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Postmaster, Please return Undeliverable labels to: Country Life in BC 36 Dale Road Enderby, BC V0E 1V4CANADA POSTES POST CANADA Postage paid Port payé Publications Mail Post-Publications 40012122Vol. 107 No.10The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 OCTOBER 2021 | Vol. 107 No. 10REGULATIONProvince falls short on dam safety oversight 7 TREE FRUITSOrchard industry awaits government report9 DISEASESheep producers monitoring for bluetongue15PETER MITHAM CHILLIWACK – The province is renewing its commitment to the hazelnut replant program with $100,000 in funding for the current scal year. Citing the success of the program in helping the local industry recover from Eastern Filbert Blight, the province began accepting applications September 30 for the program. The deadline for applications is November 9. “The hazelnut renewal program has been extremely valuable in encouraging the growth and regeneration of the hazelnut industry in BC,” said Steve Hope, president of the BC Hazelnut Growers Association and co-owner of Fraser Valley Hazelnuts Ltd. in Chilliwack. “The demand for local products continues to increase, and new growers will be needed to help keep up.” To date, the program has supported the planting of 38,780 trees on 182 acres and the removal of 4,795 infected trees. While younger stock suered during this summer's heat wave, Nature Tech Nursery Ltd. of Courtenay said the trees are resilient and it expects all nurseries to be able to meet demand for new stock. It oers 12 varieties, and encourages growers to place orders early. "We very much appreciate this support for BC's hazelnut farmers as a way to incentivize planting this perennial crop that oers both high-value food production and can be used Clusters of red wine grapes hang around in Naramata, continuing to develop avour in anticipation of this fall’s harvest. While growers faced many challenges this year, including labour shortages and excessive heat, the crop is on track for a picture-perfect nish. Wildres this summer complicated tourism, but were largely over by the time veraison occured. With warm days and cool nights characterizing much of September, growers anticipate delivering a top-quality crop to wineries. MYRNA STARK LEADER1-888-770-7333 Quality Seeds ... where quality counts!YOUR BC SEED SOURCESee LONG-TERM on next page oGroundwater licensing extension remains unlikelyPETER MITHAM DUNCAN – The province is facing pushback over its water management strategy following four sh protection orders this summer, a management tool that runs counter to its troubled groundwater licensing initiative. Two years ago, agricultural irrigators in the Kokilah River watershed became the rst to have water access curtailed under Section 88 of the Water Sustainability Act, which also introduced a rst-in-time, rst-in-right licensing regime. This summer, farmers in Good grapes!Growing more with less waterwatertecna.comttttttttIRRIGATION LTD1.888.675.7999 888 6 9999888669999 Diesel & PTO Pumps PVC & Aluminum PipeIrrigation ReelsDRIP IRRIGATIONCentre PivotsProvince funds hazelnutsSee FISH on next pageoFeeling the heat on water
FISH protection orders shut down irrigation access nfrom page 1LONG-TERM replant strategy sought nfrom page 1the Koksilah and three other watersheds – the Bessette, West Kettle and Salmon – saw protection orders issued with little notice, eectively cutting them o overnight from water extractions through September 30 (access was restored in the Bessette Creek watershed September 8). Violators faced the prospect of a million-dollar ne or up to a year in jail for breaching the orders. But many are criticizing the government for going against the spirit of its own laws. “The WSA is fundamentally a rst-in-time, rst-in-right act,” says Mike Wei, the province’s former deputy comptroller of water rights who now works as an independent consultant. “When you do a Section 88 sh protection order, you’re always cherry-picking, which takes a lot of sta time and politics. … They try to pick the politically least-impactful users.” But in the case of livestock producers, the production impacts are signicant even if the political impacts aren’t. Cowichan dairy farmers voluntarily developed an irrigation schedule in order to maintain water access in the Koksilah watershed this summer but still found themselves cut o in mid-August. “A sh protection order was still issued despite their best eorts, impacting forage production in an already challenging season,” says BC Dairy Association executive director Jeremy Dunn. “BC Dairy has made the case to government that long-term solutions are urgently needed to maintain critical water supply for agriculture and conservation.” But that’s exactly what the Water Sustainability Act is meant to do. By arbitrarily cutting o the very users they’re trying to sign onto a system based on seniority, the