid thewobble found in some olderhouses.“Once a year, we gothrough the entiregreenhouse and adjust thestands as necessary to makesure the rails remaincompletely level and wobble-free,” he says.Top, Armand Vandermeulen ofBakerview Greenhouses inAldergrove shows o his newrobotic cart mover during BCVeggie Day. In each run, theelectric-powered cart will moveup to 8,000 pounds of peppersin eight wagons from thegreenhouse to the packing shed.Bottom, Vandermeulen displaysthe modern picking carts.WorkSafeBC has been targetingunsafe picking carts. These saferand more ergonomic cartsdenitely pass muster. (DavidSchmidt photos)Climate Calculators on Farmwest• Ammonia Loss from Manure • Growing Degree Days• Corn Heat Units • Pest Degree Days (codling moth & other insects)• Evapotranspiration • T-SumVisit Farmwest to view photos of PFCA’s current project:Strategies to Improve Forage Yield & Quality while Adapating to Climate ChangeEVERY PURCHASE COMES WITH A FREE PTO PUMP1-888-675-7999www.watertecna.comMODEL 9300TURBINE DRIVESPRINKLER | INLET HOSEDIGITAL TACH$24,800MODEL 100/400TURBINE DRIVESPRINKLER | INLET HOSEDIGITAL TACH$29,400MODEL 110/400TURBINE DRIVESPRINKLER | INLET HOSEDIGITAL TACH$35,490SUMMER SAVINGS ON REELS*GET REEL THIS SUMMER!PROVINCE WIDE DELIVERYMANUFACTURED BY
Country Life in BC • July 201618by PETER MITHAMVANCOUVER – Summertrac at BC’s farmers’ marketsis picking up, countering arecent survey the University ofGuleph’s Food Instituteconducted indicatingconsumers are lowering theirconsumption of freshproduce.The survey garneredresponses from more than1,000 people in mid-May andaimed to determine if risingproduce prices wereprompting consumers tochange what they buy.A majority of surveyrespondents – 66.9% – toldresearchers that higher priceshad prompted them to notbuy at least one produce itemin the previous 12 months;26.7% of respondents saidthey had reduced produceconsumption.Brassicae crops wereamong those consumers weremost likely to not purchase –cauliower and much-maligned broccoli. Cauliowerwas the poster-crop for thehike in produce prices thiswinter, costing as much as $8a head in some areas assupplies of fresh produce hittheir lowest levels in 30 years.When asked if frozenvegetables had become amore favourable option,45.3% of survey respondentsagreed.“Overall, this study tells usthat we’re very vulnerable,”says Lianne Foti, an assistantprofessor in Guelph’s Collegeof Business and Economics,who worked on the study withlead author Sylvain Charleboisand Maggie McCormick, bothof the university’s FoodInstitute.However, she says the moreinformed consumers were, theless likely they were to reduceproduce consumption.“Consumers [made] morerational choices when theywere informed of what themarket prices of an item was.Because there’s a lot of hype,”Foti says. “When we looked atselective avoidance ofcauliower … it wasinteresting; 81% of those thatsaid they do not use yers ortechnology were avoidingcauliower. We did not seethat with those that did useinformation.”But on the West Coast,where price spikes receivedshort-term hype in the mediabefore settling down to amore normal range for theduration of the winter,consumer habits don’t seemFresh produce loses its lustre as prices surgeto have shifted much.Trac at farmers’ marketsin Vancouver is holding steadyas the 2016 season progressesand vendors such as JohnJobst informed patrons inadvance that he had no plansto increase prices.“We have all heard aboutthe increasing cost ofproduce, especially that whichis being imported fromCalifornia,” he told customersvia e-mail. “We are pleased tosay that we intend on keepingour fruit prices the same thisyear as they have been for thepast number of years.”This was the stance takenby Harvie Snow of SnowFarms in Delta, who toldCountry Life in BC this pastwinter that local producerswould do more for theirbusiness by holding pricessteady in order to competewith more expensiveimported product.“We intend to maintain thelong-term relationships withour customers and we want tobe fair about it,” he said,countering the suggestion ofprice-taking. “It’s goodbusiness if you can oer yourcustomers a good deal.”Foti admits the possibilityof regional variation in buyinghabits, but the study didn’taddress the issue.However, the majority ofsurvey respondents – 73.2% –shopped for fruits andvegetables at big-box stores,while just 8.7% shopped atfarmers’ markets.While it wasn’t assessed inthe study, the greateroverhead inherent in theoperation of big-box storesmay have contributed to thehigher price of many produceitems. Indeed, a Country Life inBC scan of simple greens, suchas scallions, showed a widevariation in pricing, from $1.49to $1.99 a bunch, with toppricing occurring in popularsupermarket chains.Foti says the study is aninitial attempt to discover howpricing aects consumerbehaviour and may helpresearchers understand howconsumers can beencouraged to make goodnutritional choices even whenfood prices rise.“There hasn’t been a studyyet that has honed in on thisyet in a developed country,”she says of the base study.“Something we would want todo next step is take a look athow behaviour diersregionally across Canada.”Some BC growers are resisting the urge to take advantage of increased prices for importedproduce, maintaining it is better in the long run to establish loyalty for locally-grown food. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 19by EMILY BULMERPRINCE GEORGE – ChristineKinney, co-ordinator of theBeyond the Market project inPrince George, is patientlywaiting to find out if a$330,000 funding proposal tothe Ministry of Agriculturewill be approved. Theproposal, submitted inAugust of last year, is toexpand the successfulBeyond the Market programfrom its current northernfocus to include the wholeprovince. Beyond the Market is aneconomic developmentproject created to supportand promote business skillsand long term sustainabilityfor the agriculture sector inthe north. Funded through apartnership between theOmenica Beatle ActionCoalition (OBAC), the regionaldistricts of Kitimat Stikine,Bulkley Nechako and FraserFort George, and the Districtof Fort St James, the popularprogram has sparked interestall across BC. “There is quite a demandfrom all over the province,”says Kinney. “Othermunicipalities and regionaldistricts contact us to find outwhat we are delivering andhow we do it.”Directory listing“We deliver a minimum offour workshops in sixcommunities per year, plus anetworking event,” sheexplains. “We also have adirectory listing over 100farms in the region, which isused often by otherbusinesses that want tosource local produce. I getlots of calls from localrestaurants for local produceand I can direct them to thatwebsite.” Kinney says Beyond theMarket has become a ‘go to’place for producers in theregion. “We are a central hub forBeyond the Market has plans for expansionNorthern initiative has become a central hub of information for local farmersinformation. Anybody that isin the agrifood industry –producing or processing food– can come to us, and even ifI don’t have the answer... (Ican) help them access otherservices. We also have anongoing blog. Every time wehave a facilitator deliver aworkshop, we get them towrite a blog so thatinformation is also availableonline.” WorkshopsSome of the workshops inthe 2015/2016 seasonincluded an AgrifoodProcessors Business Planningworkshop, a full costaccounting workshopentitled ‘The Cost of a DozenEggs,’ and a workshopspecific to keeping sheep. The goals of the programare to increase the number ofnew farmers across theprovince, increase theviability and capacity ofexisting farms (especiallythose in start-up and earlygrowth phases), to improvethe succession oflongstanding farms to thenext generation and toestablish sound agri-businessmanagement practices thatwill result in job creation. Kinney states the modelworks so well because it isgrassroots. “We are delivering right inthe communities. We go rightto Burns Lake or Dunster orFort St James. The problemreally is access to training andinformation.” She explains there is aneed for in-person delivery asmany rural producers do nothave access to high speedinternet and other resourcesmore easily accessible inbigger centres.To ensure theirprogramming is on point,Beyond the Market seeks thefeedback of the end usergroup. Asking what they need“We have a steeringcommittee which is made upof members of the(agriculture) community andthey tell us what they want.People who sit on oursteering committees are fromProfessionalServicesView over 100 listings of farm properties atwww.bcfarmandranch.comBC FARM & RANCHREALTY CORP.Buying or Selling a Farm or Acreage?GORD HOUWELINGCell: 604/793-8660GREG WALTONCell: 604/864-1610Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI (2474)Call BC’s First and OnlyReal Estate Office commited 100% to Agriculture!Helping industry build & implement practical & sustainable programs & publications To see past projects and potential scope of services visit www.qfirst.ca Ph: 604-309-3509 E: qfirst@telus.net For more information or to pursue an idea contact: Annette Moore B.Sc.(Agr), M.Sc., P.Ag. Quality First in Agriculture Inc. Jack Reams P.Ag. Agri-Consultingv BC Farm Business Advisory Services Consultantv Farm Debt Mediation Consultantv Organic Consultant & Inspectorv Meat Labeling ConsultantPhone: 604-858-1715 Cell: 604-302-4033Fax: 604-858-9815 email: marlene.reams@gmail.comCONFIDENTIALITY GUARANTEEDDustinStadnykCPA, CAChrisHendersonCPA, CANathalieMerrillCPA, CMATOLL FREE 1-888-818-FARM | www.farmtax.caExpert farm taxation advice:• Purchase and sale of farms• Transfer of farms to children• Government subsidy programs• Preparation of farm tax returns• Use of $1,000,000 Capital Gains ExemptionsApproved consultants for Government funding through BC Farm Business Advisory Services ProgramARMSTRONG 250-546-8665 | LUMBY 250-547-2118 | ENDERBY 250-838-7337www.agri-jobs.ca | Phone: 604-823-6222 | Email: info@agri-labour pool.comWe do the work for you! Agri-jobs.caOur business is helping your business GROW, since 1974.Connecting employers with the right employee!Contact us to nd out how we can fill your position:Looking for HELP on your farm?www.agri-jobs.ca | Phone 604-823-6222 | Email info@agri-jobs.cawww.AgSafeBC.cawww.AgSafeBC.cawww.AgSafeBC.caWORKERSAFETYSHOULD BEYOURTOP PRIORITY Christine Kinneythe regional districts and themunicipalities, as well as theMinistry of Agriculture. [Ourprogramming] is based onthe feedback from thecommunities. We are verypractically asking what theyneed and delivering it.” In the north, Beyond theMarket is partnered withCommunity FuturesDevelopment Corporation ofFraser Fort George, whichprovides office space,administrative support andother in-kind services. Theproposal is structured suchthat different communityorganizations across theprovince could bid on thefunds to deliver the service, iffunds become available. One last year of fundingKinney is hopeful theproposal will be approved,explaining the currentprogram was supposed to bewrapped up in March 2016,but received one last year offunding. “We’ve been told that nonews is good news... we’vemet with MLAs and MPs anddone a lot of advocacy. Iunderstand that the RegionalDistrict of Fraser Fort Georgewill be bringing support forthe agriculture sector up atthe upcoming Union of BCMunicipalities meeting aswell.” In the meantime, Kinney isbusy setting up this year’s setof workshops and workinghard to update the currentnetwork of northernproducers.
