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Vol. 105 No. 6

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 JUNE 2019 | Vol. 105 No. 6

PORK

Johnston’s Packers targeted by activists

BERRY

Berry growers get long-awaited funding boost

ABATTOIR

Changes to slaughter rules taking too long

by PETER MITHAM

VERNON – Okanagan

farmland outstrips the rest of

Canada in average price per

acre, according to the 2018

farmland values report from

Farm Credit Canada.

The report says the

average price of farmland in

the region rose 6.4% to

$97,903 an acre in 2018.

“[The] Okanagan region

saw substantial demand,

even for smaller parcels,” it

states, noting that vineyard

development was a key driver

as wineries continued to seek

fruit to support growing

sales.

“The tree fruit sector

continued to be a signicant

part of Okanagan agriculture

but played a lesser role in the

land market in 2018,” the

report adds.

However, local brokers say

orchardists continue to be

active, driving up the price of

irrigated land typically used

for forage.

“Orchards are moving into

the north Okanagan, pushing

… forage land up to orchard

land values as you see in the

south, central Okanagan,” says

Pat Duggan, a former dairy

farmer now an agent with

Royal LePage Downtown

Realty Ltd. in Vernon.

“Traditionally, if you have

irrigated land at $13,000 to

$15,000 per acre, and then

the orchard people come in,

they’re willing to pay $20,000

to $25,000 an acre, so that

puts pressure on forage

producers.”

By the same token, FCC

reports that the maximum

asking price for property in

the Okanagan fell in 2018,

by PETER MITHAM

ABBOTSFORD – BC SPCA is

declining to press charges

against an Abbotsford hog

farm targeted by animal

rights activists.

Representatives of the

association, which is

responsible under the

province’s Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals Act to

investigate complaints and

enforce laws related to animal

welfare, visited the farm in

Hog

farm

won’t

face

charges

Police ask

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early May and found no

grounds for charges.

“We utilized the code of

practice for hog farming, and

have determined at this point

that we will not be

proceeding with any charges

against Excelsior Hog Farm,”

says Shawn Eccles, senior

manager, cruelty

investigations, with the BC

SPCA.

The visit occurred more

than a week after People for

the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA) provided a

video to CTV allegedly

documenting instances of

inhumane conditions at the

farm. An initial visit was

pre-empted, Eccles said, by a

protest at the farm on

April 28 that saw more than

50 activists invade the farm’s

barns and more than 100

gather outside.

“We had made

arrangements to attend the

farm with appropriate

individuals that had training

or experience in hog farms

and a protest occurred,”

explains Eccles. “We assessed

what we saw on the date that

we were on the farm, and at

this point there is no

evidence to warrant a

charge.”

The activists’ intervention

prevented the prompt

investigation of the

complaint by the proper

authorities, and the fact that

the person who shot the

video never stepped forward

to back up the evidence left

investigators with no grounds

for pursuing the matter.

“We can’t attest to the

veracity of the video,” says

Eccles. “As a policing agency,

[we] have to rely on evidence

… that I have either through

eyewitness testimony – which

I don’t have – or physical

evidence.”

However, some members

of industry are criticizing BC

SPCA’s handling of the

matter, saying it didn’t act

fast enough, or clear the air

when it nally determined

there were no grounds for

pursuing charges.

The video followed a

break-and-enter at Excelsior

dropping from $166,900 an

acre in 2017 to $148,800 an

acre last year.

By contrast, top sale prices

in the Lower Mainland

increased to a whopping

$218,900 an acre in 2018, up

from $162,700 an acre in

2017.

This has prompted many

farmers to reconsider where

they buy, and how they

manage their operations.

“They’re moving out to

cheaper real estate that has

irrigation,” says Duggan. “If

you can nd good parcels of

irrigated farmland, they don’t

seem to stay on the market

for very long.”

Gord Houweling of BC

Farm & Ranch Realty Corp. in

Abbotsford agrees.

“We see folks that will

move up to Salmon Arm,

Enderby,” he says. “They’re

looking for hay land, ranch

land, heifer-raising facilities,

within a maximum of four

hours of the home farm.”

Often, they’re looking to

reorganize the farm to make

the most of location and land

values. Dairy farmers in the

Lower Mainland, for instance,

will locate milking herds in

the region close to

processing plants, while other

elements of the operation –

forage production and heifers

– will take place in the

Interior.

“It only makes economical

sense to make the home farm

produce the milk and get the

young stock o the farm so

they’ve got room for more

milk cows. And that’s what

we’re seeing,” says Houweling,

noting that the new

Agricultural Environmental

Management Code of

Practice is one more incentive

for growers to split up

operations.

Houweling also has listings

on Vancouver Island, but he

says the market is slow. The

low sale volumes didn’t stop

land values from

appreciating, says FCC, as

buyers seeking refuge from

the high cost of properties in

the Lower Mainland came

calling. The region logged the

biggest gain in value of

anywhere in Canada, with an

acre of farmland rising 21.7%

to an average of $50,858 an

acre.

Farm sales increase

Sales of farm properties

rose 57% in 2018, according

to data from the BC Ministry

of Finance.

A total of 1,547 farm

properties changed hands in

2018, up from 987 in 2017.

Sales were concentrated in

the Northern Rockies-Peace,

Fraser Valley and Metro

Vancouver regional districts.

The three regions accounted

for just 40% of all sales, while

the other 60% were

distributed among the

province's remaining 24

regions. The majority of these

saw 50 farm sales or fewer in

2018, with just 10 seeing 51

sales or more.

Columbia-Shuswap,

Cowichan Valley and Central

Okanagan regions saw sales

increase by more than 200%.

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in late March during which

surveillance cameras were

installed. Those cameras were

removed, and Abbotsford

police are investigating.

The force’s

communications ocer,

Sergeant Judy Bird, said the

two incidents are subject to

separate investigations. Bird

said evidence is being

collected to see if there are

grounds for prosecuting

those responsible for either

incident.

The latest incident saw

police identify and secure

contact information for 50

protestors. Just one arrest

was made, but the individual,

Amy Soranno of Okanagan

Animal Save, was released

pending a court appearance.

“Our investigation

continues, and we will be

looking at charges for the

protestors with respect to

break-and-enter and

mischief,” Bird said of the

protest.

While farm invasions are

rare in Canada, Bird said the

protest is a reminder that

such incidents are possible.

She encourages farmers to

report suspicious activity on

their properties to police.

“I don’t recall us having

anything like this in

Abbotsford before,” she said.

“This puts an extra reminder

on us that this has the

potential to happen again in

the Fraser Valley.”

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the income crunch when farms transition.

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FARM NEWS

countrylifeinbc.com

WEEKLY

FARM

NEWS

UPDATES

For more coverage on

this issue, see Tom Walker’s

story, Johnston’s Packers

targeted by activists, on

page 7.

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

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Minister defends

Bill 15 changes

Opposition maintains new law

will erode farmers’ rights

by PETER MITHAM

VICTORIA – Provincial

legislation that will centralize

governance of the

Agricultural Land Reserve

inched a step closer to

passage as this edition of

Country Life in BC went to

press.

Bill 15 passed second

reading in the legislature on

May 16, supported by votes

from all 44 government MLAs

and opposed by 40

opposition MLAs.

Opposition members

absent for the vote included

Tracy Redies of Surrey-White

Rock and Abbotsford West

MLA Mike de Jong, who was

among the louder voices

speaking out against the bill.

The last MLA to speak

against the bill was Peace

River South MLA Mike Bernier,

who emphasized that the

changes would make it

harder for farmers to manage

their properties.

“It’s another heavy-handed

approach, where the minister

and this government are

imposing a top-down view,

from Victoria on how people

should be running their

farming operations and how

they should be expected to

manage the agricultural

sector,” he said. “We don't

want to see agricultural land

sitting there stagnant

because people give up.”

Bernier said the

government’s support of

farmland needs to be

complemented by support

for farmers. Centralizing

control over farmland by

eliminating the existing

system of regional panels and

shutting landowners out of

the exclusion process takes

more than it gives, he argued.

“If the minister and this

government really want to be

helping the agricultural

industry, they need to ensure

that there are policies and

supports to allow the farmers

to actually be on the land, to

look for opportunities to

make extra income,” Bernier

said.

Concerns dismissed

Agriculture minister Lana

Popham dismissed the

concerns, accusing

opposition MLAs of an

ongoing campaign of

misinformation. She said the

reality was that the legislation

would ght speculation and

producers who saw more

prot “farming ll than

farming agricultural products.”

The legislation is only

“logical,” she told the

legislature, adding, “You can't

just protect the farmland; you

also have to bring in policies

that support farming.”

“These are improvements

to protect the Agricultural

Land Reserve, along with

what we're doing to

encourage farming,” she said,

without giving MLAs any

examples.

Opposition MLAs spent six

weeks speaking against the

bill, which the government

aims to pass by the time the

house adjourns for the

summer on May 30. While the

BC Liberals acknowledged

that they couldn’t stop the

bill from becoming law,

thanks to their minority

position in the house, they

hope the nal text will be

amended in committee.

Those debates take place

after this issue goes to press.

BC Liberal leader Andrew

Wilkinson has pledged to

repeal BC NDP changes to

legislation governing the ALR

if his party forms the next

provincial government. The

next general election in the

province is scheduled for

October 16, 2021.

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Where’s the beef?

BC Liberal agriculture critic Ian Paton looks on as BC Cattlemen's Association president Larry Garrett,

who ranches in Vanderhoof, speaks at BC Beef Day at the legislature on May 14. BC agriculture minister

Lana Popham helped serve fresh-cooked meat wearing her Buy BC apron. BC ranchers produced close

to 180 million pounds of beef in 2017 worth nearly $236 million. The industry would like to see greater

local processing capacity, rather than having to ship animals to Alberta for slaughter.

[BC MINISTRY OF

AGRICULTURE PHOTO]

Farmers, not just farmland, need revitalization

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019

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The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915

Vol.105 No.6 . JUNE 2019

Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd.

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Publisher Cathy Glover

604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com

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604-793-9193 . davidschmidt@shaw.ca

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news@countrylifeinbc.com

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D’oh! PW

“Peace, order and good government” may well be the words fundamental

to Canada’s national character. We say “sorry” at the drop of a hat, devoutly

anxious that we might somehow have disturbed the peace and order of our

neighbours. Our laws and regulations dene what we can and can’t do,

especially in matters regarding freedom of speech; unlike the US, where the

onus is on the defamed party to prove injury, Canada’s laws regarding libel

and defamation favour plaintis, encouraging individuals to respect others.

But farmers, who the province is set to exclude from the denition of

persons for the purposes of land exclusions under Bill 15 (set to pass shortly

after this issue goes to press), are in danger of losing their protection from

defamation.

The recent decision of Crown prosecutors to drop charges against an

animal rights activist who entered an Ontario hog farm because they didn’t

think the case would result in a conviction – even though the activist herself

admitted to the act and had video footage of what she had done – could well

embolden activists there, as well as in BC.

It’s already happening, in fact. Two years ago, undercover footage of

livestock mistreatment by sta at a Chilliwack chicken catching business

grabbed headlines. But the province’s privacy commissioner told the business

it couldn’t equip sta with body cameras to monitor animal handling

practices. “Video surveillance should only be used as a last resort,” the

commissioner said.

It wasn’t true for activists then, and it wasn’t true this spring when cameras

were installed at a hog farm in Abbotsford, resulting in footage that triggered

an invasion of the farm by protestors at the end of April and a cybertattack

that compromised the business of the packinghouse it supplies. Police are

investigating the break-and-enter that led to the footage, but the BC SPCA

notes that the footage is hardly grounds for convicting some of lming it.

Even someone claiming to have shot the video isn’t enough; there must be

proof that the suspect actually installed the cameras.

While the BC SPCA has found no evidence the farm mistreated its animals,

the defamatory footage will live on because, it seems, no one can be held

accountable for releasing it. It’s one more instance where farmers have lost

their rights under the law.

There was neither peace nor order when activists descended on the BC

No peace, no order

Bill 15, the Agricultural Land Commission Amendment Act 2019, is poised to

become law. When it does, BC agriculture minister Lana Popham will have

fullled the rst item on the list of agriculture-specic directives in the mandate

letter she received when she

became minister in July 2017.

Minister Popham appears to

have all of her ducks smartly in a

row: appropriate

recommendations from the

independent advisory committee

appointed last year to recommend

ways to revitalize the ALR and ALC;

support from within the farm community, including the BC Agriculture Council;

and the ever-claimed, and always alluded-to, backing of 95% of the public. Even

the membership of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, not

generally known for welcoming government regulation, voted 56% in favour of

imposing stricter regulations on the use of farmland in the ALR when

questioned in an internal survey that simplied the issue to a choice between

protecting food supply or allowing residential development.

There has been some pushback.

BC Liberal MLAs are framing Bill 15 as an attack on the property rights of

farmers and ranchers, several farmers institutes are voicing concern and there is

plenty of sceptical resignation among the rank and le that make agriculture

happen. There is little chance any of this will alter the outcome.

There will be a lot of tub-thumping from the moral high ground when the

bill nally passes, and salvation proclaimed for BC farmland. I have no quarrel

with the premise, but as my Granddad used to say: there’s two sides to every

story and two answers to every question.

Let’s look at the other side of this story: farmers and ranchers.

Sure, 95% of the population support farmland preservation. Health care and

education probably enjoy the same level of support, but what good is a

hospital without doctors or nurses? What good is a school without teachers?

Hospitals and schools are only buildings until doctors, nurses and teachers turn

them into places where health care and education actually happen.

Similarly, it’s ranchers and farmers who turn the ALR into agriculture. Among

them are the resigned sceptics who understand the value of their land but balk

at the possibility of having another stone piled on the ever-increasing load of

red tape and regulation they shoulder. They have watched the ALR saving

farmland for 45 years but have seen agriculture fading away. They worry about

where the regulatory hammer might fall if a growing bureaucracy starts playing

Whac-A-Mole to enforce compliance. They understand the necessity of

diversied income – ideally generated on site – to making agriculture happen.

Premier John Horgan’s mandate letter to Minister Popham outlined several

priorities, both general and specic to agriculture. Among them was “build a

strong, sustainable, innovative economy that works for everyone” and “create

good-paying jobs in every corner of the province, and ensure people from

every background have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

BC has some of the lowest farm incomes in Canada. To be sustainable, farms

need money for investment and to support the families who turn the ALR into

agriculture. At the very least, they should be permitted and encouraged to

identify and pursue innovative opportunities that allow them to achieve the

premier’s stated objectives.

Perhaps the time is right for Minister Popham to consider striking an

independent advisory committee for revitalizing agriculture in BC.

Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni

Valley.

The Back Forty

BOB COLLINS

hog farm at the end of April, and no one seems sorry for the inconvenience

caused the farm or the rest of the supply chain. Good governance demands

more, especially in a province where industry codes of practice for livestock

are, as of this month, part of provincial statutes that also include right-to-farm

legislation.

We all want to protect livestock. Who will protect farmers?

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

ALR restrictions make commuting a fact of life

Housing options for new farmers can build connections with the land

One of the many benets

we see from protecting food

lands within our communities

is the opportunity to build a

sustainable food system. But

the noble pursuit of farmland

protection itself must, like all

things, abide by the triple

bottom line of sustainability.

The need for economic and

environmental sustainability

is obvious, ensuring that

farms don’t deplete their

nancial or natural resources;

but the third tenet is harder

to grasp: social sustainability.

Yet if the BC Ministry of

Agriculture and the

Agricultural Land Commission

want to see land preserved

for farming actually farmed,

they will have to take social

sustainability into account.

A poignant example of this

challenge is the limitations Bill

52, passed last fall, placed on

housing options, prohibiting

second homes of any kind

except through application to

the ALC. Bill 15, introduced

this winter, will add the

opportunity for regulations

that limit where houses can

be sited. For new farmers in

particular, this has serious

implications.

For those prospective

farmers who can’t aord to

buy land independently (and

what young person can

anywhere in what was called

Zone 1?), they have a few

options. Some combine

savings with friends or

extended family, but as

anyone who has started a

business with a friend or

family member knows, such

arrangements require a high

degree of

compatibility and

trust, and a

forfeiture of

autonomy.

This becomes

less attractive,

however, when

only one residence plus a

suite is permitted. Assuming

the relationship is resilient

enough to survive daily

proximity, they'll have to

agree on who lives in the

basement – for example, the

adult children who could use

more space for their own

children, or the retired

parents who actually fronted

the bulk of the money?