province is eectively undermining condence in the system. “You can’t just rely on this one tool when the act is fundamentally based on a seniority system,” says Wei. “They probably do it because they don’t have everybody in the licensing fold yet. … Once the deadline’s over and they get a better handle on it, they can’t keep relying on Section 88. That’s just not fair.” Wei coauthored a report earlier this year on the province’s challenges implementing its groundwater licensing regime for the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC. He says the partnership will be brieng government this fall on its concerns. As of August 31, the province had received just 4,164 licence applications for existing wells. This is up from approximately 4,000 a year ago, despite the province announcing that no further extensions to the application deadline for existing users – set at February 28, 2022 – passes. The province has been trying to register and license 2 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCto mitigate and reduce environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions," says Thom O'Dell, who operates Nature Tech with partner Haley Argen. Nature Tech believes a long-term replant strategy would support the sector's growth. "We hope that a long-term funding model can be developed, similar to what's been in place for tree fruit growers, to provide incentives to those only now considering planting future nut orchards." The latest funding brings to $400,000 the amount committed to the sector’s renewal and growth since 2018, when the province www.tractorparts4sale.caABBOTSFORD, BC Bus. 604/807-2391 email: tractorparts4sale@shaw.caWe accept Interact, Visa and Mastercard FORD 7000 2WD OPEN STATION 83HP 540 PTO GD COND . . . . $7,000 VICON PS602 FERTILIZER SPREADER, 3 PT, 1,000 KG CAPACITY . . 2,200 MASHIO CM4500 14’ PWR HARROW W/ROLLER GD COND. . . . 14,000 VIBRA 8.5 FT 3POINT CULTIVATOR WITH HD SPRING LOAD 22” SHANK. GOOD CONDITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOLD! YANMAR FX42D 2WD OPEN STATION, 42HP PSHIFT TRANS, 4 SPEED PTO. 2961 HRS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,500 CLAAS 350T AND 370T PULL TYPE ROTARY RAKES . . . . 4,500 & SOLD! 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The program mirrors the highly successful tree fruit replant program, which the province has not renewed. upwards of 20,000 wells since 2016, but has issued little more than 1,200 licences. BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development received an extra $11 million in this year’s provincial budget to support the activities of its regional oces, which are on the front lines of the licensing process, but competing priorities mean results to date have been scant. It's not just growers who are aected. Retail and hospitality ventures are also vulnerable, endangering a broad cross-section of rural businesses. In addition, the province says access to dugouts will also be cut o, though it has paused consultations with ranchers regarding a new livestock watering regulation. The slow pace of licensing concerns the BC Cattlemen’s Association, which has noted a subtle shift in tone with respect to water conservation. Requests are no longer framed as voluntary. “Now the province’s letters read, ‘We are requesting water users reduce their water use by …’ whereas before it encouraged licenced users to ‘voluntarily reduce their water use,’” says BCCA assistant general manager Elaine Stovin. During this summer’s restrictions, the association asked the province to let ranchers access streams to ght res on their properties, which would help protect valuable range. Despite the changes, BCCA says the pilot of a six-tier drought rating system for the province has gone smoothly. On this point, at least, it’s in agreement with the ministry. “Overall, we feel implementation of the new drought-rating system has been a success,” a statement from FLNORD told Country Life in BC. “There will be an internal review this fall to determine if any updates or changes are required for the classication system.” Originally established 1991, the program helped fund the renewal and development of thousands of acres of orchards. The last phase, announced in 2014, allocated $8 million for the development or renewal of orchards. But despite pleas from the struggling tree fruit sector, the program was not renewed despite receiving approval during the province’s budgeting process. However, funding was found last year for a raspberry replant program, for which a second round of funding is widely expected to be announced this fall. The initial round, announced last December, made $90,000 available to encourage growers to replace older varieties with new selections better suited to conditions in the Fraser Valley. A matching contribution of $72,000 from industry boosted the program’s value to $162,000. BC’s AgNews SourceSince 1915.