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Country Life in BC • July 201622ONE, TWO & THREE YEARSUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE. See our ad on page 38 for rates!It’s your business.And you need to keep up date on the news andevents that affect you and your farm operation.It’s what we have been doing for almost a century!Subscribetoday!COUNTRYLifein BCThe Agricultural News Source inBritish Columbia since 1915by DAVID SCHMIDTALDERGROVE – With a newgas bar and bulk petroleumplant in Chilliwack andadditional gas bars poppingup throughout the Fraser andOkanagan Valleys, gascontinues to drive up sales atthe Otter Farm & Home Co-op.Bulk petroleum sales wereup $1.9 million while gas barsales increased $8.9 million,bringing petroleum sales upto over $127 million andraising Otter’s total sales tojust under $200 million.This is an 8.5% increaseover 2014 and marks Otter’ssixth straight year of recordsales, president Larry Jantzenand general manager JackNicholson told members attheir 94th annual meeting inAldergrove, May 25.“In today’s economicturbulence, Otter is stable andcontinues to grow,” Nicholson said. Petro sales continue to drive profits for co-opFeed department shows increasing profitability as wellThe Otter Farm & Home Co-op board of directors face their members as they prepare to take theiroath of oce during their annual meeting in Aldergrove, May 25. The directors, from left to right areAngie McDougall, Martin Power, Dick Mayer, Susan Dodd, Janice McWilliams, Darwin Osarchuk, LarryJantzen and Maria Pucek. Administering the oath is Federated Co-ops District 4 director DougPotentier (at the podium). (David Schmidt photo)He credited Otter’s “team”of dedicated directors,management, employees andmembers, calling themresponsible for keeping Ottera “growing, diverse and viablebusiness.”That team includes almost4,600 new members andmany long-term employees. Infact, Otter used the AGM torecognize one 50-year, one45-year and one 40-yearemployee.Although Otter posted asmall loss from its operations,CALL FOR AN ESTIMATELARRY604.209.5523TROY604.209.5524 TRI-WAYFARMSLASER LEVELLING LTD.IMPROVEDDRAINAGEUNIFORMGERMINATIONUNIFORMIRRIGATIONFAST,ACCURATESURVEYINGINCREASECROPYIELDS We service all ofSouthern BCCASE IH TM200FIELD CULTIVATOR, 26.5’ WW,REAR HYD HITCH KIT $39,950JOHN DEERE 512 DISK RIPPER7 SHANKS, OFFSET DISKS, CLEANUNIT $22,500GENIE 842 TELEHANDLERPALLET FORKS, 1610 HOURS$49,500’06 KRONE BIGX 650 CHOPPERMOTOR: 2100 HRS; CUTTER HEAD:1700 HR, CROP PROC $99,95006 NH TM1554WD, AC, HEAT, 850TL SELF LEVELINGLDR, 5200 HRS $59,950AGWAY BF50003PT ROUND BALE FEEDER$9,950CASE IH CAMO SCOUT, 4X4, MUDTIRES, RECEIVER KIT, WIND-SHIELD/CANOPY $13,750FarmersEquip.com888-855-4981LYNDEN, WAPRICES IN US DOLLARS#21925$13,750$13,750#27178$99,950#22791 $59,950$59,950#19329$9,950$9,950#22558$39,950$39,950#22535$22,500$22,500#15525$49,500$49,500$99,950it was attributed to a one-timeexpenditure of over $1 millionto top up the Co-op’s pensionplan. The loss was more thanoset by over $5 million inpatronage dividends fromFederated Co-operatives. As aresult, Otter was able todonate almost $250,000 to4-H and other organizations inthe communities it serves andissue over $4 million inpatronage dividends to itsmembers.Although petroleumdominated the nancialstatements, Otter has notgiven up its agricultural roots.Jantzen noted Otter hasadded a new pellet mill inAldergrove while Nicholsonreported feed division saleswere over $3 million higher in2015 than the year previousand now exceed $42 million.He called it “a fantastic yearfor our feed division despitethe increase in costs due tothe lower Canadian dollar aswell as issues experiencedthroughout the year with railand transportation ofingredients” to its mills inAldergrove and Armstrong.The meeting bid a fondfarewell to former presidentDorothy Anderson, whoreached the end of her threethree-year terms on the board.She was replaced by DarwinOsarchuk, who brings withhim 25 years of experience asgeneral manager of TrevDeeley Motorcycles. AngieMcDougall and Maria Pucek,who each completed their rstthree-year term, were re-elected while JD FarmsSpecialty Poultry ocemanager Janice McWilliamswas chosen to ll the one-yearterm created by theresignation of another formerpresident, Kent Strobel.jeffmc@shaw.ca250-616-6427 or 250-758-8454 JEFF MCCALLUMVANCOUVER ISLAND FARM EQUIPMENTNEW & USED TRACTORS & FARM EQUIPMENTMake ISLAND Farming Easier!MCHALE R5 BALE HANDLERS 2 MOVING ARMS . . . . FROM 2800DEUTZ AGROPLUS 87.SELF LEVELLING LDR, 4X4, OPEN STATION, 1300 HRS, 85 HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,500KVERNELAND 7517 WRAPPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,000KUHN KNIGHT PS 150 VERTICAL BEATERS. NEAR NEW 45,000HIGHLINE 6000T BALE PROCESSOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000JCB 170 SKID STEER. NEW TIRES. NEW ENGINE . . . . . . . . . 26,000TAARUP 338 MWR COND, 3.3M W/FINGER COND, GYRO HITCH 4,500WE HAVE PLASTIC WRAP& AG-FLEX SILAGE BAGSin all sizesROUND BALINGANYWHERE ON THE ISLANDPHONE FOR PRICINGWith or Without wrap
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 23by MEGAN MCGILLIVRAYKAMLOOPS – Thirty-eighteager participants betweenthe ages of 9 and 20, fourguests from the BC AngusAssociation and a dozen adultchaperones and volunteerstook part in Beef It Up, June 4-5, in Kamloops. Split into sixteams to earn points for teamspirit, attentiveness duringpresentations andinvolvement in activities andcontests, the weekend waslled with lots of laughs, gooddiscussions about topicsrelevant to the cattle industryand building friendships.Dr. Jason McGillivray fromKamloops Large AnimalVeterinary Clinic led theconference portion of theweekend, speaking about bullselection and the importanceof bull soundness exams. Theinteractive session coveredmating ability and sex drive,body condition scoring,structural soundness of eyes,feet and legs, scrotalcircumference and semenquality evaluation.Genomic dataHe was followed by Dr. LesByers from Zoetis who spokeon the use of genomics andAngus HD50K. Dr. Byersexplained how genomic datawas sequenced and how theuse of genomics can increasethe accuracy of EPDssignicantly. Although thecontent was quite academic,participants were able tofollow along due to the manyexamples and visuals Dr.Byers used in hispresentation.Our next speaker was ErikaStrande-Stewart. Erikabrought a lot of enthusiasmto her presentation aboutopportunities for youngpeople in the cattle industry.Participants had a chance tolearn about the Cattlemen’sYoung Leaders, YoungCattlemen’s Council, theCanadian Cattlemen’sAssociation and various othergroups. She also spoke aboutthe use of new technologythat has helped her ranchmove forward and continueto be successful.Share the experienceErika stressed theimportance of sharing ourbeef story with the generalpublic. She challengedmembers to use theirplatforms on social media,and shared her experiencewriting her blog, “Life of a BCCattle Ranch.” It was great tosee a young leader in thecattle industry with as muchpassion and enthusiasm asErika.Following Erika, we hadanother young leader in thecattle industry, HaleyRutherford, discuss cattlemarketing, cattle futures andthe livestock price insuranceprogram. Haley talked abouthow the supply and demandchain aects the price ofcattle and gave a briefoverview of the role cattlefutures plays in determiningthe price of calves each fall. Dr. Oliver Schunicht fromFeedlot Health tookparticipants on a visual tourof a large scale feedlot inAlberta. His interactivepresentation used videofootage to show the life of asteer from the moment itarrives at a feedlot to time ofConference engages youth in BC’s beef industryFrom breeding to feedlot, Beef It Up provided a great primer for wannabe ranchersmarket. He covered healthprograms, feeding, facilitiesand animal handling as wellas hormone and antibioticuse. It certainly claried theissues for the participants andoered us some key points topass along in futurediscussions about animalwelfare of cattle in feedlotsand safety of beef forCanadian consumers.The nal speaker wasAllison Speller, a past directorof the Canadian Junior AngusAssociation. Allison spokeabout opportunities the CJAAprovides its members in termsof networking, travel,scholarships and livestockshows. A Firsthand Understanding Of Your Family’s Wealth PrioritiesMark Driediger, CFP, Senior Wealth AdvisorAssante Financial Management Ltd.www.MarkDriediger.com | (604) 859-4890 Farm Transition Coaching Customized Portfolio Strategy Retirement Income PlanningPlease visit www.assante.com/legal.jsp or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200 for information with respectto important legal and regulatory disclosures relating to this notice.Your Farm. Your Family. Your Future.To further enhance theparticipants enthusiasm totake part in CJAA activities,we were excited to oer two$500 awards and two $250awards for use in purchasingAngus cattle or taking part inCJAA conferences or shows.Participants had theopportunity to be interviewedby a panel for the awards.Congratulations to ourwinners: Matthew McGillivray,Matthew Smith, AmandaMcGillivray and SarahMacDonald. Second dayThe second day of Beef ItUp got o to an early start asparticipants boarded the busto Grindrod to tour BlueGoose Cattle Company’snishing feedlot and packingCHILLIWACK 44160 Yale Road West 1.800.663.2615LETHBRIDGE 511 - 41 Street North 1.877.663.2615www.southerndrip.comView our product guide online:www.southerndrip.comIntelligent Water SolutionsIRRIGATION REELSSPRINKLERS & CARTSA size for any pasture, arena or garden.The largest manufacturer of irrigation reels in the world3/4”1-1/4”2”Irrigation reels, PTO pumps and sprinklers now in stock!The future of BC’s cattle industry gathered in Kamloops in early June for an ambitious two daysymposium on beef that included farm tours to Blue Goose Cattle Company’s nishing feedlot inGrindrod and Sealin’ Creek Ranch, a purebred Angus operation. (Photo courtesy of Megan McGillvray)Please see “BEEF” page 24