Leasing not new

Recognizing that even the

imperfect solution of pooling

savings is out of reach for

many young farmers, the

province is working to

address access to land

through leasing. Farms have

operated on leased land since

time immemorial, and it is

already a common land

tenure, but I would hazard to

guess that the majority of

today’s established leases are

held by neighbouring farmers

who already have a home.

This is not the situation for

people new to the industry.

While there are some lucky

opportunities in BC for new

farmers to lease land with

accommodations, this is not

the status quo, and

understandably so when

landowners want to stay on

site, but new farmers who are

leasing can no longer (legally)

expect to install a mobile

home, or even a camper, as a

second residence.

Theoretically, a landowner

may still apply to the ALC for

a second, “non-adhering

residential use,” but their

general position seems to be

that the risk of abuse is too

high to actually use this

option since there is currently

no assurance that the farming

won’t end and the housing

remain.

If new farmers can’t nd

on-farm housing, they are

pushed into the residential

rental market. Across Zone 1,

this is as elusive and

unaordable as any other

kind of real estate, most likely

outside the ALR and therefore

at a distance from the farm.

With residential rents in BC

averaging $1,248 a month last

year, and gas hovering

between $1.30 and $1.70 a

litre across the province,

commuting to the farm

becomes an expensive, time-

consuming fact of life for

many young farmers if they

can’t live on the properties

they care for.

Surely it is not too much for

a new farmer to ask to live

near their animals or on the

land they work? Of course,

there is the practical necessity

of responding to

emergencies. But there is also

a knowledge that new

farmers only acquire when

they can see their land in all

hours and all weathers, and

can connect with their

experienced farming

neighbours.

There are also less tangible

– more social – benets, to

living on one’s land. Farming

is typically a dicult and all-

consuming job. The least that

someone can expect, when

they sacrice a reliable

income and commit seven

days a week to this work, is to

experience the advantages of

rural life – the chance to wake

up to familiar birdsongs, to

get the morning chores done

before breakfast, and to see a

sunset from the window and

not a neighbour’s wall.

When so many challenges

already lie in their paths,

removing these benets from

the equation may

well cause the

next generation

of prospective

farmers to ask –

why bother?

When we restrict

the ability of

farmers to live on

and enjoy the

land, we may

succeed at

preserving

farmland, but not farming.

Ava Reeve coordinates the

Small Farm Network in Langley,

a recent project to connect and

support mixed farms in all

aspects of their sustainability.

Find them on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/groups/lang

leysmallfarmnetwork.

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CHILLIWACK – Bonnie

Windsor is assistant plant

manager at Johnston’s

Packers Ltd., the largest

provincially inspected

slaughterhouse in BC. The

business has been processing

hogs in Chilliwack since 1937,

making it one of the

province’s oldest plants, too.

Windsor is bright,

articulate, hardworking and

has a raucous sense of

humour. She could be

working in any number of

businesses, but she happens

to work for a slaughterhouse.

This put her on the front lines

of an eort by animal rights

activists to shut down a local

hog farm – and the rest of the

BC hog industry – at the end

of April.

“I didn’t sign up for this,”

Windsor told the BC

Association of Abattoirs in

Chase on April 27, ve days

after the PETA (People for the

Ethical Treatment of Animals)

released a video to CTV

purporting to show pigs

living in squalor at Excelsior

Hog Farm in Abbotsford. “But

I sure think I earned a black

belt in PETA over the last four

days. You learn quick.”

The video shocked

Windsor and the rest of the

sta at Johnston’s.

“We were as horried as

anyone else,” she says. “That is

not what Johnston’s stands

for, but we asked, ‘Is this

real?’”

Conversations with the

Binnendyk family, which runs

the farm, conrmed that the

video was taken at night and

concentrated on the hospital

pen, an area where sick or

injured animals are taken for

treatment. The family also

believes some of the footage

was shot elsewhere and

edited into the video.

“We were named as the

packer that the producer

ships to, so I gured we might

be next,” says Windsor says.

Cyberattack

The craziness began April

23, the morning after the CTV

broadcast. Within a two-hour

period, Windsor received

more than 2,500 emails, many

with the same subject line.

“I was trying to sift through

and nd any legitimate mail

from customers,” says

Windsor. “But I just couldn’t.”

Empyrion Technologies

Inc., which provides IT

services to Johnston’s, froze

its account.

Then the activists found

her cell number.

“I quickly learned not to

answer it,” she deadpans. “I

froze. I didn’t know what to

do. … I’d already been awake

all the rst night.”

She spoke with the BC Pork

Producers Association and

poultry producers she knew

who had been targeted by

activists in the past. They all

said the same thing: “Keep

your head down, don’t

respond, hide.”

Johnston’s Packers targeted by activists

Bonnie Windsor recounts how

protesters turned on packinghouse

and how she chose to fight back

Bonnie Windsor admits she was tongue-tied when media started calling her after animal activists targeted

a hog farm that supplies Johnston’s Packers. Her rst inclination, after consulting others, was to not

respond but then she realized if she didn’t tell her side of the story, others would. [BC PORK PHOTO]

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 20198

DEATH threats nfrom page 7

The presumption of innocence is a key

strength of Canada’s justice system. It

requires prosecutors to build a case that has

a fair chance of success before laying

charges against suspects.

However, it also means people can do

things that may never be successfully

prosecuted. This is often the case with

animal welfare activists, which often harass

and invade legitimate businesses with

impunity. Charges against an activist in

Ontario, for example, were recently

dropped because the court felt prosecutors

had little chance of success.

Here in BC, police are working to build a

case against activists who targeted Excelsior

Hog Farm in Abbotsford this spring. But the

cyberattack against Johnston’s Packers Ltd.

in Chilliwack is likely to go unpunished.

According to Johnston’s assistant plant

manager Bonnie Windsor, the RCMP have

closed the le, saying they lack the training

to investigate the matter. Moreover, the

organization responsible for the attack is

based in England, outside its jurisdiction.

—Tom Walker

Then she spoke to the

Binnendyks, who changed her

mind.

“You can’t imagine what

those farmers went through,”

says Windsor. “There were

death threats to the family

and people coming up and

knocking on their door.”

But they told her the

harassment wasn’t going to

force them to take their farm

sign down. She admired their

attitude.

“[Ray Binnendyk] said, ‘We

are a second-generation farm

family. We are proud to feed

the people of this province

and we have nothing to hide,’”

she recalls.

By the second day, she had

found the courage to craft a

response.

“I started to realize that we

can’t ght with PETA but we

can ght against them by

making sure our customers

[have] the right information,”

she says.

Thursday, three days after

the CTV broadcast, things got

worse. Windsor received more

than 10,000 emails that

morning, crippling portions of

Johnston’s computer system

for several hours.

Empyrion helped get the

system back in operation and

Windsor started to respond to

emails from upset customers.

“PETA was telling our story

for us and we needed to start

telling it ourselves,” she says.

“It took me more than an hour

to write my rst letter. I

composed what I thought

would sound okay even if

they put it on the news.”

The toll on the company

has been signicant. It has lost

just one customer – a grocer

who doesn’t believe

Johnston’s has done anything

wrong but wants to avoid the

controversy – but the

emotional toll has been huge.

Johnston’s can press

charges for the cyberattack –

a conviction carries a minimum

ne of $100,000 – but it would

cost it time and legal fees.

“I prefer to spend my time

doing positive things,” says

Windsor, who says she has

already suered enough.

“Three nights without

sleep, it aects your health. All

the hate messages. You start

to question your ability to

make decisions.”

Beef up security

The message she left with

abattoir association members

was a warning of the greater

risks livestock producers and

processors face, and the need

to beef up security.

“I hope if I have convinced

you of anything, I have

convinced you to get security

cameras for your plant,” she

says. “And we all need

emergency response plans.

Perhaps we can draw up a

master template together.”

She thinks media training

would help, too.

“I’ve taken some but when

they phone you up for a

comment, you are pretty lost,”

she says. “I had no idea what

to say. … I think we can do a

better job of telling our story.

I’m certainly not going to

keep my head down. I am

going to make this industry

stronger.”

When is a crime not a crime?

Animal rights activists showed up by the busload at Excelsior Hog Farm in Abbotsford, April 28, and refused

to leave until media was provided access to the barns. [THE CANADIAN PRESS/PHOTOGRAPHER]

VICTORIA – Children can

continue to help on their

family’s farm.

“We are moving the

minimum age from 12 years

to 16 years,” BC labour

minister Harry Bains said April

29, announcing a host of

amendments to the

Employment Standards Act.

A submission by the BC

Agriculture Council to the

province during consultations

regarding the BC legislation

pointed out that Alberta’s

controversial youth

employment rules “do not

apply on farms and ranches.”

Bains conrmed this isn’t

the intent of the new BC rules,

which specically target paid

employment.

“They can still work to help

out the household chores or

work on their family farm,” he

said. “[It’s] the employer-

employee relationship we’re

talking about.”

—Peter Mitham

Child

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Join us as we host a gathering of global blueberry industry leaders for

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June 24-26 in Richmond

Sunday, June 23 VIP Reception

June 24 Farm to Table bus tour showcasing BC’s vibrant blueberry industry

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Berry growers get long-awaited funding boost

CAP cash will support variety

development, research

by PETER MITHAM

ABBOTSFORD – BC berry

growers are celebrating the

ocial announcement of

renewed funding for breeders

seeking to develop new

varieties of strawberries,

raspberries and blueberries.

The new funding will

support researchers working

to improve berry genetics to

the tune of $200,000 a year

over ve years, or $1 million.

Administered by the Lower

Mainland Horticulture

Improvement Association

(LMHIA), the funding will

support the development of

superior berry varieties suited

to BC.

“The program is expected

to lead to improved crops,

higher fruit quality and

increased pest and disease

resistance,” the federal and

provincial governments said

in a press release on May 11.

The funding is being made

available through the

Canadian Agricultural

Partnership, the successor to

the Growing Forward 2

program that ended March

31, 2018. LMHIA had applied

for about $2.5 million in

federal and provincial

funding for the period 2018-

2022, but ocial conrmation

of continued support for the

berry breeding program was

months coming.

“We have been running a

barebones program the past

year using our own

resources,” LMHIA director

David Mutz of Berry Haven

Farms Ltd. in Abbotsford told

the association’s annual

general meeting in January.

“It’s very dicult to budget

when you don’t know when

you are going to get funding

and what the ratio of industry

to government funding will

be.”

Mutz did not respond to a

request for comment on the

funding announcement.

However, the investment is a

vote of condence in the

future of an industry that

faces signicant competition

from imports and high input

costs relative to other

growing regions.

LMHIA began coordinating

berry breeding in BC in 2013,

taking over from Agriculture

and Agri-Food Canada.

Variety development

doesn’t oer quick answers,

let alone a silver bullet for the

industry.

The release in 2009 of

Nisga’a, a new early

strawberry, has not stopped

the decline of the sector,

which faces tough

competition from California

and Mexico. Shops in

Vancouver were selling three

pounds of California

strawberries for $5 last

month, while processing

strawberries from Mexico

land at 80 cents a pound.

Two new raspberries

released the same year, Ukee

and Rudyberry, continue to

await successors. But many

growers, especially after this

winter’s February cold snap,

are looking at other

opportunities. Blueberries,

which face their own

challenges, have been the

most popular alternative for

growers.

“Once it’s been changed to

blueberries, it’s unlikely to go

back to raspberries,” said

Raspberry Industry

Development Council chair

James Bergen at the council’s

annual general meeting in

March.

Abundant blueberries

Blueberries are the

province’s most abundant

berry, and most lucrative fruit

export. BC was home to more

than 600 blueberry growers

in 2017, versus 100 raspberry

growers and 50 strawberry

growers. The farmgate value

of blueberries that year was

$136 million, versus $20

million for raspberries and

just $6.4 million for

strawberries, most of which

are for the fresh market.

However, the value of

blueberries shipped abroad

was $222 million, making it

the province’s fourth-largest

agrifood export. Research is

helping enhance shipping

protocols, but work towards

new varieties is slow.

“We’re still between a rock

and a hard place,” researcher

Eric Gerbrandt of Sky Blue

Horticulture Ltd. in Chilliwack

told growers attending the

Pacic Agriculture Show in

January. “There’s no clear

outliers.”

Related funding

The funding for berry

breeding complements $11.5

million in federal funding

announced in March for

horticulture research

coordinated by the Canadian

Horticultural Council. Also

delivered under the Canadian

Agricultural Partnership, the

funding will be matched by

$6.5 million in contributions

from industry.

According to the ocial

announcement, the research

will assist in the development

of “new technologies and

practices for better pest and

disease management, post-

harvest storage and handling”

as well as “new crop varieties

to keep our growers

protable and competitive.”

Berry research in BC is getting a $1 million inux of cash over ve years from the federal and provincial

governments. The announcement came just as berry season was about to get underway. [MAAN FARMS PHOTO]

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201910

by DAVID SCHMIDT

ABBOTSFORD – Just as

producers face more and

more restrictions on the

antibiotics they can use, they

may have a

new weapon to

ght at least

one major

poultry

disease.

At the BC

Poultry

Symposium in

Abbotsford,

May 15, Dr.

Trevor Lank of

MicroSintesis in

Charlottetown,

PEI, introduced

local poultry

producers to

proteobiotics –

a new type of molecule made

of 4-8 amino acids produced

by probiotics. Unlike

prebiotics, probiotics or

antibiotics, these new

molecules do not actually

attack pathogens. Instead,

they interfere with the

devices pathogens use to

communicate with each other

and thereby reduce the rate

of infections.

MicroSintesis won last

year’s University of Guelph

innovation award for its

proteobiotics and has

received Canadian Food

Inspection Agency approval

for their use in swine and

poultry production.

“Proteobiotics don’t need a

prescription.

They are safe

and available

for use in

organic and

RWA (raised

without

antibiotics)

programs,” Lank

stated.

He said

proteobiotics

have reduced

severe diarrhea

in pigs by 89%

and reduced E.

coli shedding.

In small lab

tests, broilers fed 12 mg of

proteobiotics/kg of feed per

day for days 12-28 showed a

15% decrease in necrotic

enteritis (NE) lesions and a

34% decrease in mortalities.

Average pen weight

increased 5% and litter scores

improved 20%.

“Since the proteobiotics

don’t kill pathogens, the

pathogens don’t develop

resistance to them,” Lack said.

He said MicroSintesis has a

system to produce

Proteobiotics reduce poultry, swine infections

proteobiotics which can be

delivered through the water

supply as long as the water is

treated with chlorine rather

than hydrogen peroxide.

“We’re now trying to

commercialize their use and

replicate our lab results in

commercial swine herds and

poultry ocks,” Lack told

producers, saying it cost them

three to four cents per bird to

feed proteobiotics for 10 to

20 days.

Antibiotics banned

Finding new weapons to

ght disease is crucial as the

industry moves away from the

preventative use of

antibiotics.

“We expect 15-20% of

Canadian broiler farms could

see increased incidence of NE

and coccidiosis” as a result of

the withdrawal of Category I,

II and III antibiotics, says

Zoetis Canada technical

services veterinarian Babek

Sanei.

While antibiotic use is

being restricted to prevent

buildup of resistance, Sanei

worries that may cause more

problems than it solves. He

points out Europe, which

banned preventative use of

antibiotics in poultry in 2008,

is now nding an increase in

bacterial enteritis.

“That could result in more

salmonella going to

processors which is a big

issue in BC,” Sanei said. “I’m

worried there could be more

food poisoning if we withdraw

all in-feed antibiotics.”

Noting antibiotics can still

be used for treatment, he

suggested producers with a

high-risk for NE sacrice a few

birds to determine if they

have subclinical NE.

“If your veterinarian can

nd subclinical NE, you can

start treatment and reduce

mortality.”

He reported on a recent

research study which showed

that mortality in “challenged”

ocks dropped from 17% to

just 3.33% if treatment was

begun when NE was still in

the subclinical stage.

Sanei notes that once all

Category I, II and III antibiotics

are banned, producers will

only have Avilamycin

available to them which could

result in a buildup of

resistance to it.

“I think industry still needs

more transitional time to

adjust,” he says, calling for

Category III drugs to continue

to be allowed in broilers

during the critical age for

coccidiosis (around 26 to 28

days) of age so they can be

alternated with Avilamycin.

Europe is using ionophores

to compensate for the loss of

antibiotics, says Dr. Eric Parent

of the University of Montreal.

It is not helping as 75% of

ocks are experiencing either

NE or non-specic enteritis.

Parent thinks this may be

because producers don’t

know how to use them. He

noted a recent study showed

no dierence between ocks

fed ionophores from start to

nish to those treated with

both ionophores and

chemicals.