Farmers left in lurch by risk-averse insurersFarmers face massive hikes in premiums, cancellationsCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 3riskier,” he says. “At the end of the day, insurance is all about risk, so anything that a farmer can do to reduce that risk will really benefit them over the long term.” Amadori notes that some growers may be seeing a particularly sharp increase because their premiums were artificially low, thanks to a lack of claims and oversights on the part of their insurer. “They keep clipping along, and having rates that simply aren’t available on the market today until they’re on the radar,” he says. “If you have 2014 rates in 2021, and you haven’t gone up over time, the delta between 2014 rates and 2021 is unbelievably substantial. … We do see that from time to time.” On the plus side, de Pruis says market conditions are improving. “We are starting to see some signs of stabilization,” he says. “The interest rates are starting to creep up a little bit, the underwriting income, because of the increases in premiums over the past year, is a little bit higher than it has been in the past number of years, and the claims costs from the pandemic haven’t been as significant as they have been in the past years.” He doesn’t expect this summer’s wildfires to significantly impact premiums in BC. Total claims were $155 million, split almost evenly between the Lytton and White Rock Lake wildfires. While the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries has told growers that insurance isn’t part of its mandate, it has started to take note of the situation. “We understand the impacts of rising insurance costs on farmers seeking to re-insure their properties,” says a ministry statement to Country Life in BC. “(The ministry) continues to monitor this issue and is working, through the BC Agri-Business Planning Program and other supports services, to help farmers to monitor and proactively plan to reduce and mitigate risks impacting their businesses.” coverage. If an insurer remains unprofitable in a space for too long, they’re likely to vacate that industry class and restrict coverage,” he explains. This has also happened, with several insurers reducing the coverage they offer, or cancelling policies outright. Many on-farm processing operations have faced challenges securing coverage. One organic hay and vegetable operation in Surrey had its fire coverage cancelled unless it was willing to remove all vegetation from around the premises, including along the fenceline. Originally built in 1913, the age of the house was also an issue, despite being extensively renovated in 1994. Repeated conversations failed to secure a concession from the insurer, even though the property was claims-free. When the grower approached another broker, the premium was several times the $3,000 paid on the cancelled policy. The situation surprises Rob de Pruis, director, consumer and industry relations, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “As long as the building is in good shape, had a recent renovation and it’s not falling apart, there is coverage available in the marketplace,” he said. “It’s just shopping around and getting a hold of the right person.” But he also noted that small-scale growers are more prone to challenges because they’re a smaller group. “You may hear a lot more of the farming community that are seeing some of these increases, particularly in a certain area that may be more prone or deemed PETER MITHAM SURREY – The cost of farm insurance continues to rise for BC growers, despite signs of improvement in the broader market. Tighter underwriting policies over the past two years have left many growers paying higher premiums for less coverage. While there is no firm indication of how many growers are affected, the situation is serious enough that industry associations are surveying growers and holding workshops to address the issue. Preliminary findings from a sector survey by the Small Scale Meat Producers Association indicates that insurance is a significant issue for many producers, while agri-tourism operators participated in a survey the Tourism Industry Association of Canada conducted on the issue last month. BC nursery growers were told last year that premium increases of 40% and more were not uncommon, especially for those with greenhouses. The situation remains challenging, according to Marsh Canada senior vice-president David Amadori, who addressed Canadian Landscape and Nursery Association members in a September 23 webinar. “We’re firmly in the most challenging of times right now, exacerbating what is a problematic insurance placement for a lot of the members,” he says. “The type of coverage that’s been impacted the most over the last two years is really property coverage.” The higher a client’s revenues, the higher the premium, he noted. “Typically, a greenhouse business is generating higher revenues and the ability to absorb a higher premium,” he says, contrasting them with businesses with less infrastructure and lower revenues. Amadori explains that insurers typically expect to pay out 60 cents of every underwriting dollar on claims. Broker fees account for 15-20% and the remainder covers their own operating costs and hopefully a profit. “Profit allows for stability of rate and consistency of Proudly certifying Producers and Processorswithin BC and Alberta.FVOPA provides year round certification services compliant with the Canadian Organic Standards (CAN/CGSB) and in accordance with the BC Certified Organic ISO 17065 recognized program. Products may be sold Canada-wide and in international markets. FVOPA ensures an