by JUDIE STEEVESKELOWNA – Since it wasrst announced in November2014, the seven year tree fruitindustry replant program hasbeen “too successful.” Moregrowers have applied in eachof the rst two years toreplant more acreage forwhich there is fundingavailable, notes BC FruitGrowers’ Associationpresident Fred Steele.Agriculture minister NormLetnick announced in June anadditional $1 million would beadded to the program fromthe ministry’s current budget,with $300,000 available thisyear to permit more acreageto be replanted. Theremainder will be available toadd to the rest of theprogram, which started out at$8.4 million, ending in 2021.$1.1 million is allotted for thisyear.In the rst year, theprogram was so over-subscribed, the BCFGAscrambled to nd funds froma variety of sources so alleligible growers were able toparticipate. Money came fromthe province, some fromBCFGA and some from theSummerland VarietiesCorporation.Steele is hopeful that withthe extra funds, all growerswho had applied will be ableto receive some funds towardtheir investment.“The popularity of theprogram caught everyone bysurprise,” Steele commented.Replanting to new varietiescosts growers in the area of$25,000 to $30,000 an acre, hesays, and the replant programprovides a rebate of $7,500per acre toward that cost.It’s a “quality” program, soeach farmer must submit anancial and planting plan toa panel of industryprofessionals who ensure thefunds are a good investmentbefore the grower is acceptedfor the program. Modernizingorchards to higher value, highCountry Life in BC • July 201624Be careful what you wish for: replant programquality tree fruit varietiesresults in better income forthe industry.The additional funding isexpected to help a couple ofdozen more projects totalling122 acres.A total of 1,600 acresshould be replanted by 2021,when the program ends,providing more than 2,600jobs each year in theOkanagan.Growers can planSteele applauded Letnickand his ministry for theforesight to invest in theprogram and the industryover the longer term, allowinggrowers to plan for renovationand renewal of their orchards.Unlike an annual crop,replanted orchards takeseveral years to mature beforethe rst crop can beharvested. By making thedecision to modernize,growers must take outproducing trees and managewithout that income until thenew trees mature.Steele noted last year wasthe rst time in 32 years theapple industry grew in sizeand returns for growers havealso been good the past fewyears.“It’s encouraging,” hecommented.“We heard loud and clearfrom growers that the replantprogram is a huge success forreplanting low-valueorchards with high-demandvarieties like Ambrosia andHoneycrisp apples and late-season cherries,” saidPenticton MLA Dan Ashton.“This funding commitmentwill provide even morefarming families with thechance to earn a higherincome as they continue tosupport their localcommunity.”BC growers produced morethan 126,000 tonnes ofapples, sweet cherries,peaches, pears, plums,nectarines and apricots on6,000 tree fruit orchards,mostly in the Okanagan.Apples account for 62% of theacreage in tree fruits, followedby sweet cherries, at 22%.The replant program isclosed for this year butapplications for the 2017 yearwill be available on theMinistry of Agriculturewebsite this fallBCFGA president Fred SteeleBEEF MARKETING From page 23house. Drs. Jason McGillivrayand Oliver Schunicht spokeon the bus about variouscattle topics and eldedquestions from the previouspresentations. Once we arrived at BlueGoose, Frank Schleuter andDave Robertson walkedparticipants through thepacking facility, explaininghow they marketed their beef.The participants also touredthe nishing feedlot wherethere was 750 head of cattleand had a conversation aboutthe dierences of running anorganic feedlot compared toa conventional feedlot.Our next tour was SealinCreek Ranch, where DanSpeller showed theparticipants some of hispurebred Black Angus herd.Dan spoke to the membersabout the dierent bloodlineshe uses and explained hisgoals as an Angus breeder.Dan also discussed breedingfor structural integrity, andthe importance this trait hasfor his bull customers. The nal tour of the daywas at Douglas Lake Ranch.Cow boss Stan Jacobs rodethe bus with participants,pointing out what each of theelds and facilities were usedfor, and explaining what ayear on the ranch generallylooked like. The participantswere able to walk through theEnglish Bridge feedlot, calvingfacilities and processing area.It was very impressive to learnabout such a large cattleoperation and see thefacilities rst hand.Beef It Up was a hugesuccess and we are verythankful for our sponsors:Platinum - BC AngusAssociation, WestGen, HornLevy Fund, BC Youth inAgriculture, KGHM Ajax Mine,Kamloops & District SeniorCouncil; Gold - McGillivrayLand and Livestock; Silver - BCLivestock Co-op, Jocko CreekRanch, The Horse Barn, SpadyFarms, Southlands Ranch.It’s your business.And you need to keep up date on the news andevents that affect you and your farm operation.It’s what we have been doing for over a century!Subscribe today!ONE, TWO & THREE YEARSUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 25Dr Viliam Zvalo stands among acrop of okra in a test eld inQuebec. The Vineland Researchand Innovation Centre inOntario is nding that okracould be a lucrative niche cropfor Canadian farmers.(Photo courtesy of VRIC)by RONDA PAYNEABBOTSFORD – As asubtropical plant, it’s hard tobelieve that okra could be aviable (let alone profitable)crop in Canada but ViliamZvalo, a vegetableproduction research scientistwith the Vineland Researchand Innovation Centre inOntario, is finding ways tobring the crop to the GreatWhite North, withopportunities for BC.“The major producer rightnow is India,” Zvalo says.“Okra is a subtropical cropbut in the country of origin,it’s grown as a short seasoncrop.”Trials which Zvaloconducted extended from BCto Nova Scotia to find thebest varieties and productionsystems of the vegetablewhich hails from the mallowfamily and includes hibiscus,cotton and hollyhock. In the trials were Clemsonokra (primarily used ingumbos) and Bindhi okra, amore slender, darker type –Lucky Green F1 and Elisa F1are the top yielding varietiesto date. “Within a hundred days,you can get a decent yield,”he says. “So long as you get110 to 120 frost free days,Canadian growers can growit.”Hybrid okraZvalo began looking intoshort season hybrid okravarieties as part of his WorldCrops research programwhich seeks to identify cropsthat are not traditionallygrown in Canada but aredesired due to changingdemographics and eatinghabits of Canadians. His teamthen develops growingsystems so that Canadianfarmers can take advantageof increasing popularity.“In 2014, we surpassed sixmillion kilograms importedinto Canada,” he says ofokra’s popularity. “And it hasgrown at 52% over the lastfive years.”Despite the growth of okraimports, Zvalo notes shelf lifeis definitely a challenge forproduce coming greatdistances and from countrieswithout the rightinfrastructure. That createsopportunities for domesticgrowers. With proper coolingand handling procedures,very good quality can bemaintained for up to 10 days.“Because you areharvesting an immature seedpod, it had a limited shelflife,” he notes. “All in all, webelieve we can offerCanadians a better qualityproduct.”He points to Abbotsford,Chilliwack and east into theInterior as good growingareas. A researcher from theUniversity of the Fraser Valleywill be collecting data fromthe 2015 crop grown here toprovide trial results for theregion.“We’ve got some veryinteresting results,” notesZvalo. “It’s a field vegetable,but it’s not an easy crop.”Gumbo!Okra (sometimes known asgumbo) is a vegetable prizedfor its immature seed pods.More mature pods becomequite tough. The pods rangeapproximately two to threeinches long (the longer theyget, the tougher theybecome) and look similar tosome hot peppers but arenot spicy. The flavour isrelatively mild and has beendescribed as somewhat likeeggplant. Spacing and pestmanagement have been partof Zvalo’s trials with variousspacing methods providingsome interesting findings.While close spacing (25 cmapart in double rows had thehighest overall yield) reducesthe yield per plant, theincreased number of plantsincreases the overall yield.“Spaced properly, fertilizedand managed properly, wecan get the yield up to 20metric tonnes per hectare,”he says. “I think okra has tobe a focus crop, not anafterthought.”Pests to watch for includecabbage worms (importedcabbage worms, cabbageloopers and diamond backmoth worms) and aphids.Fusarium and Verticilium wiltare also issues andfumigation of the soil isrecommended where thesepathogens are present.Labour intensiveIt’s a labour intensive cropfrom late June to the end ofSeptember and one thatrequires care of the plant andthe harvester. Once it begins to grow,Zvalo notes it must be kepthungry until it flowers, thengrowers should return tofertilizing and drip irrigationin raised beds with plasticmulch. Okra doesn’t liketransplanting because of itstap root structure soalthough Zvalo’s trials weredone with seedlingtransplants, direct seedingwill be explored goingforward but is seen to cause areduced yield.Okra must be harvesteddaily and because of its shorthairs, will irritate bare skin sogloves must be worn toharvest. Pods should be cutwith clean, sharp tools toavoid damage to the plantsand encourage ongoing podproduction.“The growers who aresuccessful, they dedicateresources to harvest okraevery single day,” Zvalo says.“Miss a day or two, it will gowoody, it will go to seed, itwon’t set any more flowersand then the whole yield iscompromised.”Interestingly, every part ofthe okra plant is edible,including the flowers whichare often used as garnishes.High maintenance okra has potential for BCPUSHING THE LIMITS OFV270 GEN:2Lift Height 130.3"Rated Capacity 2,700 lbs.V330 GEN:2Lift Height 131.2"Rated Capacity 3,300 lbs.Vertical-LiftSKID LOADERSGehl is pushing the limits of innovation and performance once again with the all-new V270 GEN:2 and V330 GEN:2 vertical-lift skid loaders.Add in the V400, the world’s largest skid loader, and you have a robust, vertical-lift product offering designed to meet the specific needs of each operation.gehl.comDEALER INFOV400Lift Height 144"Rated Capacity 4,000 lbs.34511 VYE RD . 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Country Life in BC • July 201626by DAVID SCHMIDTPENTICTON – Not everyonehas the stu it takes to be arancher, says Kettle RiverStockmen’s Associationpresident Doug Fossen.“Ranching is a high-risk,high-reward profession,” hesaid during the BC Cattlemen’sAssociation visit to CedarCreek Ranch near Penticton’sApex Alpine ski resort, May 28.Established in 1948 and nowoperated by Shawn and StacyCarter, Cedar Creek runs 170mother cows and 60 purebredBlack Angus on 2000 deededacres and thousands moreacres of Crown range.“Our cows used Apexbefore the ski hill and we stilluse it as part of our summerrange,” Carter told over 100ranchers who attended theeducation day.Fossen said technology isimproving productivity. Hiscellphone “allows me to getwork done while on thetractor.” Software like FarmCredit Canada’s Ag Expert“simplies things.” TheEnvironmental Farm Plan andVeried Beef Productionprograms “make our lifeeasier.” And center pivotirrigation has revolutionizedforage production. “Myproduction has doubled sinceinstalling the pivot but I onlyuse 50% of the water andpower I used to.” “There are now about 500center pivots in BC,” notesChris Ford of HighlandsIrrigation, saying today’ssystems allow each sprinklerhead to irrigate at a dierentrate and can be managedremotely with a smartphone.While some things haveimproved, others haveworsened.Carter notes 320 acressurrounding the ranch weredivided into 10-acre lots adecade ago and close to 100more small lots were createdve years ago. The result: moreRanchers need the “right stuff” in order to succeedgarbage, a need to truck cattlebetween pastures that arenow cut o from each otherand more fencing.Keremeos rancher MattQuaedvlieg says fencing is thebiggest issue. He notes thecurrent policy of having to“fence out the Crown” ispitting ranches against theirneighbours. Owners fail tofence their subdivided lots,then complain to the rancherwhen his livestock stray ontotheir property. BC Ministry of Forests,Lands and Natural Resourceoperations range agrologistRae Haddow says that is aproblem all over the province.“Every time there’s a cowout, I get a call and you get acall,” she said. NeitherQuaedvlieg nor Haddow hadan answer, Haddow asking“how do we do this so you getwhat you want? We have tocome up with wild ideas andtry to move them forward.”One rancher suggested thesolution might be to putcovenants on the landrequiring owners to fencetheir property.Ranchers also have to dealwith protecting species at risk(SAR), and are often unfairlycriticized for contributing torather than solving the issue.“These species wouldn’t beon these ranches without thecattle being there,” claimsKelly Williamson of theSaskatchewan Stock GrowersAssociation (SSGA), withFossen adding “managing forspecies at risk is the same asmanaging anything else.”Williamson told BC ranchersSSGA is working on a multi-pronged approach torecognize producers providingSAR habitat. It includes aniche-product brandingprogram, grass bankingthrough the GrasslandsNational Park, habitatrestoration and managementagreements to cover 100% ofthe costs and results-basedconservation agreementswhich pay for results,regardless of how they areachieved.Kettle River Stockmen’s Association president Doug Fossen addresses ranchers at the BCCA’seducation day near Penticton. (David Schmidt photo)Williams LakeWilf Smith250-398-0813Kevin JohnsonGeneral Manager250-961-1970VanderhoofDecody Corbierre250-524-0681Marketing (BC)Al Smith250-570-2143Proudly Supporting BC Ranching Since 1943BC Livestock Producers Co-operative AssociationAUGUST IS SPECIAL YEARLING SALE MONTHTop Quality Early Yearling Sales in BCVANDERHOOFAugust 12-261500-2000 headyearlingsWILLIAMS LAKEAugust 251500-2000 headyearlingsKAMLOOPSAug 9-16-23-301500-2000 headyearlingsOK FALLSSeptember 12300 headyearlingsWATCH OUR WEBSITE FOR 4-H SALES IN AUGUSTSee our website for more info: www.bclivestock.bc.caCanada’s Verified BeefProduction ProgramSimple. Practical. Trusted.Developed for producers, by producers.Let us help you show the good things youalready do for on-farm food safety,biosecurity, environmental stewardship,and animal care.Ph: 1-866-398-2848 ext 2 Email: VBP@cattlemen.bc.cawww.cattlemen.bc.ca/vbp.htm