The Sweet Pickins Farm is a 39.45-acre mixed use farm. Main

crop is blueberries with a small herd of Black Angus cattle; plus,

board horses. The store (open during blueberry season), selling

blueberries, pies, jam, and some fruits and vegetables. Products

Vegetables - Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Garlic, Pumpkins,

Zucchini /Berries - Blackberries, Blueberries/Fruit -apples, Crab

Apples, Plums, Rhubarb /Meat - Beef /Specialty Items - Baked

Goods, Jams & Jellies, Soaps/ Compost & Fertilizer - Manure/

Store sells: Fresh and Frozen Blueberries, Fresh picked

seasonal Vegetables, Fresh and Dried Garlic, Summer and Fall

Apples, Free range Eggs, Rhubarb, Blueberry and other Fruit

Pies, Homemade Jams and Chutneys. Out buildings; Store/Shop

30X20, Covered Patio 20x8, Walk-in-Cooler 7X11, Garage 25x28,

Freezer Room 18x9,Caretaker 12x20, Barn 70x40, Equipment

Garage/Horse Stalls 52x41, workshop/Wood shop/Horse Stalls/

Garage 70x40,farm hand accommodation

45x12. This is a great multifamily purchase.

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Sweet Pickins Farm

Sweet Pickins Farm – 39.45 acre mixed use

farm. Blueberries, Black Angus cattle; horse

boarding. Seasonal store features

blueberries, pies, jam, fruits and vegetables.

Outbuildings: 30x20 store/shop; 20x8

covered patio, 7x11 walk-in-cooler, 25x28

garage, 18x9 freezer room, 70x40 barn,

52x41 equipment garage/horse stalls, 70x40

workshop/wood shop/horse stalls/garage.

Accommodations: 1930 Country

Farmhouse, 12x20 caretaker, 45x12 farm

hand. This is a great multi-family purchase.

Prescription-free molecule could

provide options to antibiotics

Proteobiotics have been shown to reduce necrotic enteritis lesions in poultry and severe diarrhea in pigs

and could be as easy to administer as adding it to a water source. [FILE PHOTO]

TREVOR LANK

YOUR

Helping You

FARM NEWS

WEEKLY

FARM

NEWS

UPDATES

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

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ABBOTSFORD—The volatile

nature of natural gas prices

this past winter has taken its

toll on the greenhouse industry

in BC and growers are looking

for solutions to a problem that

won’t disappear anytime soon.

"There's not enough

capacity in the pipeline, and

this year we skated through

because a couple of industries

that are under construction

have pre-bought their pipeline

space," says BC Greenhouse

Growers Association executive

director Linda Delli Santi,

adding that the unused

capacity was luckily sold back

to those who needed it. "But,

when [the industries under

construction] are fully

operational, there won't be

room in that pipeline for gas

that's not pre-bought. So, this

is going to be the new norm."

An explosion last October

in one of two natural gas

pipelines that supply

southwest BC caused the

historically reliable price of

natural gas to uctuate wildly.

Greenhouse growers

experienced natural gas prices

10 times the normal rate for

February and March this year,

which destroyed this season’s

prots for much of the

industry.

"I have a member who

normally pays $38,000 for

natural gas in February. He

paid $750,000 [this February].

That's not sustainable,” says

Delli Santi. “I have another one

who paid $1.2 million in

February. I mean, what do you

want to pay for peppers next

year?"

People who locked in a

price for natural gas with

Fortis fared better than those

who stuck to the spot market.

Few understand the

unorthodox prices and the

fallout better than Vander

Meulen Greenhouses Inc.

owner Armand Vander

Meulen, who is buying on the

spot market this year.

“This current winter season

scenario sucked up all the

prot. It's as simple as that,” he

says.

His greenhouse’s gas

payments averaged $28 per

gigajoule in February and

$35/GJ in March, up from the

normal rate of around $3/GJ.

This included one weekend in

late February where he was

stuck paying a record high of

around $200/GJ.

For Vander Meulen, the

only way out of what looks

like a rocky future for

greenhouse-grown vegetables

in BC is more pipeline capacity.

“Our population growth is

increasing and our businesses

that require natural gas are

increasing, so we're all trying

to share from the same pipe

and it's not viable,” he says.

Greenhouses in BC rely on

natural gas because it is

cleaner and less expensive

than other fuels. Alternatives

such as woodchips or diesel

are costly, and neither burn

cleanly enough to allow

greenhouses to vent carbon

dioxide emissions back into

their facilities. Without the

CO2 from the natural gas

boilers, plants grow more

slowly, further cutting into

prots.

Natural gas prices are now

the second-biggest risk factor

after skilled labour shortages

for Calais Farms Ltd. in

Abbotsford. Farm manager

Jacob Kerkho says the farm

was able to mitigate its losses

this year by locking in a price

with Fortis in October.

"Thankfully, we've been

spared from catastrophic scal

loss this year [because of how]

we managed our gas

contracts," he says.

But there’s no telling what’s

going to happen in the future.

Kerkho’s concern is there

won’t be enough gas to fund

further expansion. Pending

approval from Fortis, Calais

Farms will be adding nine

acres to its greenhouse and

building a packing facility this

year, but it might be the last

time it does so.

“If [Fortis] cannot guarantee

us a healthy supply of gas, we

are not going to continue

expanding,” Kerkho says. “We

cannot take that risk.”

It’s now at the point where

contingency plans are being

formulated for an uncertain

future.

“We're managing our gas

exposure by managing our

procurement of gas and our

pricing of gas, and we are

relying on Fortis to help us

ensure we don't have too

many interruptions,” he says. “If

we start to see that we are

curtailed, we are going to

have to alter our planting

dates so that we don't have

too many more February 2019s.”

Looking for the lesson in all

of this, Delli Santi hopes this

year’s pricing challenges will

help BC greenhouse growers

make the right decisions with

gas purchasing in coming

years.

“Based on historical

information the decisions

were not wrong, but because

this year was so dierent from

history, the decisions they

made weren't right,” she says.

“At least it opened our eyes to

the fact that this was a train

wreck waiting to happen."

Greenhouse

growth stymied

by gas prices

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AGASSIZ – Cover crops

have long been hailed for

their benets to farmers, but

which cover crop to plant is

less cut-and-dried. On April

17, Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada hosted a eld day at

the Agassiz research farm to

show several cover crop

options with a particular focus

on relay cropping.

Relay cropping is when a

main crop, such as corn, is

planted and once established,

a cover crop is planted in the

same eld. Planting soon after

the rst crop is established

allows the cover crop to grow

and mature well before winter.

This gives it a head start that

allows it to generate more

nutrients.

By growing together, the

two crops make the eld more

productive, reducing the need

to source forage elsewhere.

“What’s old is new again.

We’re in the renaissance of

cover cropping,” says AAFC

research biologist Gary

Telford, who explains that

cover crops help elds be

more productive. “You can

have a lousy corn crop but a

good cover crop.”

The trials in Agassiz saw

winter wheat and dierent

types of Italian ryegrass

planted alongside corn. The

amount of seed, planting

method, time of planting and

irrigation practices were all

tested. The trials aimed to see

which varieties worked best

with the corn and which was

the most disease-resistant.

The cover crops were

planted last summer when the

corn had put forth three, then

six leaves.

“We didn’t see any disease

dierence at all,” says Telford.

“There were no real diseases

this year.”

The cover crop seemed to

do better in the plots where

there was no irrigation, but

Telford surmises this was due

to the corn leaves wilting and

more sun reaching the cover

crop. However, overall

tonnage was better in the

plots with irrigation. Yields

were lower this spring due to

the late winter, he suspects,

but the cover crop still

delivered a respectable 3.5 to

four tonnes per hectare.

“There is an environmental

benet [to cover cropping]

besides being a double crop

for the farm,” says Telford.

“There’s soil protection and

more capture of residual

nutrients. There’s less reliance

on adding nutrients from

elsewhere.”

Cover crops also improve

the yield for subsequent

crops, help to control weeds,

and may help control pests

and disease, improve soil

quality and address moisture

loss. Some cover crops can

also compete with the main

crop for water, however, and

may attract new pests and

diseases.

Fall rye is the best choice if

the intent is solely to reduce

erosion.

In the cover cropping trials,

tetraploid Italian rye grass

varieties were the clear

winners when planted among

six-leaf corn. Corn should be

seeded late April to early May

and the rye should be planted

between rows at a rate of 25

to 30 kg per hectare. Seed

drilling at one to two

centimeters in depth was the

best seeding method.

Germination typically

happens within four days.

Italian ryegrass is

vulnerable to glyphosate

sprays. Foliar herbicide

applications should occur at

least two days before planting

or immediately after seeding.

“Now that we have

Roundup Ready corn, [weed]

management control is much

easier,” he adds.

In a relay cropping system,

corn should be harvested in

mid-September, about two

weeks earlier than usual, so

the cover crop benets from

the fall sun. This simple

management shift can

increase the fall growth by up

to 30%.

In addition to relay

cropping, the eld day also

looked at a wide range of

cover crop options including

mixes to increase nutrient

value. Gerry De Groot of Dairy

Crop Solutions Inc. in

Chilliwack said cereal grains

looked best to him for dairy

nutrition.

“There are a lot more

dierent varieties that most

community farmers aren’t able

to get,” he says. “We’re looking

for disease resistance,

nutrition, winter hardiness,

yield potential. Cereals and

ryegrass – they seem to have

survived better.”

He added that crops

planted earlier also fared

better.

“Farmers can get what

looks good to them without

trying it themselves,” says

De Groot.

Telford said mustards,

clovers and vetch plantings

didn’t fare well during the

February cold snap, but he will

continue to research mixes to

identify the best options.

“We’re trying to nd out if

we can mix clovers in with

cereals to protect them from

weather,” he says.

Increase farm

productivity with

cover crops

Researchers are working to find

the right mix

TOUCHY-FEELY. Gerry De Groot takes a close-up look at one of the cover crop trials being undertaken at

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agassiz research farm. [RONDA PAYNE PHOTO]

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201914

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Water fees not evenly distributed among users

A rancher in Charlie Lake is

questioning why farmers must

pay to access groundwater

when short-term use of

groundwater is exempt.

Mark Meiers of MT Ranch

near Fort St. John notes that

the province’s Water

Sustainability Act allows users

to apply for a short-term

permit free of charge. Such

permits grant the holders a

right “to divert or use water

from a stream or an aquifer for

a term not exceeding 24

months.”

Such permits allow the oil

and gas sector to access

millions of gallons of water

free of charge, Meiers

contends, something the

average farmer for whom

working the land is a way of

life can’t do. Indeed, owners of

existing wells who register

with the province are liable for

fees on extractions back to

2016, when the Water

Sustainability Act took eect.

Meiers draws water for his

livestock, and after registering

his wells and

seeking licences, he

was stuck with a bill

for $729.85.

“Anyone that is

procrastinating on

registering their

water use, be

warned,” he says. “You will be

charged retroactively to 2016

even if you wait 10 years to

Meiers’ concerns

underscore the ongoing

issues landowners have with

the province’s eorts to

introduce a rst-in-time/rst-

in-right water management

regime in BC. Diculties have

dogged the registration and

licensing process since 2016,

prompting the government to

extend the deadline for

registering existing wells at no

cost three times. The latest

deadline for obtaining a

licence at no cost is March 1,

2022.

However, fees on water use

will be owing from February

29, 2016.

Sta with the BC Ministry

for Forests, Lands, Natural

Resource Operations and

Rural Development conrmed

that basis for Meiers’ concern.

“The Oil and Gas

Commission has the authority

to issue use approvals under

section 10 of the Oil and Gas

Activities Act when the use is

associated with Oil and Gas

Activities Act permit,” it told

Country Life in BC. “Holders of

these permits are exempt

from fees and rentals under

the Water Sustainability Act.”

Ministry sta noted that the

fees oil and gas companies

pay are higher than for other

uses, including agriculture.

Moreover, ministry sta

typically recommend that oil

and gas companies obtain a

licence if they plan to draw

heavily from a single source,

or for repeated two-year

terms.

“Since the Oil and Gas

Commission received

authority to grant water

licences in 2014, the

proportion of water used by

oil and gas companies under

licences has consistently

increased while the

proportion under short term

approvals has

correspondingly decreased,”

sta said. “The majority of the

water used for oil and gas

purposes in each year since

2012 has been sourced from

water licences.”

—Peter Mitham

BC Tree Fruits

prepares to

relocate

BC Tree Fruits Co-operative

found a new executive team,

and soon it will have a new

home.

The co-op expected to

close on the purchase of 85

acres at 3330 Old Vernon

Road in the Ellison area of

Kelowna by the end of May, in

tandem with the sale of its

property in Penticton.

“This purchase signals our

commitment to the industry,

our growers, our sta and the

Ag Briefs

EDITED BY PETER MITHAM

valley, and will give us the

ability to compete on a global

scale moving forward,” said

co-op CEO Todd McMyn in a

statement.

McMyn was appointed CEO

at the beginning of April, an

appointment announced

alongside that of new CFO

Ross Dwhytie. The two senior

positions had been vacant

since November.

During the search for new

executives, co-op president

Jeet Dukhia told Country Life

in BC that a number of

restructuring initiatives were

underway in order to secure

money for an automated

plant in the north Okanagan.

The reorganization, Dukhia

added, could include the

purchase of a new property

on Kelowna’s outskirts. A

decision was expected by this

summer.

“We should be on the

outskirts of the city where

land is cheap,” he said at the

time. “We are looking to the

next 50 years.”

The property on Old

Vernon Road should t the

bill.

“[It] will see a consolidation

of all of the cooperative’s

northern facilities,” the co-op

says. “[It] will house state-of-

the-art apple, cherry, pear and

soft fruit packing line(s) as

well as oce space and the

cider operations and a

‘destination’ cidery.”

A timeline for the project

hasn’t been set. Government

approvals for construction

have yet to be obtained for

the site, which may require an

exclusion from the

Agricultural Land Reserve. A

co-op representative was not

immediately available to

conrm this, but the purchase

announcement said the co-op

“will be working closely with

all levels of government” to

make the facility a reality.

Cost is also a factor. A

competitiveness study last

year said government funding

could be dicult to secure. Six

years ago, renewal of co-op

facilities was estimated at $40

million. Construction cost

increases in the intervening

years will likely make the cost

of the current project much

higher.

With annual sales of close

to $130 million, the grower-

owned co-op has been

diversifying its business in

recent years. While it has long

supplied inputs to orchardists

through its subsidiary,

Growers Supply Co., it also

produces Broken Ladder hard

cider. Most recently, in April, it

launched a new line of fruit-

based alcoholic beverages

under the M.O. Fruitsecco

brand.

—Peter Mitham

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JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

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by BARBARA JOHNSTONE

GRIMMER

VICTORIA – The Capital

Regional District is exploring

the potential of establishing a

food and farmland trust.

CRD recently received a

regional foodlands access

feasibility study prepared for

the district by Upland

Agricultural Consulting Ltd.

The study contains several

recommendations to address

farmland access.

CRD’s board voted April 10

to ask district sta to ask

member municipalities if

they’re in favour of operating

a foodlands trust in

partnership with a non-prot

organization, as well as

determine if any municipal

lands could be made available

for inclusion.

Metchosin mayor John

Ranns, the only farmer on the

CRD board, has spoken out

against the proposal, based

on personal experience and

the farm community's

feedback.

"The report is unrealistic for

farming in this area, and the

presumption that this is the

only way to achieve food

security is false," he says. "This

is another example of an

urban solution to a rural

problem.”

Ranns supports the CRD

holding land and leasing it to

farmers, but he says the

proposed trust will unfairly

compete with existing

farmers. He is not in support

of a two-tiered system that

creates a "CRD bureaucracy

for farming" enabling "certain

selected people" to have their

inputs paid for by the

taxpayer.

"The CRD needs to explore

other options," he says.

Some directors agreed with

Ranns, adding that a full

survey of available land has

yet to be done. Should

municipal support not be

forthcoming, CRD has left the

door open to a subregional

trust.

The Capital Region Food

and Agriculture Initiatives

Roundtable (CRFAIR) has

actively lobbied in support of

the trust, which was the focus

of a 2015 report CRFAIR

produced exploring farm and

foodlands access.

CRD requested feedback

from municipalities by May 31.

Farmland trust

explored for Island

New owner, same faces

by JACKIE PEARASE

ARMSTRONG – It’s business

as usual despite a change in

ownership and name for

Noble Tractor and Equipment

Ltd.

On March 15, Langley-

based Gill Group of

Companies purchased both

Armstrong and Kamloops

locations and rebranded the

business as Country Tractor.