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 27Chicken growers encouraged to maximize densityby DAVID SCHMIDTABBOTSFORD – BC chickengrowers lag behind theircounterparts in the rest of thecountry both in returns anddensity. While the BC ChickenMarketing Board has startedthe process of aligning BC’sdensity standards with therest of Canada, they havebeen unable to bring growerreturns back up to anacceptable level.Eective immediately,growers can produce chickento a maximum density of 35.5kg per square metre providedthe board’s animal careinspectors have pre-approvedtheir barns for high-densityproduction. About a third ofgrowers currently qualify forhigh-density production,Fraser Valley growers weretold during their regularmeeting in Abbotsford, June22.“We hope to increase thedensity to 38 kg per squaremetre (the standard in therest of the country and in thenew Code of Practice for Careand Handling of Breeders,Chicken and Turkey releasedin mid-June) after a six-monthtrial at 35.5 kg per squaremetre,” BCCMB generalmanager Bill Vanderspekstated.While some growerssuggested the increaseddensity could lead to reducedquality, new BC ChickenGrowers Associationpresident Dale Krahndiscounted those concerns.“If Alberta and southernOntario can do it, we can doit. We have the best growingconditions in the country,” hesaid, telling growers notmaximizing their density isakin to “leaving 6.34¢ per kgon the table.”“It’s an opportunity toreduce our cost-of-production(COP),” added former BCCGApresident Ravi Bathe.Krahn called the increaseddensity a “rst step” inimproving returns, noting thecurrent live price results in areturn on investment of lessthan 1%, down from an ROI ofalmost 4.5% a year ago.“Our live price being thatlow is very painful,” he said,claiming growers are “livingo our depreciation” andunable to invest in innovationand expansion.But the industry isexpanding. The domesticallocation for period A-139(beginning September 4) hasbeen set at 106.12% of quota.“That’s 2% over last year’sbase and 5% over two yearsago,” BCCMB director DerekJanzen said.Although BCCMB chairRobin Smith said the board’smandate is to “ensuregrowers get a reasonablereturn and processors remaincompetitive,” he noted BC’sCOP is not included in thepricing formula the BC FarmIndustry Review Board hasmandated for the industry.“This is a complicated knotto untie and we’re working onit,” Smith told growers, withKrahn adding the associationhas presented a new pricingformula proposal “similar tothe BC turkey pricing formula”to the board.With FIRB chair John Les inthe room, Smith noted FIRB isnot only at the table duringpricing discussions, “they arethe head table!”The BC formula calls for a4.5¢ dierential over theweighted average live pricefrom Alberta to Ontario.Because Ontario’s pricingformula includes an“eciency” factor whichdrops the price as productionincreases, the recentproduction increases havecontributed to the lower liveprice. “We’re producing moreand more chicken andmaking less,” Janzen said. Henoted BC’s returns “are thelowest of the 10 provinces,”pointing out AtlanticCanada’s dierential is 8.2¢per kg over Ontario andincludes catching. “If this wasadopted here, our dierentialwould be 11-12¢ per kg.” Although the live pricedominated growers’discussions, it was not theironly concern. Chick qualitywas another bone ofcontention, with manygrowers complaining that theremoval of antibiotics at thehatchery has led to a hugeincrease in IBH (inclusionbody hepatitis). Anecdotalreports suggested somegrowers are experiencingmortality rates of 25% ormore in the rst three weeksfrom the deadly disease.One grower noted thedisease has not impacted hisocks since the broilerbreeder ocks his hatcheryuses are vaccinated for IBH –not the case for all BC ocks.New BC Chicken Growers Association president Dale Krahn facesgrowers at their meeting in Abbotsford, June 23. (David Schmidtphoto) INVEST IN QUALITY® Abbotsford, BC Armstrong, BC Kamloops, BC Prince George, BCKuh n N o rth A m e r i c a.c o mPurchase a select new Kuhn VB round baler, then cut the price further with a Round Up the Savings coupon! Visit our website or your local dealer for details and to receive your coupon. Offer ends September 30, 2016 ound Up th a Rwitchase a select new KurP oupon! he Savings cound baleruhn VB rchase a select new K he prichen cut t, tbalerr, NVIher tfure he pric ®YTLIAUN QST IENV 604-826-3281 2016 BCd,AbbotsforAg-RepairMatsquiOffer ends September 30,Visit our website or your local dealer for details and to r 250-546-3141 2016 BC,mstrongArractor & EquipmentTNobleVisit our website or your local dealer for details and to r 250-851-3101ecKamloops,ractor & EquipmentTNoble250-546-3141ractor & EquipmentVisit our website or your local dealer for details and to r 250-560-5431AmehtroNnhuKoupon. 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Country Life in BC • July 201628Ranchers hopeful of stampede for bison meatby TOM WALKERCHASE – Bison ranchersfrom across Canada enjoyedOkanagan sunshine, industryupdates, nutrition and healthinformation, a dronedemonstration and a bisonbarbeque at their annualmeeting and eld day atTurtle Valley Bison Ranch, justoutside of Chase, June 4.“I’m always asked threequestions,” says CanadianBison Association (CBA)executive director TerryKremeniuk. “Is the industrygrowing; how are prices andare there new people enteringthe business? The answer isalways the same. I don’t know.I can’t predict what willhappen.”Strong demandHowever, Kremeniuk didallow that there is strongdemand for bison products,prices are the highest everseen and with the currentprots, he did expect theindustry to expand.“I’ve never been as excitedabout the long term potentialof the industry as I am now,”Kremeniuk says.Currently, the NorthAmerican bison industry isseeing about 77,000 animalsprocessed a year. “In one half day, the NorthAmerican cattle industryprocesses more than we do allyear,” Kremeniuk points out.He estimates the herd size inCanada is about 150,000animals. Need to manage riskMarket accessibility is amajor focus for the CBA. “A reliance on the US is arisk for us,” Kremeniuk says.“We need to be sure we haveaccess to other markets tomanage that risk.”The CBA was able tonegotiate two points underCETA that will give betteraccess to European markets.Bison was declared a separateproduct from beef and aseparate bison quota of 300metric tons (10 to 12,000animals) was exempt from the20% tari. Long time Merritt areabison rancher Bernard Vere,president of the BC BisonAssociation joked, “When Igot into this business, a bisonwas a place to wash yourhands.” Vere did add a note ofcaution to the price optimismcurrently running in theindustry. “There is a threshold tohigher prices,” he contends.“For every dollar you chargemore, you could lose 20% ofyour customers.”It is very important to befocused on selling the wholeanimal, he added. “For every yard oftenderloin, you have to kill thewhole animal,” Vere says. “Idon’t care how good thesausage is, if it’s $17.00 apound.CBA has been working toupdate their Code of Practice,led by Je Spooner, throughthe National Farm Animal CareCouncil. The last CBA codewas implemented in 2001. “The industry has learned alot in 15 years,” Spoonerpointed out. They are working on aconsensus-based model tobuild a bison-specic codethat will promote soundmanagement and animalwelfare practices. Ranching a wild animal issignicantly dierent fromraising domesticated beefcattle. “Understanding bisonbehavior is where we havemade strides,” says Spooner. Ranchers are working withthe animal’s unique attributes,rather than trying to changethem. “I learned in dealing withbison that you can get themto do anything, or goanywhere – that they want to,”quipped Dr. Terry Church, avet and ranch manager fromAlberta.Real advantagePublic consultation will bean important part of thedevelopment of the code.Social expectations arechanging, Schooner pointedout. He says the bisonindustry has a real advantage. “Bison recovery is a successstory. We’ve grown from just1,000 animals to 400,000across North America,” saysSpooner. “We want the publicto be aware we are taking carewww.tubeline.ca 1.888.856.6613For better management and spreading performance of poultry litter, Nitro spreaders can be equipped with an optional poultry litter beater assembly. The interchangeable quick-drop beater system allows operators to conveniently switch between the vertical or poultry beater assemblies offering flexibility to both producers and custom operators.Contact your Tubeline dealer today and find out how Nitro Spreaders can help you put litter in its place.604.556.7477DUNCAN5410 Trans Canada Hwy. 250.748.8171KELOWNA103-1889 Springfield Road250.860.2346NANAIMO1-1277 Island Hwy. S250.753.4221PARKSVILLE587 Alberni Hwy. 250.248.3243SAANICH1970 Keating Cross Rd. 250.652.9188SALMON ARM1771 - 10th Avenue S.W. 250.832.8424WEST KELOWNA2565 Main St., Hwy. 97 South 250.768.8870ABBOTSFORD31852 Marshall PlaceCanadian Owned and Operated100%NEW LOCATION•Livestock Feed•Fertilizer• Grass Seed• Pet Food & Accessories•Fencing• Farm Hardware•Chemicals. . . . and a whole lot morePlease see “MORE” page 29Renee Blanc of Turtle Valley Bison Ranch shows o a six week oldbison calf during a bison eld day at the ranch in early June. (TomWalker photo)
July 2016 • Country Life in BC 291.866.567.4162Cuts From The Bottom Up.Maximize your productivity, reduce costs, and save valuable time with a Bale Knife from HLA Attachments. Available in 3 sizes, the Bale Knife uses a serrated cutting edge to easily cut through your 4, 5, and 6 foot silage and hay bales. A proprietary system grabs the wrap and bale netting holding it securely as the bale is sliced and drops free keeping bale netting and wrap out of your mixers and feeders.It’s unique design allows for bales to be cut a mere 6” off the ground making it ideal for use in areas with low overhead.Visit www.hlaattachments.com/baleknife for more information.www.hlaattachents.com www.horstwagons.com• Bearings on king pins for no sway trailing• Includes 2 shoes and 2 Universal Pads• 2 Ratchet straps to secure load• 4 Wheel steering• 4 Wheel electric brakes• 4 Wheel independent ROAD FLEX suspension• 30 ft. wheelbase with reinforced bottom rail• Wheel Fenders• Running lights on fenders and rails• Light kit (Red Lenses)• 2-5/16 ball hitch and safety chains• Vehicle Identification Number for Licensing• Double Spring Balancer• 235/85 R16 (F Range) Highway trailer tire on 16 x 6 x 6 rimJohn Church wrapped upthe presentations with adrone demonstration. He saidthat a drone-based cameracan currently hover and readan RFID tag. “We are working with SAIT(Southern Alberta Institute ofTechnology) to have thecamera read a passive tag 40feet away.”They are also developingsolar powered tags with anRFID chip that sends a signalthat can be read from vekilometers. “My dream is to beable to type in an RFIDnumber and the drone will goout on the range and nd theanimal,” says Church.MORE TENDER THAN BEEF From page 28of this magnicent animal.”For Dr. John Church, BCInnovation chair in CattleIndustry Sustainability atThompson Rivers University,the best bison you can get is apartially grain-nished heifercoming up to 30 months. “Up to two years, it is moretender than beef,” Churchsays. “But over 30 months, thetoughness goes up.”“You can feed full grain butyou are wasting time andwasting money,” says Churchon the grain nished vs. grassnished bison debate. Health compromises“A high grain ration leads toa compromise in health; itburns up the rumen (highlevel of acid in the rumen).They weren’t designed to everfeed that. You are essentiallyproducing grain nishedbeef.” A high grain diet also putsthe Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratioover the magic four to onethat dieticians recommend.“A 50% mixed grain to 50%forage nishing diet is okay.” Vitamins and minerals areimportant for bison health,explained veterinarian RoyLewis, while reviewing healthmanagement issues. He saidranchers need to sample forparasites regularly and thatthey can be controlled. Mycoplasma pneumonia isa respiratory disease that isemerging in bison throughoutNorth America, for whichthere is no treatmentcurrently. Luckily for BCproducers, it is not found inthe province yet. “It often comes fromanimals that have beenbrought into your herd,” saysLewis. Isolate new animals andwatch for sickness before youintroduce them. Clean trucks important“Pay attention to bio-security,” says Lewis. “Cattlecarry mycoplasma; make surethe truck that brings in theanimals is clean.” Bisonnumberstop400,000acrossNorthAmericaand therearebreedersin BC.(TomWalkerphoto)
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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 31by JENNIFER SMITHCOLDSTREAM – A longtimeOkanagan farmer is spreadinghis roots north where he saysthe harvest is ideal.Sukhdev Sandher is hopingto purchase a 6.5 hectareparcel of land in Coldstream togrow cherries, which he hasalready planted.“We see a good future forour countryside,” said Sandher,who owns orchards inKelowna, Oyama and the BXand whose brother haspurchased the Spicer Blockand planted apple trees. “The reason we are movingthis way is price of land ischeaper.”The varying elevations alsoprovide insurance for thefarmer.“Last year, we had two bighail storms but nothing in theBX.”The elevation dierencealso means added tree time forthe fruit, as there is a seven-day gap between pickings.“Nobody can beat us withthe quality of the fruit. Wehave the best climate inCanada here in the OkanaganValley.”But Sandher’s plans topurchase land in Coldstreamhinge on support of theAgricultural Land Commission.The land on ColdstreamCreek Road (currently ownedby councillor Peter McClean) isin the agricultural land reserve,therefore an application tosubdivide must rst beapproved.The subdivision would allowMcClean and his wife toremain in their home, whilerelieving them of the largerportion of agricultural landwhich would benet Sandher.“The house has no use forme,” said Sandher, who lives inKelowna.McClean has knownSandher since the early ‘80swhen he and his brotherarrived from India and workedfor McClean on the farm.“It is so nice to see thembecoming such an inuence inthe orchard community andhaving them invest in Vernonafter spending many yearsestablishing their families andfarms in Kelowna,” saidMcClean, who hopes Sandhercan further benet from thepurchase of his farmland, yetallowing him to stay on thesmaller parcel.“If all goes well, it will bewonderful to remain in ourhouse on a piece of propertythat was purchased in 1904 bymy paternal greatgrandfather.”Coldstream council hasreviewed the application andagreed to forward it to theALC, but not withoutopposition from onecouncillor.Even though Sunder hasstated no interest in building ahome, parcelling the landcould open it up for futuredevelopment.“The relationship betweenthe current tenant and thelandowner could change inve years,” said councillorRichard Enns.“Make no mistake about thisapplication, there is no benetto agriculture. This is farmproperty; it is currently beingfully farmed. There is noreason for a subdivision.”If the ALC approves theapplication, council agreed torequest the addition of acovenant that would preventFarmer makes hiscase for exclusionfrom land reservethe construction of housing onthe larger portion of property.Meanwhile councillor GyulaKiss would like to see moreagricultural propertiesdedicated to farming like thisone.“I walk on Coldstream CreekRoad a lot. It’s beautiful land,there’s available water andnothing is growing on there. I’dlike to see all these beautifulproperties produce somethingA North Okanagan cherry grower is making a case for subdividing a farm property in the ALR so hecan have separate title from the homeowners there. (Peter McClean photo)because that’s what they aresupposed to be doing.”The change would also seethe top 2.6 hectare portion ofland put back into the ALR.“So, in the end, the entireproperty will be in the ALR if itgoes through,” said mayor JimGarlick, noting it wouldremove the possibility of oneday having a road go throughthe top portion of landstherefore further preservingagriculture.TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT LTD.KAMLOOPS580 Chilcotin Road250/851-3101TOLL FREE 1-888-851-3101ARMSTRONG4193 Noble Road250/546-3141TOLL FREE 1-800-661-3141NOBLECASE 580 SM LOADER BACKHOE, 2009, 4X4, EXT HOE, 4-1 . . . . . . $36,500CASE 2290 1980, 128 HP, CAB, NO 3 PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500CASE 2090 1982, 108 HP, CAB, 3PT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,500NH TS115A, DELUXE 2004, 95 HP, CAB 4X4, LDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,800NH 3045 45 HP, 4X4, CAB, LDR, LIKE NEW ONLY 120 HOURS . . . . . . 36,500MF 5613 2015, 100 PTO HP, CAB, 4X4, 16X16 POWERSHIFT TRANS, MF946 LDR, ONLY 345 HRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,500JD 3130 80 HP, 2X4, CANOPY, JD 148 LOADER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13,500NH 1412 1999, 10’4” CUT, FLAIL CONDITIONER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,900CASE IH DC102 2010, 10’4” CUT, ONLY CUT 80 ACRES . . . . . . . . . . 25,900CASE IH 8312 1997, 12’ CUT, SWIVEL HITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500NH BR7090 2012, 5’X6”, TWINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29,500VERMEER 554XL 4’ X 5’, SILAGE SPECIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500CASE IH 8455 4’X5’, TWINE TIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,900CASE IH 8465 5’X6’, TWINE TIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,900SUPREME 700T 2010, TWIN SCREW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,000www.nobletractor.comREADY! 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Country Life in BC • July 201632by RONDA PAYNEFORT LANGLEY – Back in2009, a newbie writer toCountry Life in BC timidly madeher way to the BC FarmMuseum to interview a few ofthe volunteers and see whatthe museum had to oer. Theexperience took an entireafternoon and the time waswell spent. I still rememberthat rst assignment and theworld it opened up to me interms of experiencingfarming’s past.I could never havecommunicated everything Isaw that day seven years ago,so I was thrilled when GraceMuller, a devoted volunteer ofthe museum, contactedCountry Life in BC to let usknow about their 50thanniversary. I returned, as itwere, to the scene of thecrime to nd out what wasplanned to celebrate thetremendous milestone.Grace and fellow volunteerSyd Pickerell met with me toanswer my mountain ofquestions about what wasnew and plans for thediamond anniversary.Things have already kickedo with the museum’s entry inthe Fort Langley May Dayparade. “We have the longest entryfor sure,” Grace said as sheexplained the entry includedthe sparkly 50th anniversaryoat built primarily byvolunteers Jim Mair, LaurieGrith and Gilles Parent.There was also a at bed witha range of small engines, avariety of carriages andvehicles, and helpers handedtwo-for-one museumadmission tickets to paradespectators. Active in the volunteer-runorganization for the past 10years, Grace took on headingup the 50th anniversarycommittee. “There are so many thingsgoing on this year,” she says. Grace works avidly with theother volunteers to ensure theorganization is putting its bestface forward. Syd, too, hasbeen with the museum formore than 10 years andrecognizes the value in adiverse team.“We have three [volunteers]who have been here between19 and 25 years,” Grace noted.“Every volunteer hassomething dierent to bringto the table but you need allthe parts to make the wholething work.”Some of the volunteers, likeSyd and Grace, are at themuseum regularly whileothers may come once ortwice a month. “The amount of time youactually spend,” Syd said,musing, “my wife calls it a job.We couldn’t move if it weren’tfor the variety of talent andskill available here.The camaraderiearound the table iswonderful.”The group addedto that camaraderiein the last couple ofyears with theadditions of the ValleyAntique Engine Club and theBC Heavy Horse BreedersAssociation. Both groupsmake use of the facility as aregular meeting place andhome for the organizations.“They wanted to have a realhome base,” noted Syd. “A lotof those members weremembers of the farmmuseum. They are like-minded people.”The like-minded people onGrace’s 50th anniversarycommittee came up withsome great activities tocelebrate beyond May Day.“We wanted to recognizethose people that had gonebefore us,” Syd said. “Torecognize their work that keptit going.”There are mugs and pinsfor sale as well as pens tothank museum donors. Plansare in place for a specialmuseum history exhibit ofphotos, text and posters aswell as a printed booklet. PlusLabour Day will be “old andnew day” where items of thepast will be showcased besidemodern versions to showadvances in technology or thelack of need for it. Numerouscommunity events will havethe oat on hand and it willBack to the futurewith a revisit to theBC farm museumDiamond anniversary celebrations underwayBC Farm Museum volunteers Syd Pickerell and Grace Muller proudly show o a carriage that wasrestored by a team and now on display at the museum in Fort Langley – just one of 5,000 artifactshonouring BC’s farming history. (Ronda Payne photo)Country WaysPlease see “5,000” page 33DK10 SeriesBaseBaseBaseBaseBased ond ond ond ondonpurpurpurpurpurchaschaschaschashchaseofe ofe ofe ofeoffelielielielieligiblgiblgiblgiblgiblgiblgible nee nee nee neeneenee nw eqweww eqw eqw equipmuipmuipmuipmuipmuent ent ent enent edefidefidefidefiefidefined ned nedned ned ned iin pin pin pin pinromoromoromoromooromotiontiontiontionitional pal pal pal pal pprogrrogrrogrgrrogroamam. am. am. am. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 33be stationed at the museumon special occasions. Then, anale dinner is slated forNovember 12 at the FortLangley Community Hall. The dinner is for past andcurrent members, volunteers,supporters and dignitaries.Those interested in attendingcan contact the museum at[bcfm@telus.net]. Not only willthe dinner include a silentauction and a presentation ofthe museum’s history, therewill be a special performanceby musical, Celtic historiansTiller’s Folly.