Jack and Carol Noble

started the business 55 years

ago to serve the BC Interior

and today their children hold

administrative positions,

including general manager

Gordon Noble, parts manager

Jeanne Noble Harter and

operations manager Brenda

Noble. A third generation of

Nobles is also part of team.

The new owners have

retained all sta and

management and the

business continues to oer

the same products and

services as before.

“Nothing’s changed. It’s the

same people doing the same

business,” notes Gordon

Noble.

He says the opportunity to

sell came and a deal was

made at a time when the

siblings have started to

discuss their own retirement

options.

He is condent the new

owners have the farming

experience, youth,

determination and resources

to carry the business tradition

forward into the future.

Country Tractor oers

experienced, trained heavy

duty service technicians,

parts specialists and sales

representatives to meet the

unique equipment needs of

farmers and ranchers in the

BC Interior.

4-H members from across the province stopped at BC Tree Fruits in Kelowna during their six-day

Agri-Career Quest tour through the Fraser Valley and Thompson Okanagan, May 6-11. The program

exposes senior 4-H members to career opportunities in agriculture.

[MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO]

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KELOWNA – Unusual and intense spells of

heat and cold are having an impact on tree

fruits as well as other agricultural crops in BC.

Growers are concerned that there may be

some damage to this year’s crop of apricots

from the long spell of extremely cold weather

in February, although the damage could also

have been caused by cold spring weather when

the early-blooming ‘cots needed good

pollination.

BC Fruit Growers Association president

Pinder Dhaliwal says because apricots are

among the rst tree fruits to bloom in spring,

they can be subject to damage from spring

frost.

Both they and cherries are particularly

vulnerable to cold weather during bloom.

Cold weather also tends to keep the bees

from ying, as does windy weather. Both

occurred during bloom this spring with

potentially signicant impacts on pollination.

As a result, he expects there could be a short

crop of apricots this year. However, he isn’t

seeing damage to either peaches or nectarines,

which are more reliable and hardier than even

cherries when it comes to spring frost,

tolerating temperatures down to -2° C.

Cherry blossoms have only hours in which

the blossoms need to be pollinated, so good

weather is important during that short window

of time, he explained.

Apple blossoms, on the other hand, popped

open during “awesome weather” to the point

that Dhaliwal notes growers will have to stay on top

of their thinning program this season in order to

keep fruit size up.

“Apples look nice,” he reports.

The next concern for growers will be extreme

summer heat which can stress the trees and damage

the skin of the fruit with sunscald.

“As well, trees can shut down in extreme heat.

When that happens, the trees pull water and

calcium out of the apples as the tree goes into

survival mode. When the tree gets water again,

that goes into the fruit but without the calcium,

which is important to help the fruit store well

over winter,” Dhaliwal explains.

Unfortunately, it’s one of those deciencies

you can’t see, he adds.

The past three years have all resulted in some

extreme heat spells which have caused

problems with fruit quality, he notes.

Rain and hail are also summer concerns that

can cause fruit damage.

Dhaliwal grows apples, cherries, peaches and

nectarines on 12 acres in the Oliver area, in

addition to nine acres on the family farm.

Frost damage on cherries

Early indications are that the cherry crop may

be down because of frost damage in some areas

of the valley, reports Sukhpaul Bal, president of

the BC Cherry Association. However, he’s

optimistic that it won’t be too light.

Cherry blossoms are vulnerable to cold

temperatures – just -1°C can cause some

damage – and he believes there was frost

damage in some areas of the valley. He isn’t

seeing any permanent damage from the cold

winter weather in February, although he admits

that farmers in colder locations may see some

damage to this year’s crop.

“I hope it’s at least an average crop, but the

weather changes are having an impact on the

lives of farmers,” he comments.

The past two years, crops suered from extreme

summer heat waves, he notes.

Fruit growers cautiously optimistic on bloom set

Apple trees blossomed in ideal conditions; soft fruits, cherries affected by winter, frost

BC Cherry Association president Sukhpaul Bal is hopeful growers

will have at least an “average” crop this season. JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

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KELOWNA – If you talk with

Pearl Beckett and Gary

Schnierer for only a few

moments, you quickly

recognize their enthusiasm.

They love living on an orchard

in southeast Kelowna. They

love the Okanagan climate,

and they love the challenge of

growing top-grade apples.

All those things came

together for them this spring

when they were awarded the

annual Golden Apple award,

co-sponsored by the BC Fruit

Growers Association and BC

Tree Fruits Cooperative.

“You always have to be

changing and moving

forward,” says Beckett.

And indeed, that is what

they have done.

When Gary’s family bought

the orchard in 1986, the trees

were 30 feet apart at a density

of 50 trees per acre. There

were McIntosh, Spartan, and

Golden and Red Delicious. The

big trees were hard to prune,

the apples had to be picked

several times because the

light did not penetrate to

ripen them evenly and returns

were poor.

That’s a sharp contrast to

today’s super-spindle

plantings. The narrow trees

are two feet apart with 10-foot

row spacing that allows a

density of more than 2,000

trees an acre. There’s still a few

Macs and Spartans, but the

bulk of production is split

between Ambrosia, Gala and

Honeycrisp.

“We started to replant

about 25 years ago when

Pearl joined me,” recalls

Schnierer.

Galas were rst, then

Ambrosia, but the Honeycrisps

are the orchard’s pride.

“We did a test plot seven

years ago to see if they would

be suitable to our site,” explains

Beckett. “They did well so we

went to a full three acres.”

The Honeycrisps live up to

their challenging reputation.

“They are a very dicult

apple to grow,” says Schnierer.

“We have to hand-thin them.

Thinning sprays don’t work.

And I have to spray them with

calcium twice a week or they

will get bitter pit.”

Still, the challenges make

them his favourite apple to

grow.

“They also like to grow big

and we have to thin them in

August or they will push

against each other,” he says.

“But the consumer likes the

bigger apples.”

Beckett speaks to the

technical details.

“We do soil tests and leaf

and stem analysis,” she

explains. “And we are always

monitoring the pH.”

She points out that they

have sandy soil that doesn’t

hold on to nutrients, so they

must be constantly

replenishing.

Schnierer says irrigation is

his biggest challenge. With a

variety of slopes and aspects,

he tailors his irrigation to

eight dierent zones and uses

water probes to ensure he

neither under nor overwaters.

“We are always trying to

nail down what the tree

needs,” says Beckett, noting

that every variety has dierent

requirements.

“The science is huge,” adds

Schnierer. “You really have to

target the prime size and

colour and harvest time that

the market wants for that

particular fruit.”

For the last several years,

the couple have measured

fruit size with calipers and

logged the results through to

harvest.

“If you are getting to the

end of July and your size

doesn’t look like it is going to

be what it needs to be, you

have to go in there and thin

again,” explains Schnierer. “It is

better to have fewer apples of

a bigger size than lots of

smaller ones.”

But that care has been

rewarded.

“We were able to get nearly

$1 a pound for our Honeycrisps

at the co-op,” says Schnierer.

“Eighty percent were Extra

Fancy 1 with an average size

of 72 [8.7 cm. in circumference].”

Beckett and Schnierer say

they are able to handle most

of the orchard duties for their

12 acres themselves. A couple

of students assist with

thinning in June and July as

well as picking in the fall.

“If you take the time to

show the kids what you want,

work with them for a while,

and check in a couple of times

during the day, they get to

know what you are expecting,”

says Beckett.

She has appreciated the

support of the co-op’s eld

services sta.

“You have someone you

can run things by and ask

what you need to be doing

dierent,” she says.

The new plantings have

been crucial to their business

success. Even with really good

fruit, the returns on the Macs,

Spartans and Galas just aren’t

there.

“The Honeycrisp certainly

tipped the scale for us to win

this award,” says Beckett,

explaining that returns from

the apple were equal to

returns from every other

variety in the orchard put

together.

“The Golden Apple award is

a validation that by being

innovative and using the tools

that are available to you, you

can get to where you want to

be,” she says.

Honeycrisp key to

success for Golden

Apple winners

Returns outweigh others combined

Attention to detail is one of several reasons Pearl Beckett and Gary Schnierer were presented with the BC

Fruit Growers Association/BC Tree Fruits Golden Apple award earlier this year. [TOM WALKER PHOTO]

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bchereford.ca

by TOM WALKER

CHASE – It’s been a year of

waiting for the meat

processing industry in BC,

which has yet to see any

movement on some of its key

issues.

A year ago, optimism

abounded when the BC

Association of Abattoirs met

for its annual general

meeting.

The provincial government

was wrapping up a survey of

class D and E abattoir

licensees and the health

authorities that regulate

them. The legislature’s Select

Standing Committee on

Agriculture, Fish and Food

had just announced a study

of meat processing in BC.

Both the abattoirs

association and the Small-

Scale Meat Producers

Association expected the

consultations would begin to

resolve the issues of licensing,

inspection, processing

capacity and stang that

plague the industry.

But so far it has all been for

nought. When abattoir

operators held their annual

general meeting at the end of

April, the frustration was

palpable.

“These issues have been

the focus of our association’s

strategic plan for four years,”

says the association’s

executive director, Nova

Woodbury. “We have been in

meetings every year. We

spent all last spring on the

consultations.”

With so much time spent,

and so little accomplished,

Woodbury says patience is

wearing thin.

“There is so much to do,”

she says. “There are a lot of

angry people out there right

now.”

Opposition agriculture

critic Ian Paton delivered the

meeting’s opening remarks.

Paton was a member of the

select standing committee,

but he didn’t have any good

news.

"We did this report but we

haven’t heard anything," he

said.

The standing committee

heard what Paton calls “some

horror stories.”

“We heard from D and E

operators who haven’t had a

visit from their regional health

authority in over a year,” he

says. “That is not good

enough. If a kid gets sick from

some uninspected meat

bought at a farmers market,

that will bring down the

whole industry.”

"I don't see anything in the

new budget for increased

inspection,” he adds. “We will

be asking the government a

lot of questions about meat

processing.”

Consultation recapped

Gavin Last, executive

director of the food safety

and inspection branch at the

BC Ministry of Agriculture,

recapped the consultation on

D and E licences and the

select standing committee’s

21 recommendations.

But he didn’t have any

specic responses to either

report.

“We are trying to deliver

improvements that will

balance local capacity with

competitiveness and enhance

food safety and animal

welfare, but there has been

no formal response from the

government as yet,” he said.

Last says his branch is

taking action in areas where

they don’t need to wait.

“We have developed and

are delivering food safety and

animal welfare workshops for

rural producers and regional

health ocers, and we are

increasing food safety training

for food processors,” he notes.

Rules against illegal

slaughter facilities continue to

be enforced.

“The emphasis has been

around preventing unlawful

slaughter,” he says. “We have

been meeting with industry

and community organizations

and the BC Muslim

Association to promote

compliance.”

Muslim demand for halal

(ritually clean) meat products

is a particular concern at the

end of the fasting period

known as Ramadan, which

ends this year on June 4.

“The halal meat supply in

the Lower Mainland becomes

quite an issue around the

time of Eid,” says Last. “That is

when a lot of the unlawful

slaughter happens.”

One new E licence is

certied halal which will help

increase supply, Last notes.

The province is also

working with local

government to address illegal

slaughter.

“We were able to shut

down three unlawful

slaughter operators as a result

of bylaw enforcement,” he

reported.

Agricultural oversight

Tristan Banwell of the

Small-Scale Meat Producers

Association asked Last if D

and E licences might be

brought under the agriculture

ministry’s oversight, as are A

and B licences.

“There has certainly been

lots of discussion,” says Last.

“That is denitely one of the

biggest questions.”

“Where does the drive to

get that done need to come

from,” Banwell asked,

impatient for change. “Is it the

Ministry of Agriculture or

does it need to be at a

political level?”

“It involves coordination

between Ministry of

Agriculture, Ministry of Health

and the regional health

authorities,” Last explains.

“Agriculture has the legislative

authority over slaughter in

Changes to

slaughter rules

taking too long

Abattoir operators frustrated by

government’s lack of action

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[LIZ TWAN PHOTO]

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

• JUNE

2019

the province. We delegated

that to the health authorities

for the class D and Es.”

Richard Yntema of Valley

Wide Meats in Enderby asked

who was monitoring the

compliance of the animal unit

allowances for D and E

licences.

“It is ultimately the regional

health authorities,” says Last,

but noted that the process is

driven by complaints rather

than compliance audits.

“So no complaints, no

enforcement,” said Yntema,

with audible frustration.

Last said he wasn’t

defending the current system,

simply explaining it, and said

he hoped change would be

forthcoming.

“We denitely heard

through the select standing

committee that more

resources need to be directed

towards this,” he told the

meeting.

by TOM WALKER

CHASE – BC Association of

Abattoir members were

treated to workshops on

marketing and waste at their

annual general meeting in

Chase at the end of April.

Sysco is looking for local

meat producers, category

specialist Rick Dolman told

the group.

“We have changed the

philosophy at Sysco. We are

aiming to be the local food

service in BC,” he explains.

“Customers want local, they

want to know your story, they

want grass-nished, they

want free range. They want to

know if it was a happy animal,

did it have a good life?”

Chilliwack pork processor

Johnston’s Packers was the

rst BC meat company Sysco

approached.

“When I rst started with

the company we had no fresh

pork,” he says. “It all came in

frozen from Maple Leaf.”

Today, the company works

with Meadow Valley Meats, 63

Acres of Chilliwack and Hank’s

Grass Fed Beef of Abbotsford.

“We are trying to show our

customers that we are not just

a big box company,” says

Dolman.

The BC Eat Drink Local

campaign and the BC

Restaurant and Food Services

Association are part of the

push, says Dolman.

“It’s not just the chefs and

the owners, it’s the customers;

they want to know where

their food has come from,” he

says. “Healthcare is the

biggest growing part of our

business. … Health care wants

25% local now and some

facilities have the ability to

look at a higher-end product.”

He adds that the Asian

market in the Lower Mainland

is also growing and is a

market for specialty cuts such

as tongue and oal.

Dolman says Sysco, which

supplies restaurants,

healthcare and lodging

facilities as well as work

camps and resorts, is looking

to grow its list of local

products.

“Our customers want your

Local meat demand creating opportunities

Big buyers are getting on board with regional purchasing

COMPLAINT-driven nfrom pg 27

brand, but they are also

looking for the convenience

of it all coming on one truck.”

he says. “How can we work

with you?”

Dolman told Country Life in

BC that the new grind plant

that Sysco has built in the

Lower Mainland is not using

BC beef at this time.

“Sysco has a policy that all

of their ground [beef] has to

come from a federally

inspected plant and it is

sourced from Cargill,” he says.

Disposal of the waste from a meat

processing operation is both costly and

logistically demanding. On-site composting

is practiced by several processors in BC, but

it is challenging to build and operate a pit.

Ecodrum, a commercial in-vessel

composter with a big appetite for abattoir

waste, is one option available to abattoir

operators.

Produced by Tri-Form Poly Inc. of

Manitoba, it features a roto-molded drum

containing ns that ensures the regular

turnover of contents.

Tri-Form CEO Matt Epp explains that the

device can reduce a whole chicken carcass

to top-quality compost in 14 days and break

down abattoir waste in just seven days. The

process breaks down most bones, too.

“Your waste can go in while it is still

warm,” says Epp. “You add a bucket of

shavings, the electric motor turns the drum

and the ns inside ensure even decomposition.”

Composting brings the internal

temperature up to 140°C to 150°C, Epp

explains.

Kamloops area rancher Paul Devick says

he is very curious about the Ecodrum.

“It would denitely ease the time and the

process we are using now,” says Devick, who

recently opened a Class A abattoir and

currently uses an outdoor slab composting

site which has to be continually monitored

and managed manually.

“We just went with a slab and concrete

blocks to build our bin as we don’t have the

precipitation issues that a coastal site would

have,” he says. “We plan to continue

composting. … We have enough hay and

pasture land that we can use all of it [to

spread compost]. This is something we will

denitely look at.”

—Tom Walker

Compost in 14 days

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

9:00 a.m. at the Pacic Gateway Airport Hotel

500 Cessna Dr. Richmond, B.C.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

The 26th Annual Meeting of the

Cattle Industry

Development Council

Meeting Agenda:

Annual Report from Chair

Update from National Check-o Agency

Auditors’ Report & Financial Statements

  t$BUUMF*OEVTUSZ%FWFMPQNFOU$PVODJM

  t#FFG$BUUMF*OEVTUSZ%FWFMPQNFOU'VOE

Association Reports

  t#$"TTPDJBUJPOPG$BUUMF'FFEFST

  t#$#SFFEFST'FFEFST"TTPDJBUJPO

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Other Business

Please RSVP by email: checko@cattlefund.net

CIDC www.cattlefund.net

#4 -10145 Dallas Drive, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6T4 Phone 250.573.3611

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

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packaging. For more info: CRSBcertiﬁed.ca

by TOM WALKER

HEFFLEY CREEK – Taking

the bull by the horns is

something the Devick family

has been doing since 1906.