“Tiller’s Folly has written asong specically for us; I’veheard it and it’s great,” Gracesaid. “They’re even making avideo.”Launched in 1966The BC Farm Museum wasfounded in 1966 by a group ofUBC professors who wanted afarm machinery museum forstudents to witness thingsfrom the past. “But in 50 years, it hasgrown to be so much more,”Grace said. “There are over5,000 artifacts showing somany dierent features ofpioneer life.”Everything in the museumhas been donated and withthe skills of the volunteers,pieces are researched,restored and hopefullydisplayed. But, with all theinteresting items on hand, it’simpossible to showeverything. “We need a third building,”Grace said. This lack of space isn’t anew issue, mind you. Gracerecently spent time with 50years of the organization’sminutes and found four issueshave always been part of whatthe museum deals with: leakyroofs, funding, acquisition anddeaccession, and lack ofspace. One thing for which therewas space was the specialexhibit on surveying whichlibrarian volunteer HillaryRuni received a certicate ofappreciation from theAssociation of BC LandSurveyors.“They couldn’t believe thatsomeone who isn’t a surveryorcould put up such a rst-classexhibition,” said Syd.“Surverying was so importantin the early days.” As if planning something asbig as a several months’ long50th anniversary party whilerunning the museum wasn’tenough, other ongoingactivities include interactiveeducational terminals to bringsome of the history to life, amural project which will seenine murals created by sixwell-known artists for insideand outside the museum andthe expansion of thedownstairs mechanical andwoodworking shops andlunch room, as well asimprovements to the heatingand ventilation systems.Funding for the projectscame from the Canada 150Infrastructure program as wellas other gracious donors andsupporting organizations. If you haven’t been to theBC Farm Museum, I personallyencourage you to go andspend the day. It’s well worththe time to consider theimplements BC’s pioneersworked with and how far theybrought us along. 5,000 ARTIFACTS From page 32Jim Mair, above left,and Laurie Grith,were part of the teamthat built themuseum’s oat(behind them) thatappeared in FortLangley’s May Dayparade.Below, Syd Pickerelldemonstrates how avintage rope makerworks.(Ronda Payne photos)BOX 505, LITTLE FORT, BC CANADA V0E 2C0 | 604.862.7881www.cascadiarealty.caCountry Estate at Sheridan Lake 100 tranquil acres, elegant 3,200 sq. ft. 5 bed/4 bath country home commands expansive views over the hay elds and distant mountains. Built in 2008 with quali-ty materials and attention to detail and nishing, ideally suited family use, bed &breakfast or bale & breakfast or hay farm. Priced to sell at $785,000Ridge View Ranch, Fort St. James Rare opportunity to own one the most desirable ranches in the region. At 1,577acres, it is a perfect combination of producing hay, pasture and forestry landswith potential to sustainably increase hayland. Numerous lakes, ponds, dug outs andstreams ensuring a continual and abundantsource of irrigation water. Currently cansupport 200 cow/calf pairs but could be increased with additional cross fencing.$1,200,000
Country Life in BC • July 201634Kelowna couple getsgreen light for weddings,distillery on ALR landby TOM WALKERKELOWNA – Parts of thisstory are not unusual in thefarm community. Young city-based couple inherits farmmuch earlier than expecteddue to the early passing of herparents. Young couple decidesto relocate to Kelowna andmake a go of living andworking on the property. “The question James and Ihad was, do we want to comehere and do o-farm jobs allday and just do a little farmingon the side,” says KristiCaldwell. “What could we doto actually make this propertysustainable as our fullbusiness?” A commondilemma for young farmers.But here’s the unusual part– it’s not a working farm. Thestory of how they plan tomake the property protableis a testament to their work,ingenuity and an AgriculturalLand Commission that cansupport a non-farm use tohelp a family stay on the land.When you drive up and outof West Kelowna, the hillsidebecomes steep and thicklytreed. The 2.5 hectare Caldwellproperty is covered in interiorDouglas r. A ravine cutsthrough the middle. It looksmore Vancouver north shorethan Okanagan wine country. “My parents took threeyears of weekends to clearenough land to build thehouse,” recalls Kristi. “My daddid a couple of cattle on theside and my mother built the(award winning) gardens, butdad had a steel fabricatingbusiness in town.”“We thought, let’s befarmers,” she says with a hugedose of self-deprecatinghumour. “We got 55 chickensand two cows, Bonnie andClyde.” But they knew this wasn’tgoing to pay the bills. “How can we diversify thisoperation into something thatis actually going to make thefarming nanciallysustainable? It is not at land!”“The opportunities for agri-tourism were quite obvious tous,” Kristi continues. “We had acouple of family weddingshere. Friends said, ‘You shoulddo weddings.’ Well, I hadworked in event managementin the past. I thought, I can dothat.” Husband James’ dream wasto start a small batch craftdistillery. “If I had know then what Iknow now ...” she says.“I actually called the City ofKelowna thinking that I couldget a business license,” Kristisays, pausing to choke backthe laughter. “I said, “We selleggs and our beef, eventually,and vegetables, and we wouldlike to hold weddings. Whatkind of a business license isthat?’” The clerk checked theiraddress. “So you are zoned A-1 inthe ALR?” the clerk conrmed.“‘Uh huh.’ I knew that frommy dad. I was so proud that Ilived on ALR land,” jokes Kristi. “She said, ‘You can’t dothat.’” “I said, ‘Why not? It’s ourpersonal property. We want tohave weddings. I don’tunderstand.’ So this very nicewoman took me through thebare bones of the ALR.”“I hung up the phone andsat there dumbfounded. I hadno clue,” says Kristi. “She kindlyemailed me later saying, ‘Theremay be an opportunity forwhat you want to do down theroad of agri-tourism. This iswhere you need to start.’” That was the beginning of atwo year process. Research atrst, then actually goingthrough the non-farmapplication process with theCity of Kelowna and then theALC. And the Caldwells did theirresearch. They only wanted to havewedding ceremonies (noreceptions) on Saturdays, onthe existing lawn behind thehouse. Parking would be onthe existing driveways. The craft distillery would behoused in one of the existingsheds. They could grow smallbatch crops for the spiritsJames wanted to brew on theirundulating property. Theycould continue to raisechickens and beef.The driveways and sheds?“My dad had a tractorcollection,” explains Kristi.Three large barns and shedshouse some 30 vintagetractors, farm implements andtools, including a 1905International hay press fromCharlotte, Kristi, James and Olive Caldwell stand beside a restored 1952 Massey Harris, one of about30 vintage tractors in a collection that belonged to Kristi’s dad before he passed away and left a smallfarm ensconced in the ALR to the young couple. (Tom Walker photo)Please see AGRI” page 35KuhnNorthAmerica.comINVEST IN QUALITY®Purchase a select new Kuhn LSB 890 or LSB 1290 large square baler, then cut the price further with a Bale Up the Bucks coupon! Visit our website or your local dealer for details and to receive your coupon. 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July 2016 • Country Life in BC 35AGRI‑TOURISM ISNʼT NEW From page 34Teaching about life on the farm – one kid at a timeby RONDA PAYNELANGLEY – LangleyEnvironmental Partners Society(LEPS) has teamed up with LauricaFarm and Glorious Organics to offera pair of educational summercamps this month with the aim ofteaching kids aged six to 12 aboutfarming and where their foodcomes from.Set for mid-month on the twosustainable farm sites in Langley,Sarah Atherton, the educationprogram co-ordinator with LEPS,will be leading the kids throughactivities at Laurica in the morningand Glorious Organics in theafternoon each day for five days.The first week’s program is focusedon crops, while the second week isfocused on animals. “Even adults don’t necessarilyquestion where their food comesfrom,” Atherton says. “This helps[kids] understand where foodcomes from… how importing fromaround the world impacts it.”Seed to Plate workshopsThe two summer farm camps arethe ideal addition to LEPS’sprogramming which includes theSeed to Plate workshops deliveredin schools. “Seed to Plate is about bringinghealthy eating, sustainable farmingand local producers to elementaryschools,” notes Atherton. The four workshop format ofSeed to Plate includes a trip to afarm. Laurica and Glorious Organicshave both hosted the workshops inthe past, making them ideal for thenew summer camps. Kids will belooking at farming in fun ways tolearn as well as enjoy their time.Plus, the summer camps willchallenge kids’ ideas about what afarmer looks and acts like, similar toquestions brought up in Seed toPlate.“It’s not going to be superstructured,” Atherton says aboutthe format. “There are themes eachday, but we will let them guide theirown time. It’s an amazing way forthem to connect with the farm.They get to harvest some food andthe animals are amazing.”Participation is keyKids will participate in planting,harvesting (to create their ownhealthy lunch), weeding, animalhusbandry, beekeeping and artsand crafts.Atherton notes she is open toadding other farm partners to LEPSprogramming. For more informationcall 604-546-0339 or visit the LEPSwebsite at [www.leps.bc.ca].the north Okanagan and a1919 National truck (thatJames has running) thatworked logging in the Carmiarea east of Kelowna.“Agri-tourism is not new tothe ALC; they see this a lot,”Kristi points out. “Weexplained to them what wewanted to do and why. Werealized the type ofapplications that they are notgoing to support are peoplewho have a very productiveagriculture parcel and areturning half of it intocompletely commercial usethat could never be restoredto farm land again. I thought,‘Well good news for us; that’snot what we plan to do.’” “We were very clear insaying that we are doing theweddings and distillery so theincome can support uscontinuing to be on the farm.We are using zero agriculturespace for non-farm use,” sheadds. “We are actuallyincreasing the agriculture on amarginal property.” They held a neighbourhoodget-together and everyonesigned a letter of support. Cityof Kelowna sta helped themthrough the process. Theypassed the KelownaAgricultural AdvisoryCommittee; they passedKelowna city council and theyeventually passed the ALCprocess. The ALC nal decisionnoted “challenges foragriculture development dueto severe topography,” andconcluded the proposed non-farm use would have “noimpact on the agriculturecapacity of the property.”Which way did they go? Cathy Finley of Laurica Farm may be onthe hunt as dozens of school age kids descend on her Langley farmthis summer as part of a program to teach kids about farming andwhere there food comes from. (Ronda Payne photo) 34856 Harris Rd | Abbotsford BC 604-826-3281 www.matsquiagrepair.com The ISO Touch Control Unit allows the McHale Fusion 3 to be fully automatic. This 7 inch, color and touch display allows the operator to have increased monitoring of the machine.THE FILM ADVANTAGES:-Chamber film acts as a wrapping layer.-Chamber film results in a better shaped bale. -Chamber film delivers higher quality silage.-Chamber film makes recycling easier.3FILM ON FILM Matsqui Ag Repair- your authorized McHale Dealer: PLUSHigh Output Solutions For Today’s Farmer.
Country Life in BC • July 201636by SUSAN MCIVERSUMMERLAND – AlbertWeaver and Doreen Yurkinhave restored a historicMeadow Valley ranch to aproductive hay, livestock andberry operation.Located 17 km west ofSummerland, Meadow Valleyis reached by travellingthrough the settlement ofFaulder.“When I bought the ranchseven years ago, it had beenvacant for about eight years,”Weaver says.A particular challenge waslocating and digging up theirrigation lines. While restoringthe property, Weaveruncovered an inscription inthe concrete foundation ofthe original house which read“Darke Lake Ranch 1897.”“The Monroe familyoriginally homesteaded theplace. They operated a dairyhere for many years,” Weaversays.A life-long farmer in theLower Mainland, Weaver hadraised cranberries until ahighway was constructedthrough his land.“I looked all over theprovince before I could nd aplace where I felt comfortableliving,” he says.Weaver quickly set aboutreseeding 110 acres oftimothy grass hay which hesold to horse owners bothlocally and on the coast.More recently, the hay hasbeen used for livestock.In 2013, he started a cowcalf operation with thepurchase of 40 Hereford-Angus cross heifers. Today, hehas 44 cows and sells overthree dozen calves at theOkanagan Falls stockyard.“The beef business is waybetter than it used to be,”Weaver says.A year and a half after hisarrival in Meadow Valley,Weaver was joined by Yurkin,who had been his neighbourin the Lower Mainland. With abackground in farming anddairy plus nine years of privategardening experience in WestVancouver, Yurkin felt right athome at the ranch.43 lambs this yearIn 2013, she started raisingDorper sheep, a breed notedfor producing large amountsof avourful meat. This yearshe has 60 ewes and 43 lambs.After the lambs areprocessed in Kelowna, themeat is sold, cut, wrapped andfrozen at the ranch.“All my sales are word ofmouth,” Yurkin says.Weaver and Yurkin alsohave 10 acres of Saskatoonberry bushes.“Saskatoons are an unusualDoreen Yurkin and Albert Weaver, above, produce hay, livestockand Saskatoon berries on their Meadow Valley ranch. (SusanMcIver photo)Beef, berries and sheepEx-Lower Mainlanders start fresh on historic OK homesteadBCHA Secretary Janice Tapp 250-699-6466 BCHA President Murray Gore 604-582-3499 bchereford.ca commercial crop for the area. Iknew they would do wellbecause they grow wild here,”Weaver says.Native to North America,the range of Saskatoonsextends from Alaska and theNWT south to California andArizona.“Saskatoons are loadedwith antioxidants and containhigher levels of protein andbre than most other fruit,”Yurkin explains.In 2009, Weaver planted9,000 bare root stock plantsby machine with a subsequentsignicant loss. A year later,Yurkin planted 5,000replacement plants by hand.“Approximately 40% of theplants are Thiessens and 60%Martins,” Yurkin says.The Thiessen varietyconsistently yields large cropsof big berries with a pleasingavour.The Martin was discoveredas a seedling of the Thiessen.Thiessen bushes tend to belarge and unruly while theMartins are smaller andcompact.“This year we anticipategetting 1,000 pounds per acreand in a few years as much as10,000 pounds per acre,”Weaver says.Ultimately, he wants tohave a large enough crop toguarantee sucient quantitiesrequired for sale to largecommercial processers. 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and indeed, to life itself.True to a strong emphasison food sustainability in ourgeographically isolated coastalcommunity, we shoplocal. We also grow asmuch of our ownfood as we can. Infact, as I’m working onthis piece, I ndmyself regularlyexiting my oce and headingto the garden where the sightof our vegetable plots, appleand plum trees and theheavily-laden raspberry patchconjure up dreams ofupcoming meals.We’re not alone in utilizingformer lawns and owergardens for the purpose offood production. Though farfrom what could be called“large” farming operations, it’sI’ve just returned fromvisiting family on the prairiesand as much as that was theprimary focus of my ten dayhiatus from daily life, the sightof thousands of hectares ofseeded land brought backyears of memories. We’ve had the privilege ofliving on BC’s West Coast formore than a decade now butI’ve never forgotten theexcitement that accompaniesthe annual cycle of the farmscene: cultivating, seeding,spraying, harvesting, waitingand repairing. I returned homerefreshed and challenged toconsider some of the sameprocedures and principles thatapply to our backyard gardenA Wannabe FarmerLINDA WEGNERJuly 2016 • Country Life in BC 37Please see “WWWW” page 39A sudden snowstormdescended on town and addedto Henderson’s already fouldemeanor. And he was puzzledwhen the water came back on.Rural Redemption (part 74)continues ...The sudden appearance ofa foot and a half of snow wasan exciting adventure forChristopher. He draggedseveral toboggan loads ofstove wood from Tiny’swoodshed and kept acrackling re burning in theold stove. Deborah madescrambled eggs and bacon forbreakfast and Ashley boiled akettle of water for tea. Kennethcalled the Hydro emergencyline every ten minutes andstumped impatiently fromroom to room childishlycursing the weather andhydro’s incompetence. Shortly before noonKenneth announced he wasgoing to the store. Deborahpointed out the roads stillweren’t plowed and therewasn’t really anything theyneeded from the store whichmight not even be openanyhow, so why not just sittight and wait things out?Kenneth snorteddisdainfully. “Come on, Deborah. Has itnot dawned on you that we’restranded here? How do youknow it won’t take thoseclowns from highways a weekto plow the roads? I’m notgoing to sit here waiting forthat gong show to unfold.”“People use to live this waynot many years ago.”“Well, good for them. Thankgoodness we’re not like that.”“Like that?”“Hicks.”Deborah realized it waspointless to argue. Tenminutes later, Kenneth and his$60,000 truck churned downthe driveway and sh-tailedonto the road. A 150 yardsfurther on, he came to thestop sign at the intersectionwith the main road that ranuphill toward the crest of thesame little ridge that ranacross his property. The tracksfrom Newt’s tractor led downthe hill away from the store.The snow on the road on theuphill side was untouched.The tires began to spin ashe hit the gas and headed upthe hill. Fifteen minutes later,Kenneth Henderson was in aspitting rage. The truck wassideways in the intersectionand the snow had packed toice under the furiouslyspinning tires. More than just snow storming at the Henderson’s12:6(59,1*7+()5$6(59$//(<:H·YHEHHQSURXGO\IDPLO\RZQHGDQGRSHUDWHGVLQFHRSHQLQJLQ$QGZLWKWZREOHQGLQJSODQWVZH·UHRQHRI%&·VODUJHVWGLVWULEXWRUVRIJUDQXODUOLTXLGDQGIROLDUIHUWLOL]HUV2XUEX\LQJSRZHUDQGSUR[LPLW\WRWKH)UDVHU9DOOH\PDNHVXVWKHORJLFDOFKRLFHIRUWUXFNORDGVKLSPHQWV2.$1$*$1)(57,/,=(5/7'Kenneth jockeyed the truckinto Newt’s ruts and backedup a 100 feet down the sideroad, then took a run at thehill. He managed to get going30 k by the time he sailedthrough the stop sign. Hespun the steering wheel hardto the left but the truck shotstraight across the road,through the shallowditch, through fourstrands of barbed wire,and came to rest in atangle of snow coveredbroom bushes.Jimmy Vincent foundhim there at half past one whenhe plowed the snow o the hill.Jimmy had an old highwaysdump truck, snow plow and all.He plowed the road right toTiny’s yard then went back tothe intersection and hooked achain to Kenneth’s pickup. Hetowed him backwards all theway home.Jimmy came up thedriveway with his lightsashing and horn blaring. Hecircled the yard three times,then unchained the truckcackling like a dementedchicken. Kenneth pulled outhis wallet and tried to pay butJimmy just kept laughing andwaved him away. Five minuteslater, Harriet Murray had herstory for next week’s paper –and the picture to go with it.Cursing and ragingKenneth came crashing intothe house cursing and ragingat the Ford Motor Companyand threatening to sue thelying cretin who sold him thetruck. Deborah asked what hadhappened and if he wasalright. Kenneth told her not towaste his time with stupidquestions and Deborah toldhim to grow up. Kenneth said it was hightime somebody was thegrown up and he was going tolist the house and take themall back to civilization.Deborah said that he mightwant to get himself a goodlawyer if he thought he wasjust going to up and sell theplace. Kenneth told her to watchher step because if he had toget a lawyer, it would be for alot more than selling thehouse. Deborah told him twocould play that game. Two messages awaited himKenneth went to his oceand slammed the door. It wascold inside. He sat down andscrolled his phone. There weretwo messages waiting: onefrom Erica Swift and one fromJanice Newberry. He wentupstairs. Fifteen minutes later,he came into the kitchencarrying his suitcase. Deborah glanced at thesuitcase then looked atKenneth.“Don’t get your hopes up,”he said. “I’ve just been calledback to work.”And he was gone.***Newt came by at three andsaid he gured the roadswould be fully plowed bytomorrow morning andbrought a handful of candlesin case the power was oovernight. Deborah told him thatKenneth had been called backto work in the city. Newtwondered to himself aboutwhat kind of man leaves hiswife and kids snowed in withno power. He asked if Kenneth was stillin the dark about where Tiny’swater really came from. “Apparently,” said Deborah.“Should I explain it to him?”“That’s okay,” said Deborah.“I’ll tell him the next time itcomes up.”Newt turned in thedoorway as he was leaving. “I nearly forgot. I ran in toDoug McLeod earlier on. Heasked me to let you knowthey’re having a meetingabout the spring musical atGlad’s place at 7 onThe WoodshedChroniclesBOB COLLINSPrairie principles applied back homePlease see “LAWYERS” page 39COMMITTED TO AGRICULTURE in the FRASER VALLEYwww.rollinsmachinery.caTRACTORSFORD 6640 – U30091 .............................................................. $14,900.00KUBOTA L4630 – U30107..........................................................19,800.00FORD 545A – U31132 – 2WD-LOADER-INDUSTRIAL.......13,300.00NH L170 SKIDSTEER – U31143.................................................16,500.00NH TZ25DA – U31086 – 4WD-LOADER-25HP ....................13,900.00QUALITY USED EQUIPMENTKUHN/KNIGHT 5127 MIXER WAGON; SINGLE VERTICAL SCREW – U31246 .................................... 17,900.00NDE 1502 FEED PROCESSOR; FAIR COND. 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Country Life in BC • July 201638Produce of summerIt’s salsa time! (Judie Steeves photo)I was worried they’d find somethingMammograms save lives. Make an appointment, not an excuse. Get expert advice and share your stories atgohave1.comTomato & Avocado SalsaThere’s nothing quite like the avours of lovely, fresh, localfruits and vegetables in the middle of summer, when so muchhas reached its peak of maturity – all at once.It’s enough to inspire one to invite friends and family over fora bite and a sip on the patio, so here are a few ideas to take thatthought a step further.Berries and other sweet fruits are delectable tumbled over agreen salad with a crumbled sharp-avoured, locally-madecheese such as feta or blue; or cut up and mixed into a bowl fullof plain BC yogurt.Or, mash them into anexotic summer drink,lightened with simplesoda water.Fresh, refreshing andfull of avour, cherriesand berries are symbolic of summer.But, there are many other avours that are also evocative ofthis time of year, with its long, hot days ablaze with lots of sun.I’m eating my rst tomatoes of the season right o the vinenow, and that’s a avour I’ve waited eight months for.Then, there are the peas and beans, baby carrots from when Ithinned a row – and the salad greens have been fantastic.I’ve got pots of dried herbs set aside for winter and I’ve beenenjoying all of them fresh from the garden for months.Next, I’m looking forward to an over-abundance of zucchini,some garden-fresh cucumbers and the list goes on and on.What you can’t eat right away, can it, freeze it or dry it, andshare with friends and neighbours, co-workers and family.Anything I didn’t grow, I nd someone else has grown itlocally for me and it’s available fresh-picked at the farmers’market, so there’s no reason to not be inspired by what’s inseason in mid-summer.Be generous with the bounty and share it with those youlove: have a party.Refreshing vegetables, livened up with fresh herbs and a little seasoning, make a terricsummer dip for whole-grain pita crisps or as a dip for crackers or crisp bread.1 avocado, minced 1/2 jalapeno pepper 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauceDrizzle of lemon or lime juice 1 garlic clove 5 drops hot sauce3 plum tomatoes, minced Salt and pepper, to taste Fresh basil leaves1/2 small sweet onion 2 tsp. (10 ml) mayonnaiseMince avocado and drizzle with lemon to help prevent browning, then mince remainingvegetables and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.Mix mayo, Worcestershire and hot sauce and dress the salsa with it.Top with minced fresh basil leaves.Serve with pita crisps or tortilla chips for dipping, or spread on little crisp toasts from abaguette.Light Lemon DipThis light appetizer dip is excellent served with poached fresh, local prawns, or with bite-sizedcubes of barbecued or poached BC salmon. Greek-style yogurt keeps this dip nice and thick, andit’s available in low-fat options; using a low-fat mayonnaise avoids adding other fats to it.3 green onions Drizzle of oil 1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon zest1 large garlic clove 1/2 c. (125 ml) low-fat yogurt 1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon juice1/4 c. (60 ml) fresh basil 1/2 c. (125 ml) mayonnaise1/4 c. (60 ml) fresh parsley Salt and pepper, to tasteChop green onions and mince garlic and fresh herbs. Sauté onion and garlic in a drizzle of oilin a small frypan, then scrape out into a medium-sized bowl.Reserve a few chopped herbs for a garnish.Add yogurt, mayonnaise, herbs, salt and pepper and mix together well. Stir in lemon zest andjuice and top with reserved minced herbs.Serve with cooked seafood or fresh vegetables.Jude’s KitchenJUDIE STEEVESPlease see “FIZZY” page 43Light Lemon DipSUBSCRIBE TODAY!Please mail to1120 East 13th Ave Vancouver, BC V5T 2M1 604.871.0001The agricultural news source inBritish Columbia since 1915COUNTRYLifeYin BCNAMEADDRESSCITYPOSTAL CODETEL EMAIL(Prices include GST | Cheque or money order only please)PLEASE SEND A ____ YEAR GIFT SUBSCRIPTION FROM TO:NAME:ADDRESS:CITY: POSTAL CODE:o NEW o RENEWAL | o 1 YEAR ($18.90) o 2 YEAR ($33.60) o 3 YEAR ($37.80) Join thousands of BC farmers who turn to Country Life in BC every monthto find out what (and who!) is making news in BC agriculture and how itmay affect their farms and agri-businesses!NEWS & INFORMATION YOU (& YOUR FRIENDS) NEED!www.countrylifeinbc.comSUBSCRIBE TODAY!