That’s when it rst built a

ranch and began running

cattle in the Heey-Louis

Creek area north of Kamloops.

It often takes an

independent business person

to step up and ll a need in

the market. While the lack of

meat processing capacity has

been a topic of concern in BC

for a number of years, the

Devick brothers and ve of

their sons have quietly gone

ahead and built a Class A

abattoir at their ranch.

“We have been doing beef

sales for the last 15 to 20

years,” says Paul Devick, who

gave a presentation on

building a Class A abattoir at

the annual general meeting of

the BC Association of

Abattoirs in April. “We run

about 850 cow-calf pairs a

year and we also have a

feedlot and have been

fattening our own cattle.”

A family meeting in

February 2017 calved the idea

for the slaughterhouse.

“The meat business has

been pretty good for us

selling to neighbours and

friends,” notes Devick. “With

our own plant, we would have

everything in-house from gate

to plate, eliminate the

middleman and improve our

bottom line along the way. We

decided to move forward with

the abattoir.”

Although the family wasn’t

experienced in abattoir

construction, it contracted

Dave Charchuck and Sandra

Vanderbyl to guide them and

talked a lot with veteran

Kamloops butcher Ron Keeley.

The rst step was to work

with BC Ministry of

Agriculture sta and develop

strategies related to

marketing, business

development, risk

management and labour

management.

“This was a very helpful

exercise to see if we should

carry forward,” says Devick.

“We spent a lot of time talking

and considering the ups and

downs, and it still looked

positive.”

They determined that half

the plant would be for their

own cattle. It would need to

process about 12 to 15

animals daily for an annual

capacity of 1,500 to 1,600

animals. The coolers would be

able to hold about 70 whole

beef carcasses, or 140 sides.

“We made a oor plan,” says

Devick. “We had a limit of

6,000 square feet and it took

probably 10 dierent plans

before we got the

[processing] ows right.”

He says they also

developed HACCP (Hazard

Analysis and Critical Control

Points) and standard

operating procedures.

Deciding what type of

building to construct was

where the fun began,

continues Devick.

“We looked at a stick-frame

and we looked at concrete,” he

recalls. “In the end we went

with SIP [structural insulated

panels].”

Permits and licences were

required before a shovel

could be put in the ground.

“This is a very important

step to be taken care of rst,”

he emphasizes.

The licences included one

for water extractions, a water

treatment permit, zoning and

building permits, an abattoir

licence, a licence to construct

a compost system for waste

disposal, a sewage disposal

permit and, of course, a

business licence.

The family acted as their

own general contractor and

picked trades they could work

alongside, which saved

money.

“Challenging but worth it,”

says Devick. “But check out

your contractors. We had a

range from very good to one

guy who was smoking a joint

on his lunch break.”

Ranch equipment was used

to move earth and prep the

site.

“Make sure you get a

geotech survey for your site,”

cautions Devick, who said the

one he got agged the need

to remove truckloads of clay

before construction began.

Other challenges included

starting construction in

September 2017 and having

to work through the winter,

something he doesn’t advise.

A mix of old and new

equipment means that not

everything works with the

same ease.

On the plus side, labour has

not been an issue.

“We feel we are quite lucky

with the Kamloops labour

base; we have been able to

nd good help,” he says. “We

have one worker who has

completed the Thompson

Rivers University meat-cutting

program and we have another

one coming from the

program next month.”

Devick says the ranch is

now able to manage animals

all the way from breeding to

the butcher’s block, making

them better able to satisfy

customers. This hasn’t

stopped them from buying

Ranch takes

pasture to plate

at face value

Devick Ranch builds Class A

abattoir to meet consumer demand

PROBLEM SOLVING Frustrated by how the lack of meat processing capacity in the province was preventing

expansion of direct meat sales to their customers, the Devick family built a Class A abattoir on their ranch

near Kamloops. [ANITA DEVICK PHOTO]

See LEARNING on next page o

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MF 1372 DISC MOWER [U32052] ......................................... 16,900

NH 195 MANURE SPREADER [U32033] .................................... 14,750

NH STACK CRUISER 1049 1979; GAS; GOOD COND; (CNS720) 17,500

NH 1012 BALE WAGON W/UNLOAD, 55 BALES [CNS711] ...........5,900

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LEARNING curve nfrom pg 21

It used to be regarded as

the simple life. Not so much

anymore. Agriculture, be it

farming or ranching, in this

day and age seems to harvest

a plethora of issues to fret and

worry over. In fact, the

business seems to get more

complicated and paper-

bound with each passing

year.

Back in the day, it was a

career choice for

those who loved the

land, the outdoors,

had an anity for

growing things or

raising livestock, and

generally eschewed

the sedentary

lifestyle that comes

with sitting behind a desk to

make a living.

Well, the good old days are

long gone. Now more than

ever, agricultural producers

who haven't kept up with

modern technology

(computer skills) are severely

disadvantaged. It is an insult

to our senior producers who

have survived years in a

tough industry to be

considered simple because

they lack computer know-

how.

One of the latest

challenges has range use

plans going digital; the new

Water Sustainability Act

requires producer well

registrations, also mostly a

digital process that was not

even close to simple.

Recently, the BC labour

minister announced that "kids

under 16 can keep earning

pocket money." Farm families

breathed a sigh of relief. If

they cannot work as youth on

a farm, how will the next

generation learn agricultural

skills or develop an

appreciation for the industry?

Bull sales

The bull sales are over for

the season and from my

perspective, there seemed to

be a lot of bulls on oer. It

bears repeating it was a

season where supply

outstripped demand. At

Williams Lake, 121 Angus

bulls were catalogued, just

over 100 showed up and only

62 were sold; the customers

were just not there. The

Angus average was $3,873;

the Hereford average was

$3,613 on 38 head.

The prices and no sales

Technology has

its challenges

Not everyone is computer literate

Market

Musings

by LIZ TWAN

CRITICAL EYE: Judges Ian and Leanna Mitchell ponder their options during the Williams Lake Bull Show, April

17. Sealin Creek Ranch led the champion Angus; 3-D-L Farm had the top Hereford yearling while Little Fort

Herefords and Sunnybrae Farm took junior and senior two-year-old Hereford championships respectively. The

Mitchells’ named Little Fort’s junior champion, lot 164, the grand champion Hereford. [LIZ TWAN PHOTO]

See LACK on next page o

animals to meet demand,

however.

“It is a challenge having

animals available all year

round and we do buy some in

the summer months,” he says.

A 900-pound calf going

into their feedlot takes about

three months to reach a 1,200

to 1,300 lb. slaughter weight.

The animals are usually

spoken for when they enter

the yard, part of the ranch’s

marketing program.

After their rst kill in

August last year, they were

right into the fall run.

“It’s been a big learning

curve but I think it is working

well,” Devick says. “For the

future, we are planning to

move towards more value-

added when we get the

smoker and the sausage

kitchen up and running. We

have also looked at the

possibility of doing a pet food

line to try to reduce our waste

and improve our bottom line.”

Devick says one of the keys

to the successful start was

being able to talk to other

plant operators in the

province about how to make

things work.

“It’s great to have the

support of your business

associates and this

association. They sure helped

us a lot,” he said, gratefully.

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

LACK of demand affects bull sales nfrom page 22

BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is assisting the Province of BC with

communicating the key changes related to AEMCoP. Please look for

this ad in the coming issues of Country Life in BC for updates.

Setbacks are required from drinking water sources, watercourses and property boundaries and apply to

everyone; however, distance depends on the agricultural activity. For example, temporary ﬁeld storage and

permanent storage structures, agricultural composting and conﬁned livestock and poultry areas need to be at

least 30 metres from drinking water sources.

Records need to be kept for at least 5 years and submitted within 5 days if requested by government.

Records must be kept for:

• Using an incinerator or when using biomass as a fuel for a boiler or heater;

• Maintenance of earthen manure lagoons;

• Temporary ﬁeld storage and outdoor composting piles;

• Application of nutrient sources to land or crops;

• Nutrient Management Plans;

• Distribution of agricultural by-products when keeping ﬁve or more animal units;

• Burial and incineration of mortalities, solid waste or semi-solid waste.

AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

CODE OF PRACTICE (AEMCoP)

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:

www.gov.bc.ca/Agricultural-Environmental-Management

NEW RULES ABOUT PROPERTY BOUNDARY SETBACKS AND RECORD KEEPING ARE NOW IN EFFECT

Neil Turner’s best string of Sunnybrae bulls was awarded Get of Sire champions and the Gung Loy Jim

Memorial trophy during the Williams Lake Bull Show, April 17. [LIZ TWAN PHOTO]

made for some unhappy

sellers, but the numbers were

not without precedent. In

2013, the Angus average was

$3,210 on 57 head; the

Hereford average was $3,060

on 37 head. Compare that to

2016 when Angus averaged

$4,835 on 71 head and 42

head of Hereford bulls $5,894.

The numbers indicate that

bull sale prices are subject to

unpredictable market sale

prices.

No doubt, there will be

producers who nd they are

short of bull power as turnout

day looms. With a few phone

calls, that issue can likely be

remedied as there are still

bulls available from several

breeders.

Here’s a recap of a few of

the Cariboo-based bull sales

we haven’t reported on yet

this spring:

Northern Alliance Bull

Sale [Poplar Meadows Angus,

Red Moon Angus, Maberly

Angus & Blast Angus] March 23

Black Angus: Lot 538, PM

Natural Law 128'18 sold to

Lazy A Ranch, Sexsmith, AB,

for $10,000; Lot 505, PM Ten X

11'18, sold to Dragon View

Angus, Quesnel, for $9,500

Red Angus: Lot 582, Red

Moon Final Verdict 21F, sold

to Carmella Farms,

Vanderhoof, for $4,900; Lot

594, Red Moon Fair Play 19F,

Hartland Ranch, Prince

George, for $4,800.

Volume buyers: Douglas

Lake Cattle Co. (10 bulls) &

Cody Herr (9 bulls)

Sale average: $4,410

Vanderhoof All Breeds

Bull Sale April 13

Hereford: Valley Creek

Ranch, lot 12, $6,000;

Copper T Ranch, lot 10,

$5,750; Richardson Ranch, lot

6, $5,500

Charolais: Southside

Charolais, lot 14, $5,800; TK

Cattle Co., lot 15, $4,750

Simmental: Crosby Cattle

Co., lot 28, $6,100; LA Ranch,

lot 21, $4,900; 3M Simmentals,

lot 24, $4,800; Lorne Webster,

lot 27, $4,400

Black Angus: Coyote View

Ranch (Bailey Cail), lot 71 (2-

year-old) $5750; KN Farms, lot

58, $4,700; Coyote View

Ranch, lot 72, $3,900

Red Angus: North 40 Red

Angus, lot 70, $8,250; Henkel

Creek Angus, lot 49, $6,000;

Matt's Red Angus, lots 70/74,

$4,750 ea; Meints Cattle Co,

lot 42A, $3,750

Williams Lake Bull Sale

April 18

Angus: Todd Marchant/Pam

McGuinness, lot 98,

Schochaneetqua 867 F, $7,750

sold to Dan Hamblin, Big

Lake; Sealin Creek Ranch, lot

24s, $7,500 sold to Gang

Ranch; Barry Teagle, lot 30,

BBT Heads Up 11F, $7,250

sold to Gang Ranch; Sealin

Creek Ranch, lot 23, Sealin

Creek Heads Up 47F, $7,000

sold to Sutton Ranch, 150

Mile House

Gelbvieh: Barry & Robin

Mader, lot 123, BRM New

Heights 835F, $4,900 to Ken

Barnes/Joanne Holness,

Pritchard

Charolais: TK Cattle Co., lot

129, TKCC Exemption 16E

(two-year-old), $5,700 to

Semlin Valley Ranch,

Abbotsford

Shorthorn: Spady Farms, lot

131, Nimmo Reid Fonzie 7F,

$3,000

Hereford: Little Fort

Herefords (JBLC Holding Inc.),

Lot 159, LFH Zam 15Z 15E,

$7,750 to Lois & Cli Hinsche,

141 Mile Ranch; Little Fort

Herefords, lot 165, LFH Script

29Z 111E, $6,300 to Fred

Bowers, Kamloops;

106 bulls total averaged

$3,817.

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2019

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019 25

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by TOM WALKER

OLIVER – Inderjit Sandhu

tried selling his vegetables

retail for a while but he didn’t

like it.

“We had a farm stand,” says

Sandhu, owner with his wife

Harvinder of S&G Farms Ltd.

in Oliver.

“But we had to hire and

train sta to run it, and we

had the wholesale trucks

coming and going and there

wasn’t that much prot.”

They planted some

cherries, but they didn’t work

out too well either, so after

seven years, they pulled them

out. Now they stick to

wholesaling the vegetables

that have been the mainstay

of the farm since the Sandhus

emigrated from India in 1992.

“We worked in orchards

and then leased land in

Osoyoos when we rst came

over,” he says.

They now own 32 acres

and lease another 18 of river-

bottom land just north of

Oliver.

“The soil is very good here,”

he says, adding that there is a

high water table that supplies

on-farm wells.

Heat lovers

The farm concentrates on

heat-loving summer crops

such as tomatoes, eggplant,

zucchini, pattipan squash and

melons. But their specialty is

peppers.

“We grow the more

common bell peppers,”

Sandhu explains. “But also

serrano, Anaheim, banana,

green Thai, and Ring of Fire.”

Lower Mainland

greenhouses produce many

of the crops, but Sandhu says

nothing matches the avour

eld production delivers.

S&G has 2.5 acres of hoop

houses to get the plants

growing a month earlier than

conditions otherwise allow.

The houses ensure steady

temperature conditions

during the spring. This allows

S&G to start selling cabbages,

zucchini and tomatoes in

June.

“The dry hot weather here

is very good for vegetables,”

he says.

Early cash

The cabbages provide early

cash and are an important

part of his rotations, but they

don’t give him much return.

“Not at 50 cents a pound,”

he says. “I need to be selling

vegetables at over a dollar a

pound to make money.”

Pest pressure is minimal.

Aphids are his biggest

concern, but giving his plants

a good start in the

greenhouse gives them a

ghting chance.

“When you start with a

healthy plant, it has a much

better chance to grow well,”

Sandhu says.

Promoting soil health by

planting fall rye and limiting

the use of chemicals – he’s

stopped using Roundup, for

example – is also important.

Oliver veggie grower prefers wholesale

Thrifty’s, Sysco deliver fair returns

for effort S&G Farms puts into

growing top-quality produce

See VARIETY on next page o

Inderjit Sandhu gets a jump on the season by starting seedlings in 2.5 acres of hoop houses. By June, he’s

able to deliver fresh cabbage, zucchini and tomatoes to his wholesale customers. [TOM WALKER PHOTO]

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201926

MR-43-120 (1.43” X 393’)

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STOCKING PRODUCTS

He says he

would grow fewer

crops, but needs

the variety for his

rotations.

“I am nding

that I can use less

land but be more

precise in my

growing and

actually have a

higher gross

return,” Sandhu

says.

S&G’s biggest

input cost, as it is

for every farm, is

labour. His eld

crew includes 15

Mexican workers

under the Seasonal

Agricultural Worker

Program and a

dozen locals work

in the

packinghouse.

“We have had a

lot of the same

workers for many

years and they

know our system,”

he says. “All of our

picking is done by

hand. … We Brix

test our tomatoes

to be sure they are

picked at the

maximum

sweetness.”

The

packinghouse has

washing, packing

and cold storage.

The farm logo is on

all boxes and they do some

small tray packs as well.

Tomatoes go to Thrifty’s in a

single-layer box, so they are

not damaged along the way,

Sandhu says.

Convenience

Sandhu says he enjoys the

convenience of a wholesaler’s

truck showing up to the

packinghouse a couple of

times a week. Thrifty’s is the

single biggest customer,

taking up to 60% of what the

farm grows. Sysco is second,

taking about 20%.

“Sysco approached us

about 10 years ago. They are

interested in local foods and

they are supplying the

hospitals,” says Sandhu. “You

have to meet their

requirements for CanadaGAP

and liability insurance, but

that is the same with all the

distributors.”

Sysco has occasionally

visited the farm as part of a

customer appreciation day.

“We show how we grow

and pack our vegetables and

they have chefs who cook

and serve them,” says Sandhu.

The appreciation is

something that pleases

Sandhu, and is integral to the

farm’s relationship with

Thrifty’s, which it has supplied

for seven years.

Now part of Sobeys Inc.,

Thrifty’s features S&G in its

advertising as a local partner.

In return, Sandhu says S&G

receives a good price that

delivers a fair return for the

eort he puts in to grow a

top-quality product.

“We work with them to try

and grow what they would

like,” says Sandhu. “They really

enjoy the avour of our

heirloom tomatoes.”

VARIETY critical for rotation nfrom page 25

S&G Farms employs 15 workers from Mexico through the Seasonal Agricultural

Worker Program. They were planting zucchini outside in mid-May. [S&G FARMS PHOTO]

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THE PARTS YOU NEED, FOR THE MACHINES YOU LOVE

by MYRNA STARK LEADER

KELOWNA – One of the most

common challenges for producers

outside the supply-managed sectors is

marketing. This winter, Canada’s

second-largest grocer – Nova Scotia-

based Sobeys Inc. – oered BC

growers tips for entering the retail

market.

Sessions in Kelowna, New

Westminster and Victoria attracted 210

producers, processors and

distributors.

Sobeys operates approximately 85

stores in BC under the Sobeys,

Safeway, Thrifty Foods and IGA

banners. It also plans to open 10

locations of its FreshCo discount

brand this year. It’s keen to grow its

local product selection, establishing a

30-person national team focused on

local business development. The team

has ve members in BC.

The information session in Kelowna

attracted 30 people who were

encouraged to have a vision for the

future of their own product, which

could range from fresh produce to

processed food and beverages.

Beyond passion, producers need to

know how much product they want to

supply so Sobeys knows what kind of

distribution to expect. Opportunities

range from a single product for a local

market to several in stores across

Canada.

Sobeys is completing a review of

every product its stores carry to

ensure products match consumer

demand. Its vice-president in charge

of eld merchandising, Jana Sobey,

great-grandchild of founder J.W.

Sobey, says it wants to be consumers’

destination for local food.

“It is important to have the right

products in the right stores, as a

growing majority

of customers are

telling us that

means local

products,”

explains Travis

Shaw, local

development

manager for BC.

“Because we live

in the

communities

[where] we operate, we understand

the social and economic benets that

producing and selling local items

brings.”

“No longer are you looked at as

vendors, but as partners,” says Sean

Watson, manager of the Vernon

Safeway. “If we grow your business

and our business together, we will

both be sustainable.”

Product quality is more important

than quantity right now, Shaw notes.

“Understand your competition,

your packaging, your true cost of

goods, distribution, food safety

certication,” he says. “Don’t hesitate

to ask to make sure you get it right

the rst time.”

“It’s a marathon we’re running, so

taking the time to do it right the rst

time pays,” said Sobeys eld

merchandising director for BC Jason

Bater. “Somebody else will take the

shelf space if you don’t do your due

diligence.”

Not surprisingly, food safety is a

top priority. Producers are required to

provide evidence of third-party food

safety audits. This past January, the

Safe Food for Canadians Act began

requiring producers demonstrate

preventative control, a recall process

and traceability records.

A second major consideration is

product distribution – how to get the

product to the stores, as well as

payment. Things to think about

include temperature-controlled

delivery, copies of invoices and being

highly organized right down to basics

– like not delivering through the front

of the store.

To make the process easier for local

suppliers, Sobeys has created a new,

simplied item set-up form, dierent

from the one used for national

suppliers. Once producers have the

form, a local item sheet can be

produced to help stores understand a

product’s unique selling points.

Once the product is

in the store, Sobeys

encourages producers

to go into the store for

the rst three or four

reorders to help

increase sta familiarity

with the product.

Brokers can also be

helpful with sales. In-

store demos and pop-

up shops can also help

raise product awareness.

One grower set up a mobile berry

stand last summer outside one BC

store to promote his fruit. Customers

are more likely to buy a product they

can try.

“I’ve never seen a sales tactic more

successful then a demo,” said Sobey.

BC Ministry of Agriculture

marketing consultant Kevin Grout

said as part of the Buy BC program,

producers can access market advisory

services, guides and workshops. In

addition, local products can qualify

for the Buy BC logo.

Grocer offers tips to get a foot in the door

Sobeys says quality is more important than quantity as it looks to expand local products

“Somebody else will take the shelf

space if you don’t do your due

diligence ...”

Jason Bater,

Field merchandising director, Sobeys Inc.

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201928

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by SEAN HITREC

ABBOTSFORD – People of

all ages had an opportunity to

peek underneath the glass

rooftops of several

greenhouses in the Fraser

Valley during BC Greenhouse

Veggie Days in early May.

The event was put on in

conjunction with the BC

Agriculture in the Classroom

Foundation and the BC

Greenhouse Growers

Association.

Cornerstone Christian

School teacher Susan Olivier’s

grade 1 class left the tour with

a newfound appreciation for

growing food. Her students

came away with renewed

excitement for their school

garden project where they are

growing peas and pumpkins.

“I like how they had

dierent stations set up for

them,” she says. “It’s really

good for science and I would

highly recommend other

classrooms go to a place like

this.”

Calais Farms Inc. was one of

four greenhouses that

participated. Manager Jacob

Kerkho was an enthusiastic

tour guide for students. He’s

made it his goal to show the

value of greenhouses in BC.

“We're attempting to create

awareness in that even

Greenhouse veggie days a hit with school

School tours

aim to teach

and inspire

though we are growing under

glass, the science and the

farming practices around it

are the same if not better

than eld production,” he

says. “We are able to recycle

and mitigate environmental

pollutants leaving our

greenhouse, and we are able

to maximize our production

per acre.”

For Kerkho, it was not

only a time to educate the

public about greenhouses in

BC, but in doing so, he hoped

to expose students to

possible job opportunities in

the future.

“One of my personal

reasons in promoting this

project is I want students

from kindergarten to grade

12 to feel horticulture is a

long-term and excellent

career,” he says. “[There are

jobs] in plant science,

mechanical systems,

electronics [and] computer

programming. We've got

careers in multiple disciplines

inside of a greenhouse

environment.”

Students from Cornerstone Christian School learn about the natural gas-red system Calais Farms uses to heat water that is pumped throughout

the greenhouse, then recapture the CO2 emissions used to feed growing plants. [SEAN HITREC PHOTO]

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019 29

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FARM NEWS

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FARM NEWS

UPDATES

School children, right,

touring Calais Farms during

BC Greenhouse Veggie Days

were encouraged to ll

out a workbook designed to

help them understand how

greenhouses work.

Bottom left, a new generation

of Calais Farm employees

eagerly await the arrival of

students to the open house.

Bottom right, one of several

displays set up throughout the

greenhouse explaining the

complex process of growing

food under glass.

[SEAN HITREC PHOTOS]

children

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201930

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019 31

by JACKIE PEARASE

SALMON ARM – BC haskap

growers hope new research

will give their fruit the leg up

it needs to become a

commercially viable crop.

About 50 members of the

BC Haskap Association met in

Salmon Arm on April 6 to hear

about the latest research on

the berry.

“New information came

out, some older myths were

dispelled and there’s lots of

potential for the future for this

crop,” says BCHA past

president Axel Hvidberg.

Hvidberg is impressed with

the haskap research by

Dalhousie University professor

Vasantha Rupasinghe and,

closer to home, Sky Blue

Horticulture Ltd. owner and

researcher Eric Gerbrandt of

Chilliwack.

“It gives provincial

academia, government reps

the knowledge that haskap is

serious and it’s an

economically viable crop in

this region,” says Hvidberg of

the pair’s work.

Rupasinghe holds the

Killam chair in functional

foods and nutraceuticals at

Dalhousie and has 15 years’

experience researching

avonoids in fruits. He focused

on apples until he became

intrigued by haskap. Now, all

of his grad students are

working on haskap research

projects.

Rupasinghe is interested in

avonoids’ role in providing

protection against oxidative

stress-related chronic diseases.

He says some haskap varieties

have higher levels of

avonoids compared to other

berries commonly consumed

in Canada.

“I would say if your

benchmark is wild blueberry,

haskap is either equal or

greater. It could be greater up

to two to three times

depending on what kind of

measurements you are doing,”

he says.

Haskap is high in Vitamin C

and potassium but it’s

particularly high in avonoids,

especially anthocyanins.

Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) is

the predominant anthocyanin

in haskap, so Rupasinghe’s

attention is drawn to it.

“According to our work,

almost 80% of anthocyanin (in

haskap) is C3G. That’s the

uniqueness compared to

other berries,” he says. “With

two spoonfuls of dried haskap

powder, we can reach closer

to the recommended amount

of avonoids that we should

habitually consume every day

to prevent chronic disease like

cancer.”

Additional haskap research

shows some positive benets

for lung cancer and diabetes

but more work is required to

provide additional data on its

antioxidant benets.

Rupasinghe says this

research demonstrates the

health benets of the cold-

climate berry, which creates

unique value-added

opportunities, from functional

foods to nutraceuticals.

“We are on the spectrum

from value-added food

processing to drug discovery

with this really unique central

molecule called avonoids,” he

explains.

He cautioned growers that

C3G is an unstable molecule

so care must be taken with

the heat of pasteurization,

light and temperature during

storage, and drying methods.

(Freeze-drying preserves the

C3G while vacuum-oven

drying destroys 96% of the

C3G.)

“If your nal target is a

health-promoting food

product, you have to pay

attention,” he says. “But if it is

beer, wine, gin, I don’t think

you ought to be worried.”

Rupasinghe says growers

should select cultivars that

meet specic market needs, a

suggestion Gerbrandt’s in-

eld research supports.

Gerbrandt has spent seven

years exploring the viability of

haskap as a commercial crop.

He’s part of an eort to breed

cultivars better adapted to

temperate climates while

developing cultivar-specic

management practices.

“An ongoing hypothesis

that I’ve had is that there is

variability, complexity, in the

genetics of this crop that will

be usable for making it a more

mainstream crop,” he explains.

“Widespread uptake of this

crop will require more

growers in temperate areas to

develop a market.”

Niche berry

A crop that’s been

domesticated relatively

recently, haskap remains a

niche berry. It will take

multiple generations of

successful breeding, more

research and development of

both a recognized production

system and markets before

growers realize haskap’s full

economic potential.

“You need to have multiple

strategies for how to get this

to consumers so that more

people know about it so it

becomes a common term,”

Gerbrandt says.

Haskap requires cross-

pollination from a compatible

cultivar so growers need to

choose varieties wisely and

bloom times should work for

the climate.

“Get varieties that are

going to work for what you

need them to do,” says

Gerbrandt. “Really critically

evaluate the features that

those products have to make

sure they have what you

need.”

Gerbrandt advocates early

pruning to keep the berries

higher on the bush and

pruning out old wood to

encourage new shoots when

the plant is seven or eight

years old.

With varied opinions as to

when haskap is ideally ripe,

Gerbrandt recommends

harvesting two or three days

after all the berries on the

bush turn blue, saying a berry

with red juice running

through it is overripe.

Haskap research

may help berry

go mainstream

Research will help growers tout

significant health benefits

Every year, members of the Pender Island Farmers’ Institute provide elementary school children with

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201932

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Agricultural land use

changes can challenge

pollinators and can

sometimes lead to

fragmentation or loss of ideal

foraging habitats. Couple that

with the eects of pesticide

exposure and bees are faced

with considerable stress.

Given how important bees

are as pollinators for both

crops and wild plants, there

has been huge concern about

the impact of pesticides on

bee health, especially

pesticides known as

neonicotinoids, or neonics.

This class of insecticide is

chemically similar to nicotine

and for years they have been

widely used in agriculture.

But more recently, science

researchers have realized how

detrimental these products

are to our insect allies – bee

pollinators.

Neonics have been linked

to a range of studies,

especially research focused

on the reasons for the honey

bee colony collapse disorder

and the loss of birds due to

loss of insect populations.

Now, researchers at

Imperial College London in

the UK have found that

bumblebees exposed

to the neonicotinoid

pesticide called

imidacloprid y only

one-third their normal

distance. This change

in normal endurance

ight behaviour –

distance and duration –

impacts foraging and food

gathering for the nest, could

lead to the ground-nesting

colonies going hungry, and

pollination services being

aected. The study showed

that bees exposed to the

equivalent doses they would

encounter in the eld not

only y shorter distances but

y for less time than those

not exposed.

Less ying time means less

range is covered and the

researchers calculated that

the reduced range where

aected bees forage may be a

huge – up to 80%.

What they did nd, though,

was that exposed bees

seemed to be hyperactive

when initially ying out to

forage and maybe they

literally wore themselves out.

“Neonicotinoids are similar

to nicotine in the way they

stimulate neurons and so a

‘rush’ or hyperactive burst of

activity does make sense,”

says Daniel Kenna, doctoral

student in the Department of

Life Sciences and rst author

of the study. “However, our

results suggest there may be

a cost to this initial rapid

ight, potentially through

increased energy expenditure

or a lack of motivation in the

form of reduced ight

endurance.”

The team used an

experimental mill to test the

bumble bees’ ight. The mill

was a spinning device with

long arms connected to

magnets. Each bee had a

small metal disc attached to

its back which, in turn, let the

researchers link it temporarily

to the magnetic arm. As each

bee ew in circles, they could

accurately measure how far

and how fast they ew in a

controlled environment.

Basically, the bees were

tethered to the mill. The bees,

individual workers, were

exposed to imidacloprid at a

concentration they would

encounter in the pollen and

nectar of owers, on foraging

workers and inside social bee

colonies.

“Previous studies from our

group and others have shown

that bee foragers exposed to

neonicotinoid pesticides

bring back less food to the

colony,” said lead author

Richard Gill, a senior lecturer

with the Department of Life

Sciences. “Our study on ight

performance under pesticide

exposure provides a potential

mechanism to explain these

ndings.”

Given the data from the

experiments, he said that

pesticide-exposed bees may

nd that they do not have the

endurance to reach

previously accessible

resources or, worse, they are

incapable of returning to the

nest after being exposed to

contaminated owers due to

lack of energy.

“Not only could this reduce

the abundance, diversity and

nutritional quality of food

available to a colony aecting

its development, but it could

also limit the pollination

service bees provide.”

New measures

The dangers of this class of

pesticide have not gone

unnoticed in Canada. In 2012,

imidacloprid was one of three

neonicotinoids (the other two

being clothianidin and

thiamethoxam) that Health

Canada began to re-evaluate

given the growing concerns

around bee health. In 2014,

they implemented risk

mitigation measures to

protect pollinators from

exposure to neonicotinoid-

contaminated dust of treated

seeds at planting time.

In April 2019, the agency

announced that it will be

cancelling some uses of those

insecticides and changing

other conditions of use such

as restricting the timing of

application. They looked at

hundreds of scientic studies

conducted by manufacturers

as well as scientic research

published in journals. As a

result, they stated in their

press release that

cancellations and new

restrictions will be

implemented over a two- to

three-year period.

The study by Imperial

College London researchers

was published in the journal

Ecology and Evolution.

Margaret Evans is a

freelance writer based in

Chilliwack specializing in

agricultural science.

Bee sensitivity

linked to neonic

pesticides

Neonicotinoid exposure results in

bees flying one-third the distance

Research

by MARGARET EVANS

Research from the UK is showing that bees exposed to neonics via contaminated owers could have

trouble returning to their nests due to a lack of energy. [FILE PHOTO]

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by MYRNA STARK LEADER

LANGLEY – After four decades of growing apples, Jim Rahe

and his wife Mary Ann are closing the gates at Annie’s Orchard

at Langley, one of the few commercial apple orchards in the

Fraser Valley.

The couple moved from Coquitlam to their seven-acre

property in 1979 and started planting apples. Within four

years, they had more than 250 varieties but little idea of what

to do with the fruit. They began selling apples at the farm and

quickly learned that their abundance was a challenge to

manage and sell. Within two years, they’d cut back to just 50

varieties.

“Still too many! But our orchard has been a labour of love,”

says Rahe, now 80 and retired from Simon Fraser University

where his work as a biological sciences professor focused on

pest management (but never on apples).

The orchard was where he went to relax until his retirement

in 2004. Then, taking care of the orchard’s 2,500 trees became

a full-time job. By this time, 10 pear varieties had joined the 50

apple varieties.

Rahe says there’s a logic to what they grow.

“The opportunity at this location wasn’t to compete with

the commodity industry or the Interior, which has lower costs

of production and a better climate, but to take advantage of

the large local population by oering what the commodity

industry cannot,” he said.