heartening to see the migration (albeit a slowmigration) of young people moving to this areato launch family farm operations. We’ve gotfolks involved in aquaculture, raising sheep andlivestock, growing and selling quinoa,processing locally grown fruit and veggies intodelectable jams, jellies and pickles and so muchmore. Personally, I’m delighted with my latestbatch of rhubarb chutney. It was good news, then, to attend a recentChamber of Commerce luncheon whereeconomic development was being discussed.Among other initiatives presented was the goodnews of a possible incubator farm where youngfarmers would be given access to training andmentorship. According to Powell River EconomicDevelopment manager Scott Randolph, thisinitiative has been a long time coming.“We’ve attempted [to institute this] in thepast but came up against a number ofchallenges. Now, there is a rm resolve on thepart of the city, Vancouver Island University,School District #47, Powell River RegionalDistrict, the farmers institute and SALSA(Society for the Advancement of LocalSustainable Agriculture) to make it happen.”Kudos to all involved and we look forward toseeing other aqua- and agri-culturalpossibilities become realities. It’s somewhat likereturning to those original prairie roots wherebreaking ground had to take place before theprovince took its place as an internationalsupplier of food. Kudos, too, to all those farmers across theprovince who continue to pursue their passionfor working the land. Whether for local, nationalor global food production, you are the epitomeof what it means to be a community. Till theland, spray the crop, ride your tractor or lowerthe shovel with pride; we’re in this causetogether.They say that the senior years are years ofsober reection, so here are my nal thoughtsfor this month: Although in my reectivemoments I’ve always linked farming with living,never so much as now; over the years, I’ve alsolearned there must be seasons of cultivating, offacing challenges and of seeding good thingsinto life in order to glean the good. One of themore dicult challenges often involves tossingout those things that hold us back. So oftenneglected in favour of serving everyone else,I’m nally learning (and enjoying) the quieter“winter” season, a season that includes takingsome time for me. Think I’ll head for the garden. You, too?July 2016 • Country Life in BC 39FIZZY MASH WITH HERBS From page 38INCUBATOR FARMS From page 37NAME ____________________________________________OLD ADDRESS ________________________________________________________________________________________NEW ADDRESS ________________________________________________________________________________PHONE ____________________________________________COUNTRYLifein BCCanada Post will not deliver your Country Life in BCif they change your postal code, your street nameand/or address. If your address changes, please fillout the form below and mail or fax it to us, or useemail. Thank you!1120 East 13th Ave, Vancouver, B.C. V5T 2M1Email: countrylifeinbc@shaw.caPhone 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003July 16CHANGE OFADDRESS?Lola!This healthful drink is very simple to make, but also very refreshing. You could use raspberriesor pitted cherries instead of strawberries, or other fresh sweet fruit as well.1/2 c. (125 ml) strawberries 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh basil 1 tsp. (5 ml) honeyice 1 Meyer (or regular) lemon Soda waterWash, hull and smash strawberries in a tall drinking glass. Add ice and stir.Make a chionade of the fresh basil or other fresh herbs such as cilantro, by laying the leavesat in a pile, rolling them up tightly and slicing them nely.Squeeze the juice from a small, sweet Meyer lemon and add a drizzle of local honey.Mix well, then top with soda water, to taste. Give a stir and have a sip; then another…This could be garnished with a slice of lemon, a strawberry or herb leaves, or all of those.Makes one serving.Wednesday night.”The power came back on at seven.Christopher seemed mildly disappointed andsaid he was going to keep a re in the stove justto be on the safe side. Christopher had been in the barn cleaningthe vealer’s pen and had missed the ght.Ashley was in the next room and heard everyword.“Are you okay, Mom?”“Don’t worry, honey. We’re both just a littlestressed out, that’s all.”“What’s going to happen? Is Daddy seriousabout selling the house and moving?”“I don’t know what he’s going to do but Idon’t want to move from here. We’ll just haveto wait and see.”Ashley went to her room and phoned hergrandmother and told her about the snow andthe power being o all day, and she told herabout her parents ght.“I think it might be bad, Grandma. They wereboth talking about lawyers.”To be continued ...LAWYERS From page 37CLASSIFIEDDEADLINE FOR AUGUST 2016 ISSUE: JULY 2325 words or less, minimum $10 plus GST • Each additional word: $0.25DISPLAY CLASSIFIED: $20 plus GST per column inch1120 East 13th Avenue, Vancouver V5T 2M1Phone: 604/871-0001 • Fax: 604/871-0003E-mail: countrylifeinbc@shaw.ca • Web: www.countrylifeinbc.comFARM FOR SALEFOR SALENEW/USED EQUIPMENTNEW POLYETHYLENE TANKS OF ALLshapes & sizes for septic and waterstorage. Ideal for irrigation, hydroponics,washdown, lazy wells, rain water, truckbox, fertizilizer mixing & spraying. Call 1-800-661-4473 for closest distributor.Web: [www.premierplastics.com]Manufactured in Delta by PremierPlastics Inc.LIVESTOCKToll Free 1-888-357-0011www.ultra-kelp.comULTRA-KELPTMCelebrating 30 YearsFor Healthy LivestockAnimal Feed Supplement100% Natural60 Minerals • 12 Vitamins• 21 Amino AcidsFlack’s BakerviewKelp Products Inc, Pritchard, BCMF 2775 TRACTOR, 166 HP, CAB, DUALS,rear hydraulic outlets, low hours, $7,000.Call 250/567-2607.TAKE YOUR PICK!$6500David Brown 885, 46 HPDavid Brown 1200, 67 HPMassey Ferguson 1085, 85 HPMassey Ferguson 1155, 155 HPLeyland 385 c/w Loader,2 buckets & bale forkBelarus 10M3, 3 pt hitch(open to offers)Phone 250/838-7173PUREBRED SHORTHORN YEARLING bullsfor sale. Call 778/240-7233.STEELSTORAGECONTAINERSFOR SALEOR RENTjentonstorage@gmail.com604-534-2775EZEE-ONFRONT END LOADERS#125 Hi-Lift, c/w 8’ bucket, $4,000#90 c/w Q/A 7’ bucket& Q/A bale spike, $3,500Both are in excellent condition.Call 250/567-2607(Vanderhoof)NATURALLY GROWN, ORGANIC HORSEhay, $250 per ton. Also dairy hay, alfalfa,$250 per ton. Call 250/838-7173.EQUIPMENT DISPERSAL:NH 790 harvester, grass head, metaldetector, nice condition, $3,500.NH 900 forage harvester, c/w grass head,metal detector, good condition, $5,500.LEWIS CATTLE OILER DOUBLE ARM cattlescratcher, $550.8’ 3-PT MOUNT aerator, $850.TWO BADGER 16’ TANDEM AXLE silagewagons, w/roofs, shop stored, excellentcondition, $6,500 ea.Call Tony 604/850-4718.DeBOER’S USEDTRACTORS & EQUIPMENTGRINDROD, BCJD 7400 MFWD c/w cab, 3 pt, ldr 64,000JD 6410 MFWD, cab & ldr 54,000JD 6400 MFWD, cab & ldr 49,000JD 6400 MFWD, w/ldr 29,500JD 4240 cab, 3pt hitch 18,500JD 1830 diesel, with loader 10,500JD 2630 diesel, 65 HP w/ldr,comp engine rebuild 12,500JD 1120 diesel, w/ldr SOLDNH 1032 bale wagon, 70 cap. 5,500NH 1400 SP combine, diesel w/14’ directcut platform, 1400 original hours 8,500JD 220 20’ disc, ctr fold, complete newset of blades 16,500Ed DeBoer • 250/838-7362cell 250/833-6699Curt DeBoer • 250/838-9612cell 250/804-6147LOVELY PUREBRED SHORTHORN HEIFER(15 months old, not papered). Readyto breed. Correct confirmation,temperament, size. Good home only. CallIngrid 604/538-1092 or email[fourwinds.stevenson@mac.com]TWO YR OLD PB ROMNEY RAM, importedfrom S Oregon, available in October. Also, 20PB white and coloured Romney lambs, wellgrown, correct, healthy. Flock selected forease of lambing, prolificacy, andconformation for 35 years. Discount on 3 ormore. Call Bramblewood Farm 604/462-9465.FOR SALE: 2015 - 40 FT. TIMPTE grainHopper Trailer. 2 Hoppers with roll up tarps.Hardly used. Kept under cover. Asking$40,000. Call 604/220-5249.MASSEY FERGUSON 8450 COMBINEHydrostat. Mercedes-Bens engine. 1376hours. Straw Chopper & Spreader. MF pickup header. MF 9550 Straight cut Headerwith pick up reel. Transport trailer included.Asking $28,000. Call 604/220-5249.AQUAPONICS/BIOPONICSFARM FOR SALEWell established turnkey operationincluding everything - equipment, fish,plants, pots etc. Solid customer base!http://EcoProperty.ca/listing=30333Trendsetter FarmPure BredPolled Hereford CattleOne 4 year old bull, very quiet.(Courtenay Hereford Stock)10 cows all mixed genetics, quiet andgentle, easy to deal with.One 16 year old cow with heifer calf/Jan 22One 15 year old cow with heifer calf/Jan 14Two 1st calver with bull calves/Jan 23 & 27Two second calver with bull calves/Jan 22 & 29Four mixed ages 3 to 5 years,not calved yet Will sell all cows, rebred, bull and8 calves as a package. June 1st.$30,000.Information 250-752-8348trends4@telus.net
Country Life in BC • July 201640That’s where we come in. Our family of Kubota equipment is impeccably designed to help you take on any job, big or small. Visit us online to nd out more.IT’S A TOUGH JOB. BUT NOTHING FEELS BETTER THAN DOING IT YOURSELF.Your BC Kubota Dealers ...ABBOTSFORD AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 604/864-2665 COURTENAY NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR 250/334-0801 CRESTON KEMLEE EQUIPMENT LTD 250/428-2254DAWSON CREEK DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/782-5281DUNCAN ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD 250/746-1755 KAMLOOPS DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/851-2044KELOWNA AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/769-8700 OLIVER GERARD’S EQUIPMENT LTD 250/498-2524PRINCE GEORGE HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/560-5431 QUESNEL DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/991-0406 VERNON AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/545-3355 0.9% FOR 72MONTHS OACFREE 6 YEARPOWER TRAIN WARRANTYon select models. SEE DEALER FOR DETAILS.