Annie’s oers fruit fresh from the tree for at least 90 days,

starting with summer varieties such as Transparent, which

ripens in late July, and continuing through late summer and

fall to winter varieties harvested through late October. The mix

includes a number of what he calls “ethnic favourites” from

Europe including Bramley’s Seedling, Cox Orange Pippin and

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

COME CELEBRATE AT BC’S

LARGEST AGRICULTURE SHOWCASE

FARM COUNTRY

AUGUST 17–SEPTEMBER 2

Come out and experience BC’s remarkably

diverse agriculture industry. Featuring the

crowd favourite Discovery Farm exhibit,

pig racing, BC Dairy Association’s

Dairy Zone, BC Cattlemen’s Beef Zone,

and BC Egg Marketing Board’s

Egg Laying Exhibit, plus a whole barn

full of exciting animal displays.

PACIFIC SPIRIT HORSE SHOW

AUGUST 21–SEPTEMBER 2

Featuring Canadian Horse,

Draft Team and Dressage demonstrations

as well as Junior Amateur Jumping

and Indoor Eventing competitions.

ENTRY DEADLINE: JULY 26, 2019

PNE 4-H FESTIVAL

AUGUST 17–20

O ering over 30 types of project competitions

as well as provincial programs for judging,

speak and show and educational displays.

Travel assistance o ered to clubs outside

of the Fraser Valley through the

BC Youth in Agriculture Foundation.

ENTRY DEADLINE: JUNE 28, 2019

It’s the

of summer

BEST PART

Aug 17

till Sep 2

(closed Aug 19 & 26)

604-252-3581 • agriculture@pne.ca •

Fraser Valley orchardist calling it a day

Annie’s Orchard a legacy of the

Fraser Valley orchard boom

Jim Rahe has spent 40 years tending his Fraser Valley orchard, once home to over more than 250 apple

varieties, most of which are not commercially grown. [RONDA PAYNE PHOTO]

See RARE on next page o

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201934

Belle de Boskoop, as well as

local favourites such as

Gravenstein, King and

Northern Spy. There are also

newer varieties, including

Fuji, Gala, Jonagold,

Honeycrisp and Ambrosia.

“From July through

October, people could come

here and get a freshly picked

apple. As good as apple

storage is, there’s nothing

better than one straight o

the tree,” he says with a smile.

“When you live by a city

with two million people, with

many of them from the UK

and Europe, and they

discover you’ve got those

apples, you can’t buy

advertising like those

customers provide. We had a

unique product,” says Rahe,

who sees great qualities in

many varieties, but names

Gravenstein as his favourite.

Gravenstein dates to at

least the 17th century and

has exceptional avour and

texture, but no keeping

quality. It’s at its best when

picked and eaten fresh, for

about three weeks a year, he

explains.

Encylopedia of knowledge

Rahe is a living apple

encyclopedia, noting there

are over 7,000 named apple

varieties in the world.

However, he humbly points

to Murray Siemens, Dave

Ormrod and Loren Taves,

three other orchardists in the

Fraser Valley, as having more

expertise.

Rahe says that nearly

25,000 acres of apples were

being grown in the Okanagan

in the 1970s. Today, the

acreage is just 8,000, largely

due to the rise of vineyards.

While there was a short-lived

boom in Fraser Valley apple

production in the late 1980s

and early 1990s, he says

canker soon killed virtually all

of these orchards.

Canker, a fungal disease,

remains the biggest

challenge at Annie’s Orchard.

With no effective chemical

control, Rahe has always

watched for signs of

infection. Pruning could

control but never eliminate

the fungus. Some areas

eventually became too badly

infected and were pulled out

and replanted in blocks of 10

to 15 rows at once (about a

quarter of the orchard).

“We never replanted the

entire orchard at any one

time, but probably the entire

orchard has been replanted

about three times over 35

years,” he says.

While that may sound bad,

he notes that commercial

growers in the Okanagan

typically upgrade their trees

on a 10-year cycle to ensure

the competitiveness of their

orchards, often with newer

varieties that deliver

premium prices. The only

thing that’s different with his

orchard is the scale and the

focus on heritage varieties.

Rahe stopped replanting

when he entered his 70s.

Canker exploded, and he

decided to let it have its way.

The orchard is now less then

half the number of

productive trees it had a

decade ago, and he says

there’s not a single tree in his

orchard without the disease.

What about the future for

apples?

While canker has been the

biggest challenge he’s dealt

with in 40 years of

orcharding, apple scab and

codling moth have also

required active management.

The biggest threat to future

production, however, is

apple maggot.

Since the first detection in

the province in 2006, in the

Fraser Valley, apple maggot

has spread throughout the

Lower Mainland as well as to

Vancouver Island and Prince

George. While the BC

Ministry of Agriculture

recommends several

products to control the pest

in commercial orchards, Rahe

says there are no acceptable,

effective options for low

input growers.

Still, Rahe believes

commercial apple production

in the Fraser Valley is viable

for anyone who loves

orcharding and dealing with

people.

“We’ve got about 800

repeat customers, and that

number has been limited by

the size of our orchard rather

than demand,” he says.

RARE apple varieties popular with customers nfrom page 33

BLOOMIN’ BEAUTIFUL! Jim Rahe takes a moment to appreciate one of his 50 varieties of apple trees in full

bloom. [CHRISTINE KOCH PHOTO]

DUNCAN – Cowichan

Valley wineries and grape

growers are rallying behind a

proposal to create Vancouver

Island’s rst sub-appellation.

A proposal to designate

the Cowichan Valley a sub-

geographical indication (GI,

or appellation) of the larger

Vancouver Island appellation

was led with the BC Wine

Authority on April 16.

The proposed sub-GI is

350 square kilometres and

includes 14 wineries

representing approximately

150 to 175 acres of vineyard.

The proposal follows the

approval of establishing sub-

GIs for the Naramata Bench

and Skaha Bench.

Williamson said he hopes

an industry plebiscite and

establishment of a sub-GI for

the Cowichan Valley will

complete by the end of this

year.

This would allow local

wineries to label wines made

with local grapes from this

year’s vintage with the new

designation.

—Peter Mitham

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LAKE COUNTRY – Darcy

Hubscher has one of the most

unique jobs in BC agriculture.

Hubscher grows worms. On

any given day, up to eight

million worms – total herd

weight, 20,000 pounds – are

working away on 10 acres of

farmland at Nurturing Nature

Organics Inc. in Lake Country.

But these worms will never

bait a hook. Rather, they’re

tillers of the soil, turning it

into high-quality worm

castings.

Unlike in nature, the

process takes place above

ground. Soil from a local bog,

harvested in accordance with

sustainable principles, is

brought into the plant and

the herd of African night

crawlers go to work.

“Our worms do a great job

converting our special soil. It’s

part of the reason this plant is

located here and one of the

reasons we are successful,”

says Hubscher, the operation’s

production manager.

The soil is screened and

fermented for a number of

days. Then the worms are

added to shallow boxes of the

dirt, which are stacked roof

high. In a few days, they’ve

eaten their way through,

enclosing each dirt granule in

a coating before excreting it.

The worms are screened out

of the castings and given a

fresh box of food.

Hubscher gently plunges

his hand into thousands of

worms, lifting them to show

o the herd on a warm and

humid shop oor that smells

like a good old-fashioned

root cellar. While the process

sounds simple, the worms’

metabolism is aected by a

number of factors like

temperature and humidity.

Caring for them is critical to

ensuring they accomplish

two goals – creating quality

castings and bearing healthy

young. He notes that night

crawlers live four to eight

years on average, so good

health also ensures longevity.

“There’s a whole science

behind it but basically, my job

is to keep the little guys

happy,” says Hubscher.

Because the castings are an

organic product, certied

through OMRI (Organic

Materials Review Institute),

they’re in demand as sales of

organic food (and cannabis)

grows. When mixed with soil

or other growth medium at a

rate of between 7% and 15%,

the castings enhance the soil,

producing better plants. Top-

grade castings – pure worm

manure – receives the best

price. The roughage –

castings mixed with peat – is

sold as a second-tier grade.

The material that accidentally

hits the operation’s oor is

collected for a third, lower-

quality grade.

“Technically, it can’t be

called fertilizer because we’d

have to meet certain

regulations that are typically

required for synthetic

products, but our African

night crawlers are producing

the most pure form of

organic matter which helps

plants to ourish,” says

Hubscher, who has raised

worms for over 10 years

beginning with worms for

shing bait when he and his

father ran a gas station in the

late 1990s.

After getting out of the

worm business for a few

years, he came back about

ve years ago. Today, he

works with his son Quinn and

a team of ve other full-time

employees. While Nurturing

Nature was started locally by

another Canadian, American

ownership a few years back

enabled the business to

expand, adding room for

more worms.

Hubscher has developed

valuable, specialized

knowledge, especially as

people want to learn to farm

worms for their backyard

gardens. He could sell those

skills, but he’s hesitant to

create market competition.

“To my knowledge, we are

producing the best castings

in the world right here in the

Okanagan,” says Hubscher. He

proudly explains that the

herd produces 14 yards of

castings a day, or about

15,500 pounds.

Today, markets include

smaller packages of castings

for local customers and

retailers, but most top-grade

product is shipped in 2,000-

pound bulk totes to many

distributors who in turn ship

to numerous wholesalers and

retailers.

Hubscher envisions a

bright future for castings,

particularly as demand for

organic soil amendments

grows at home and abroad.

He sees future markets in

Ontario and Asia. However,

one of the challenges is that

castings are heavy, so of

considerable cost to ship.

“One idea I have for the

future is to make Kelowna, or

this area, a central hub for

shipping products like this

east,” he says. “We could

reduce some of the trucking

costs and get more product

to markets further away.”

Worming his

way to the top

of the heap

Lake Country worm composter

produces 15,500 lbs per day

Darcy Hubscher stands in front of the wooden boxes lled with tiny employees hard at work turning soil

into organic worm castings. [MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO]

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201936

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by RONDA PAYNE

ALDERGROVE – Mushrooms

will soon be part of Fraser

Common Farm’s organic

oerings following a

cultivation workshop led by

Bo Del Valle Garcia, founder

of Tangled Roots Nature

Connection, a school for

permaculture and wild skills

on Malcolm Island opposite

Port McNeill.

Attendees of the April 27

workshop inoculated logs

that will yield the earthy crop

for the farm, and also took

one home for themselves.

It’s a far cry from

commercial mushroom

bunkers and requires few

material inputs, but Del Valle

Garcia said it’s a way for

growers that oer produce

subscription programs to

include oyster mushrooms

and other varieties. They (Del

Valle Garcia’s preferred

pronoun) say plenty of

people make an income from

mushrooms this way.

Emily Alexis of Artisan

Farm in Squamish considers

herself new to growing

mushrooms but has

successfully included them in

her community-supported

agriculture (CSA) baskets.

“This is my third year,” she

says. “I had success with the

garden giant [king stropharia]

mushroom in a wood chips

medium. So I keep putting

fresh wood chips on it every

year and I keep watering it

and it keeps producing every

year.”

Now, with a mix of both

cultured mushrooms and

those foraged from the

property, Alexis has enough

for about 15 of the CSA

baskets she sends to 25

people over a 24 to 26 week

program, but for some

customers it’s still not

enough.

“They generally ask for

more,” she says. “Some

customers have asked if I can

just do a mushroom CSA.

They like some of the

varieties that I bring to them

that they can’t get at the

store.”

She notes the shiitake

variety is important for vegan

and vegetarian diets because

it has many of the same

amino acids as meat and a

high Vitamin D content. The

shift to more plant-based

diets promises to boost

mushrooms’ popularity with

local consumers.

Common varieties

Del Valle Garcia says there

are many ways to grow

mushrooms. Common

varieties for cultivation

include oyster, shiitake, lion’s

mane, nameko and king

stropharia.

Since mushrooms love

wood, hardwood sawdust is a

common growing medium

but they say straw or coee

grounds can also be

inoculated. This can be done

in wide-mouth one-quart jars

or polyethylene bags.

Ensuring the growing

medium has nutrients to feed

and grow the mushrooms is

essential. They recommend a

mixture of 10 parts sawdust,

two parts oat, rice or wheat

bran, and one part gypsum.

“If you want to inoculate

your garden, king stropharia

is awesome to use,” Del Valle

Garcia says. “Make sure there’s

not already too much other

fungus growing.”

Once the mycelium has

begun to establish in the

growing medium, it can be

transferred to logs or other

growing sources.

“Alders are really great for a

lot of mushrooms,” notes Del

Valle Garcia.

The ideal log is four to 12

inches in diameter and two to

four feet long. Holes should

be approximately a half-inch

wide and half-inch deep in a

line along the length of the

log.

Start the next line an inch

away from the rst and

stagger the holes. A sterilized

spoon can be used to scoop a

blueberry-sized amount of

mycelium and growing

medium, which is then gently

packed into each hole with a

chopstick. The holes and ends

of each log should be sealed

with bee or soy wax to

prevent other fungus from

accessing the log.

There’s more to getting

mushrooms to grow and fruit

than these basic steps. Alexis

turned to experts like Paul

Stamets of Fungi Perfecti LLC

in Olympia, Washington for

supplies and additional

production information.

“I purchased the

inoculated substrate in bags,”

she explains. “With those, I

have success growing shiitake

and oyster mushrooms, but

you can also grow reishi and

lion’s mane and all kinds of

mushrooms in that way.”

While she tried putting

inoculated plugs from Fungi

Perfecti into logs, she didn’t

have much success, so turned

to the wood chips solution.

“I think that the shiitake

and the oyster mushrooms

are the easiest,” she says.

Mushrooms a viable crop for small growers

Locally grown, unusual varieties

popular in CSAs

David Shortridge, left, carefully burrows a hole in a mushroom starter log as others look on. Alders make

excellent hosts for many mushrooms. [RONDA PAYNE PHOTO]

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201938

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Island 4-H beef show celebrates 25 years

Leaders pull out all the stops to revive long-standing tradition

The Winner’s Circle

Junior Fitting Jackson

Phillips (Cowichan 4-H Beef )

Intermediate Fitting Layla

Dorko (Abbotsford 4-H Beef )

Senior Fitting Emma

Davidson (Abbotsford 4-H

Beef)

Team Fitting Cowichan 4-H

Beef (Jackson Phillips, Hailey

Martin & Victoria Kovacs)

Junior Showmanship Paisley

Kovacs (Cowichan 4-H Beef )

Intermidiate Showmanship

Layla Dorko (Abbotsford 4-H

Beef)

Senior Showmanship Jean

Macaulay (Saanich Peninsula

Beef & Swine)

Champion Market Steer

Layla Dorko (Abbotsford 4-H

Beef) with Satchmo - Maine X,

978 lbs

Reserve Champion Market

Steer William Martin

(Cowichan 4-H Beef ) with

Mack - Maine X, 1152 lbs

Champion Heifer Jenna

Nielsen (Abbotsford 4-H Beef)

with Diamond Mist -

Simmental X

Reserve Champion Heifer

Jean Macaulay (Saanich

Peninsula Beef & Swine) with

Ruby - Shorthorn X

by AMANDA POELMAN

DUNCAN – The Vancouver

Island 4-H Beef Spring Show

celebrated its silver

anniversary, May 4-5,

welcoming 41 members from

eight clubs on the Island and

Lower Mainland.

Through the course of the

weekend, members enjoyed a

tting demonstration, a full

day of competition, silent and

live auctions, and a delicious

wrap-up dinner followed by

the music stylings of local

band The Porter Brothers.

Judge Katie Songer of

Rocky Mountain House, AB,

competently lined up all the

contenders, providing

excellent reasons and

suggestions to the member

on their projects and

individual skills.

ttt

JUNE 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC

September long

weekend in Armstrong!

DON’T MISS IT!

Armstrong Interior Provincial

Exhibition Presents

AT THE IPE

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AUG 28 TO SEPT 1, 2019

JULY 12

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4H & Junior Activities

JULY 19

...................

Beef, Dairy, Swine,

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Photography,

Fancywork & Sewing,

Hobbies, Wine,

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JULY 26

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Goat, Sheep, Light

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AUGUST 2

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Floral, Fruit, Field

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AUGUST 14

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Heavy Horse

ENTRY DEADLINES

2019

Facing page, top, Layla Dorko

from Abbotsford 4-H Beef

and her champion market steer is

joined by judge Katie Songer;

Below, Ross Springford presents

the top Hereford Inuence Heifer

award to Ginger Stephenson from

the Comox Valley Calf Club

[JENNIFER BUCK PHOTO].

Bottom left, Songer congratulates

Jean Macaulay from Saanich

Peninsula Beef & Swine on her

reserve champion heifer. Bottom

right, Jersey Craig from

Abbotsford Beef gets a little help

from a senior member.

On this page, Paisley Kovacs

ashes a quick smile while

getting some assistance from

William and Oliver Martin

during the Team Fitting

competition.

Below, George Baird,

a long-time supporter of the

Island 4-H Beef Show, keeps an

eye on the show pen.

AMANDA POELMAN

PHOTOS

IS THANKFUL FOR THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR SPONSORS

Accurate Air

BC Angus Association

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019

Financing

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When we left o last time,

Lois the storekeeper had put the

brakes on the rumour mill

percolating over the

signicance of a kiss and

embrace between Deborah and

Doug McLeod at the end of the

Spring Musical. Back at home,

Susan was enjoying a morning

coee on the Henderson front

porch when Newt Pullman and

his dog happened by. Rural

Redemption, part 111,

continues ...

Susan glanced over at

Newt and sighed.

“Nothing very exciting to

tell, I’m afraid. It would

probably put you to sleep.”

“I’ve had three cups of

coee. Don’t think there’s

much chance I’ll be nodding

o,” said Newt. “Just shoot for

the highlights and leave out

the sad parts.”

“Fair enough,” said Susan

thinking that if she omitted all

the unhappy and boring

parts, it wouldn’t take much

time to tell at all.

She spoke fondly of her

childhood and youth, then

matter-of-factly about her

marriage and Kenneth’s birth

and childhood to the point

when his father took him to

boarding school in Ontario.

The story became truncated

and the telling became

wistful.

“Kenneth met Deborah at

university and they were

married. Then, Ashley and

Christopher were born two

years apart. Kingston retired

from the senate and moved

back from Ottawa and wrote

a book about himself. He died

nearly three years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” said Newt.

“He was a lot older than

me,” said Susan matter-of-

factly. “Now, I’ve sold the

house and here I am.”

“So, what’s

next?”

“Well, I

want to see a

lot more of

Christopher

and Ashley

before they’re

all grown up, and beyond

that, I don’t have a plan. Just

put one foot in front of the

other and see where it takes

me, I guess.”

“That kind of sounds like a

plan right there,” said Newt.

Susan chuckled.

“It’s a pretty simple plan,

wouldn’t you say?”

“Simple plan’s the best

kind. The more complicated it

gets, the harder it is to make it

work.”

“You’re starting to sound

like a philosopher, Mr.

Pullman.”

“Hell, no. I learned most of

what I know from making

mistakes,” said Newt.

“Not too many, I hope.”

“Yeah, probably way too

many, but like old Colonel

Meldrum used to tell us, ‘A

man who can’t make a

mistake can’t make anything.’“

Newt said he supposed he

and Rocky should be on their

way and leave her in peace.

Susan said she’d enjoyed

the conservation and said not

to be afraid to stop by for

another cup of coee the

next time he was in the

neighbourhood. Newt said

thanks and he just might take

her up on that.

After he was gone, Susan

tried to remember the last

time she’d had a two-hour

conversation with a man.

Newt found her wide smile

and sparkling eyes crowding

into his thoughts all

afternoon.

ttt

By the time Kenneth and

Deborah arrived at the resort,

they were both exhausted

and Deborah had a splitting

headache. She took two

Aspiris and excused herself to

lay down.

After she fell asleep,

Kenneth went to check out

the golf course and nd a

glass of scotch. He woke her

at 7 the next morning.

“C’mon, Deborah. Time to

rise and shine. We’re meeting

someone for breakfast at 8.”

“Who are we meeting for

breakfast? We don’t know

anyone here, do we?”

“We’re going to know

someone named Bernie

Wissel pretty soon.”

“Who is Bernie Whistle?”

“Not Whistle. Wissel, like

Bissel only with a W.”

“How is it we are having

breakfast with Mr. Wissel?”

said Deborah.

“The pro at the golf course

matched us up. Me and him

have a nine o’clock tee time.”

“Really? What time will you

be done?”

“What? Golf? We might try

to squeeze in two rounds so

we might not be done until

afternoon sometime. I gured

you’d want to have some time

to look around and check

things out.”

“Sure, sounds like fun,” said

Deborah.

When they arrived at the

restaurant, Kenneth told the

hostess he was looking for

Bernie Wissel.

“You must be Mr.

Henderson. Come this way.

The Wissels’ are expecting

you.”

As they approached the

table, a balding, heavy-set

man rose to greet them.

“Hey, Kenny, Bernie Wissel.

It’s great to meet you. Looks

like a hell of day for a round

or two, eh? You’re going love

this course, especially if you’re

a long hitter. How’s your long

game? Sit down, sit down. You

better get some breakfast in

ya if ya want to last all day.

How do you like Tiger’s

chances at the Masters? I got

500 bucks on him to crack the

top ve.”

Bernie nally stopped to

take a breath. He was wearing

a bright red golf shirt and a

pair of camo Bermuda shorts

and looked to be at least ten

years older than Kenneth. He

waved them into their chairs.

Deborah sat next to an

attractive woman with

bleached blonde hair. The

woman glanced from Bernie

to Deborah and rolled her

eyes. They smiled at one

another.

“I’m afraid we started

without you, but I told

Rhonda to keep an eye out

for you. Here she comes now.

She’ll get you xed right up.”

“So, are you a betting man

at all, Ken?” asked Bernie as

Rhonda, the waitress, turned

away.

The blonde woman landed

a sharp kick on Bernie’s shin.

“Suerin’ catsh, Birdie!

What was that for?”

“Aren’t you forgetting

something, Bernie?”

Bernie looked at her

blankly as he rubbed his shin.

“Like an introduction?” said

the woman.

“Oh, right! My mistake. Ken,

this is my wife Birdie and she

doesn’t play golf.”

“My pleasure, Birdie,” said

Kenneth. “This is my wife,

Deborah, and she doesn’t play

golf either.”

“Real nice to meet you,”

said Bernie. “What kind of

clubs are you swinging, Ken?”

“Mizunas starting today. I

bought a new set last night.

I’m picking them up this

morning.’

“Nice. There’s nothing

wrong with Mizunas. My

buddy back home swears by

them. Course I’ve always used

Calloways, but Tiger’s

switched over to TaylorMade

and I’ve been thinking about

giving them a try. Holy

mackerel! Look at the time!

We better scoot if we’re going

to pick up those Mizunas of

yours and still make our tee

time,” said Bernie, then added

as he walked away, “Birdie,

you take Debra shopping

with you and we’ll all have

dinner together tonight.”

Once they were gone,

Birdie turned toward Deborah.

“Goodness, honey, you look

like a doe caught in the

headlights.”

“Sorry. I just didn’t know

golf was so … complicated,

guess.”

“Oh, golf’s not complicated.

Bernie’s just got a knack of

making it sound that way. It

looks to me like we’re two

peas in a pod here.”

“Peas in a pod?”

“Golf widows. Tell me you

didn’t come all the way down

here to go shopping while

your husband and some loud-

mouthed furniture salesman

play golf all day?” said Birdie.

“It wasn’t my idea to come

here at all,” said Deborah. “And

I sure didn’t come for the

shopping.”

“Well, you’re here now and

so am I, and I’m betting the

two of us can nd our own

fun. What do you say?”

“Here’s to us,” said Deborah

as they clinked water glasses.

To be continued ...

Deborah starts her vacation a golf widow

Woodshed

Chronicles

by BOB COLLINS

YOUR

Helping YouHelping You

FARM NEWS

WEEKLY

FARM

NEWS

UPDATES

COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019 41

by RONDA PAYNE

ABBOTSFORD – When beer-

craving guests sit down in

Field House Brewing’s

Abbotsford tasting room,

patio or beer lawn, they can

also partake in food items

created from locally-grown

ingredients in the on-site

canteen kitchen.

Brewery founder Josh

Vanderheide started Field

House Farms as a side project

to supply the canteen kitchen

and on April 27, he hosted a

lm screening and panel

discussion to tell people

about the farm’s rst season

while raising awareness of the

importance of local

agriculture.

“We don’t think we have it

gured out, but we’re really

passionate about it,” he says.

Produced by Inmist Media

House of Chilliwack, lming of

the short documentary, From

the Field, began in spring

2018 with planting and

tracked the farm through

each stage of the growing

season.

While farm breweries aren’t

unheard of in BC, they aren’t

common either. Others

include Crannóg Ales in

Sorrento, Persephone Brewing

in Gibsons and Pemberton

Valley Beerworks, according to

Rebecca Kneen of Crannóg.

More are in the works, and

Vanderheide is hopeful From

the Field will encourage

others.

Field House Brewing

opened its doors just over

three years ago with a kitchen

that capitalized on locally

grown and crafted food

products like meats, cheeses

and produce. The incredible

avour of local food

prompted Vanderheide to

start farming, growing more

of the food used in the

brewery’s canteen.

“Well over half our food

menu is from local suppliers,”

he explains. “We wanted to

say, ‘Let’s also have us be part

of this farming community.’”

Vanderheide went on to

lease three separate acreages

in Abbotsford and Chilliwack

and began growing fruit and

vegetables as well as ve

acres of barley. The barley was

harvested, cleaned, dried and

malted with the hands-on

involvement of both

Vanderheide and brewmaster

Parker Reid.

“The beers that are here

tonight [a pilsner and an IPA]

are made from the grains that

were grown last year,” he told

the audience. “And we’re so

pleased with how the beer

turned out. We went into this

going, ‘We don’t know what

we’re doing but we’re going

to have fun with it.’”

He wants people to have a

greater understanding of how

food reaches plates because

agriculture “aects people’s

lives.”

Vanderheide believes so

much in the project that he

and his wife Gina sold their

house and bought a ve-acre

farm on Matsqui Flats, which

he refers to as Field House

Farms 2.0. They’ve put 2.5

acres into barley.

“The focus of the farm is to

complement things that

already grow here [in the

Fraser Valley],” he says. “We’re

growing rhubarb because our

kitchen is excited about the

avour and acidity.”

Other crops include plums,

pears, apples, licorice, fennel,

haskaps, Chilean guava and

jostaberry. There are beehives,

old-growth trees and more.

The majority of the produce

will nd its way into the Field

House kitchen and be served

at the brewery, but some of it

will add unique avours to its

beers.

Financial support was

essential to making the farm

possible and Vanderheide

credits two partners for the

farm’s success: the Abbotsford

Community Foundation and

Buy BC.

“The Abbotsford

Community Foundation – I

can’t even tell you the value of

that. Without them, we

wouldn’t be farming,” he says.

Field House Farms received

$25,000 from the foundation

and Buy BC helped Field

House fund the lm and

launch event.

“We started this as an

experiment,” notes

Vanderheide. “We kept

following it wherever it led us.”

In the lm, he says the plan

is to grow 100% of the

ingredients served at Field

House Brewing and to have

the business become a social

enterprise. He wants to see as

many things as possible

created from scratch.

“Doing good things is a

viable business strategy,” he

says in the 13-minute lm. “We

want to surprise people with

food. We want to change

people’s minds about food.”

A panel discussion after the

lm supported Vanderheide’s

vision for more local food and

more BC-based farm

breweries. Panelists included

Vancouver chefs Juno Kim of

Juno Kim Catering and Kris

Barnholden of the Diamond,

as well as Persephone

Brewing head brewmaster

Anders McKinnon from

Gibsons and Dan

Oostenbrink, owner of

Abbotsford’s Local Harvest

Market.

Kneen says that while

brewing is still in an industrial

mindset, there are plenty of

breweries that want to be

more involved at the farming

level whether it’s being a

brewery farm or growing

relationships with farmers.

“There’s denitely more

interest,” she says. “We’re

seeing that with hops; we’re

seeing that with fruit.”

The audience may have

come for the beer, but the

questions and conversation

were about a greater need for

local food and drink.

Josh Vanderheide cradles bottles of Field House Brewing Co.’s beers made with barley grown in the Fraser

Valley during a screening of a new lm, From the Field, documenting his company’s rst year of farming to

supply the Abbotsford-based brewery’s kitchen. [RONDA PAYNE PHOTO]

Brewery’s food

program spawns

farm project

A novice farmer shares lessons

from his first harvest

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 201942

Celebrate dads!

The spinach, ginger and teriyaki in this makes for a particularly tasty and moist burger, almost like a

slice of meatloaf between the bun halves. Dad will love it.

1 tbsp. (15 ml) nely chopped fresh ginger1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic drizzle of oil

1 lb. (454 g) lean ground beef 1 egg

1/4 c. (60 ml) oat bran 1 tbsp. (15 ml) teriyaki sauce

1/4 tsp. (1 ml) salt 1/2 tsp. (2 ml) pepper

1 c. (500 ml) chopped fresh spinach

• Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

• Finely chop fresh ginger. Chop onion and mince garlic.

• Saute ginger and onion in a pan with a drizzle of oil over medium heat and stir until onion is

translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two longer. Remove from heat and cool.

• Add ground beef to a bowl and beat in the egg, then the remaining ingredients. (You could

substitute dry bread crumbs for the oat bran.) If using fresh spinach, chop it and wilt it rst,

either in the pan with the onions, or separately, in the microwave.

• Add the cooled onion mixture, the chopped, wilted spinach and combine well with the meat.

• Form into patties to t your buns and barbecue or pan-fry until just done.

• Makes 4 or 5 burgers.

If you like Italian dishes, you’ll love this. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Italian food, you’ll love it. With

a green salad on the side, it’s a complete meal. Garlic bread is nice with it too. You could make this

using veal scallops instead of ground chicken patties.

Patties:

1 small onion 1 small garlic clove

1 lb. (454 g) ground chicken 1 egg

1/4 c. (60 g) oat bran or crumbs 2 tsp. (10 ml) fresh basil

1 tsp. (5 ml) dried oregano 1/2 tsp. (3 ml) dried thyme

1/4 tsp. (1 ml) lemon zest salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 -2 c. (375-500 ml) thick tomato sauce

Topping:

1 c. (250 ml) mozzarella cheese 1/4 c. (60 ml) Grana Padano or Romano cheese

fresh basil leaves, to garnish

• Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

• Mince onion and garlic and combine with ground chicken, beaten egg, oat bran or dry bread

crumbs, herbs, spices and lemon zest.

• Form into oval patties and brown in a drizzle of oil in a medium-hot frypan. Do not overcook.

• Make a tomato sauce with onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, herbs and spices, or use a prepared

one to spread in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish. You may reserve a few spoonfuls to

top the patties with.

• Arrange the chicken patties on top of the sauce and top each with the two cheeses. You may

wish to top each with a spoonful of sauce as well.

• Bake for about a half hour and garnish with fresh basil leaves when serving.

• Makes 4-6 patties.

SPINACH & TERIYAKI BEEF BURGERS

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Viva l’Italia! This Chicken Parmigiana is sure to please Dad on his special day! JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO

Father’s Day is a day full of memories for many adults, as well

as being a day for making memories. It doesn’t matter whether

you celebrate the day with your own father, your grandfather,

or your favourite dad – whether he’s your husband, brother,

your lover or a friend. Celebrate fatherhood and the

importance of a fatherly gure in the lives of children, young

and old.

Food is a constant

theme in celebrations,

so consider your

favourite dad’s

favourite foods. Beef

has always been top

of the list with the

dads in my life, so here’s a terric recipe for a new take on an

old sandwich, the hamburger.

As well, I usually think of hearty tomato sauce when I think

of dad dishes, so here’s an updated take on a traditional Italian

dish, Veal Parmigiana, but this time I made it with delicately-

seasoned ground chicken meat.

June must be chock-a-block with wedding anniversaries,

too, since it’s a favoured month for weddings and often the

milestone ones are celebrated with a big family meal or a

gathering of the wedding party several decades later!

As June draws to a close, we’ll be thinking of celebrating

Canada Day, and both these recipes would suit for July 1 as

well. Since tomato sauce is red and chicken is white, you’ve got

the colours of the Canadian ag in the one dish, and the other

is perfect for a celebration centred around the barbecue.

Both can be mostly prepared ahead of time, ready to

complete just before everyone sits down to eat.

I really try to come up with meals for company that don’t

involve a lot of last-minute eort so that I can enjoy the party,

too.

Often it’s perfectly appropriate to encourage your guests to

contribute an appie, a salad or a dessert, which really lightens

the load on the host and hostess when you’re inviting a crowd

to join you to celebrate an occasion.

So remember to do your prep ahead of time and plan a

meal that allows you to enjoy your guests, whether they’re

family or friends.

Happy Canada Day, anniversary or Father’s Day!

Jude’s Kitchen

JUDIE STEEVES

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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JUNE 2019 43

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