efficient, professional certification process for all farm, processing and handling operations. Inspectors are lOlA trained and qualified making FVOPA a leading Certification Agency.Message 604-607-1655Email: admin@fvopa.cawww.fvopa.caPhone 604-789-7586P.O. Box 18591Delta, BC V4K 4V7Phone: 778-434-3070 202-4841 Delta Street admin@fvopa.ca Delta, BC V4K 2T9 www.fvopa.ca FVOPA delivers year-round certication services to all regions of Canada, in compliance with the Canadian Organic Standards, the BC Certied Organic Accreditation Equivalent Program, and ISO 17065. Products may bear the Canada Or-ganic logo and be marketed Canada-wide and internationally. FVOPA provides procient certication services for all types of Producers, Processors, Packers and Distributors. FVOPA is a self-sustaining, proactive, leading edge Certication Agency. Proudly certifying Producers and Processors across CanadaSarabjit Pooni (right) and husband Gurdeep Pooni harvest peaches at their 10-acre Kelowna farm. Crops include apples, grapes, strawberries and a variety of stone fruit and vegetables. This year they began offering farmgate sales and developed a website so customers could order fruit online. The mission was not to earn money but to provide fresh, local, and well-priced produce to customers. Sarabjit says they experienced great support both from Kelowna residents as well as tourists. While the majority of their fruit goes to BC Tree Fruits, the Poonis plan to expand direct marketing activities next year. MYRNA STARK LEADER Fresh marketingLittle & Large, Local & Long, Europe & N. America Port to Dealer, Farm to Farm & Anything in BetweenVersatile Ramp to Ground Capabilities
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Publication Mail Agreement: 0399159 . GST Reg. No. 86878 7375 . Subscriptions: $2/issue . $18.90/year . $33.60/2 years . $37.80/3 years incl GSTThe agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol.107 No. 10 . OCTOBER 2021Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd. www.countrylifeinbc.comPublisher Cathy Glover 604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com Editor Emeritus David Schmidt Associate Editor Peter Mitham news@countrylifeinbc.com Advertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Glover sales@countrylifeinbc.com Production Designer Tina Rezansoff BOO! PW! A familiar problemAn all-day deluge of rain in mid September closed the curtain on summer and ushered in the rst day of fall for farmers and ranchers in most of BC. I doubt there were many who were sorry to see it go. An unprecedented June heat wave and months of drought across the south and into the central Interior set the table for another season of wildre devastation, and the agricultural challenges attendant to all three. Mix in a resurgence of Covid and we have the recipe for bitter fare indeed. It is a dish we may have to get used to. The heat dome weather event in late June is surely the kind of lived experience that veries what climate scientists have been telling us for years: climate change is real, and it is happening now. On June 27, 59 BC communities set new record temperatures. On June 28, all 59 broke the new records from the day before. None of these were temperatures that nosed out the old records by fractions of a degree. Many bested their previous marks by more than 5 degrees: Burns Lake, 38.1°C up from 29.5; Abbotsford, 42.9 up from 32.4. Lytton recorded the highest ever Canadian temperature, 47.9 degrees on June 28, and burned to the ground three days later. Most of the broken records dated from 2015. Preliminary inspections indicate the already-alarming rate of glacial melt increased sharply. Disappearing glaciers and absent summer rainfall paint a bleak picture for agriculture, and the way most British Columbians have become accustomed to living. It’s not like climate change or the science backing it has snuck up on us. Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius rst predicted its impact in 1896. Charles Keeling drafted the “Keeling Curve” in 1957. It is still used to track and predict atmospheric carbon dioxide. By the 1970s, climate change was accepted in the mainstream of science and in 1988 the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organisation formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In August, the Physical Science working group of the IPCC released the rst part of the IPCC climate assessment due to be released next year. The report says it is only possible to avoid warming of 1.5 or 2°C if massive and immediate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are made. Despite all the peer-reviewed science backing up the IPCC’s 33 years of predictions and warnings, precious little has been done. So far, political expediency seems to drive climate change action and promises of what will occur in the future far outweigh what has been done. Massive and immediate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions shouldn’t be a dicult concept to grasp. With the déjà vu federal election in the rear-view mirror, we are probably facing more of the same climate agenda once the political preening period is over. I suspect the new government will buy into the notion of emission cuts but I very much doubt there will be anything massive or immediate about them. Despite the science involved – you can check it at [www.ipcc.ch] – there is a strident constituency of climate change deniers who will nd some solace in the status quo and even some who believe in climate change but don’t see the point in doing anything about it until some other country (take your pick) quits doing (take your pick) because even if everyone in Canada stopped (take your pick) it would hardly make any dierence anyway. There is also the opinion that we have waited too long to stop it anyhow so we might as well quit worrying about it and party on. With all due respect to “some guys on the Internet” and the “real truth” in the present-day incarnation of the National Enquirer, that all seems a little too far-fetched and cynical. I’ll take my a chances on what I see happening right where I live, the credible science that explains why it is occurring, what could change it, and who has the political will to get on with it. Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni Valley. The Back Forty BOB COLLINSClimate change action depends on political willWe acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.4 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCMost farmers are independent types who don’t want government poking its nose in their business any more than it has to. While extension services are good, monitoring initiatives face greater scepticism. Government should respond to trouble, not go looking for it. But as the latest report from the province’s auditor general makes clear, government often doesn’t have the sta needed to look for trouble. And that’s a troublesome thing in its own right. While sta at the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development have informed farmers and ranchers what their responsibilities are with respect to dams, there’s not enough sta to make sure they’re actually living up to their obligations. Reviews of high-risk dams, which ranchers are obliged to maintain at signicant cost, are backlogged. Sound familiar? There’s also a backlog of applications for groundwater licences. The province says existing users will not only lose their priority but their right to access groundwater if they don’t register their wells and apply for a licence by February 28, 2022. But of the approximately 20,000 wells in the province, fewer than 10% have been licensed over the past ve years. There are 3,000 applications in process. One has to wonder how the province will ever enforce its threats to cut o users if it can’t even process applications in a timely fashion. But there’s a precedent for the debacle. A decade ago, illegal ll on farm properties was a huge issue in the Lower Mainland and elsewhere. With just two compliance and enforcement ocers, the Agricultural Land Commission couldn’t keep up with the complaints. So it began investing in the commission, adding an extra $2.5 million to its annual budget between 2012 and 2016. This enabled it to steadily increase its compliance and enforcement sta to six. Today, eight sta handle compliance and enforcement activities. Greater funding also allowed the ALC to clear backlogged applications and promise decisions in 90 days. Those are promises ranchers and farmers can only dream of FLNORD fullling. The consequences aect all of us. When the Testalinden dam gave way in 2010, it was amazing no one was killed as homes, vineyards and equipment were swept away. The inept implementation of the new groundwater management regime adds to the uncertainties growers face as weather extremes become more common. While giving thanks for the local harvest this Thanksgiving, government must step up to ensure producers have the condence needed to continue the essential work of putting food on our tables.
UN Food Systems Summit sets an ambiguous agendaCivil society groups say UN food policies favour private over public interestsCOUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 5Global food is usually summed up in terms of food security: whether countries have enough income or food, or both, to provide for their populations. Canada has both, so we are considered global food providers. As Ted Bilyea of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute succinctly puts it, “the global food industry that keeps most people fed starts locally but the key is the margin that trades internationally, and it goes where the money is.” International rules BC farmers work within international markets and trade and food safety rules. Some of these come from international organizations like the World Trade Organization and some from UN bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Committee on World Food Security and the World Food Programme. WHO and FAO jointly administer the Codex Alimentarius Commission that sets international food health and safety standards. The UN also provides a special rapporteur on the right to food, an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine food issues in dierent countries. In 2012, special rapporteur Olivier de Schutter visited and reported on Canada; he went on to form IPES-Food, an independent panel of experts on sustainable food systems. IPES-Food is unequivocal about the vital link between diversity and sustainability and the related importance of a global commitment to agro-ecological food systems: agroforestry, polyculture, or mixed-crop livestock systems practised by urban and rural, land and water-based smallholders who currently feed about 70% of the world’s people. The many parties invested in agri-food systems have unequal resources and power: the approach and reach of parties from the global north are very dierent from those in the global south. There are ongoing tensions around interventions from northern countries, especially regarding the introduction and impacts on farmers in the global south of “Green Revolution” or “Third Agricultural Revolution” proprietary technologies (pesticides, fertilizers, biotechnology). No consultation In 2019, the UN Secretary General signed a strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), and subsequently announced the UNFSS and its special envoy without prior consultation with its own food agencies. The UNFSS special envoy is Dr. Agnes Kalibata, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). WEF is a champion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (it coined the term) and its Future of Food group includes AGRA and the FAO as well as multinational corporations including Bayer, Cargill, Indigo Agriculture and Syngenta. Prior to the UNFSS, letters of protest from over 500 civil society organizations requesting a termination of the UN/WEF agreement and the appointment of a dierent special envoy went unanswered. De Schutter and IPES-Food recently resigned their roles with the UNFSS over their concern that the outcomes of the UNFSS are already “baked into its structure and actions to date [and] include capturing the narrative of food systems transformation so that it aligns with the kinds of technologies promoted by AGRA and the WEF.” Actionable commitments from the UNFSS will inuence Canada’s food policy and programs and thus lter down to BC. Meanwhile at home the same questions are in play about control of the future food systems narrative. The pandemic claried what’s wrong with current food systems. The question is whose wisdom will shape what comes next. Kathleen Gibson is a policy analyst and founding member of the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CR-FAIR), the BC Food Systems Network and Food Secure Canada. She lives and grows food on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Nations. Discussions at last month’s UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in New York may have knock-on eects for BC agriculture through the Next Agricultural Policy Framework and possibly in other ways. The meeting was the culmination of national dialogues in member countries (Canada held dialogues in three stages and issued a report in June), and a pre-summit meeting in Rome from July 26-28. The formal “People’s Summit” on September 23 was intended to set “the stage for global food systems transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.” The organizers sought “actionable commitments” to move the global agenda forward. What that agenda holds is unclear. Despite the wealth of information on the UNFSS website, much of it interesting and possibly useful, it’s hard not to wonder what – and who – is shaping the process. Pulse Canada’s former CEO Gord Bacon was part of the Canadian UNFSS delegation to the Rome meeting in July. Farm or food “This is not a farm systems summit but a FOOD systems summit,” he said. The food context puts farmers among other food system actors, reducing agriculture’s voice even though it provides new potential allies if farmers position themselves eectively as primary producers. Viewpoint by KATHLEEN GIBSONWhat do you need to apply? 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6 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCTHAT’S WHY WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DO IS A WAY OF LIFE. OUR ROOTS ARE IN AGRICULTUREKeeping it Simple®We have a team of agribusiness experts here to support you every step of the way, helping to choose the right solutions for your unique needs. Whether you are looking to buy a new piece of land or in much need of new equipment to keep your operation running smoothly, we can help.WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?― OUR ROOTS ARE IN FISHING, FARMING AND AGRICULTUREOur credit union was founded by the farming community. Over the last several decades, our cooperative has grown to $14 billion in assets, and counting. ― WE ACT LOCALNot only is our team of experts geographically dispersed to serve you where you are; decisions are made locally across the table, not across the country. ― WE HELP OUR MEMBERS AND COMMUNITIES THRIVEAs a nancial cooperative, a portion of our prots go back to our members and communities. Like you, we live and work here, so investing in our communities is at the cornerstone of who we are. We can’t wait to learn more about your business. Contact your local Agriculture Advisor today: Amrik Gill Agriculture Advisor Serving the Lower Mainland604-309-6513 amgill@envisionnancial.caToby Frisk Director, Agribusiness Serving the Okanagan, Enderby and Similkameen regions778-212-3415 tfrisk@rstwestcu.caCash Reumkens Agriculture Advisor Serving Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island250-701-3426 creumkens@islandsavings.caDivisions of First West Credit Union
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 7email: audreycifca@gmail.comemail: okanaganfeeders@gmail.com395 Kinchant Street, Quesnel, B.C. V2J 2R5Producers can apply for an advance on calves, yearlings, lambs, bison, forage and grain up to $1,000,000.00 with the rst $100,000.00 being interest free. Plus, interest relief through the Advance Payments Program is available to association members on their feeder cattle purchases.Producer Check-o Supports Beef Industry Projects.www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333www.cattlefund.net 1.877.688.2333TOM WALKER VICTORIA – BC’s auditor general says the province has failed to ensure dam owners comply with dam safety regulations, raising the risk of failures such as the 2010 collapse of the Testalinden dam on rangeland south of Oliver that swept away houses, vineyards and farm equipment. But the report, released September 14, stopped short of recommending the province commit more money to helping dam owners meet their obligations. It instead called on the province to boost enforcement activities. Provincial regulations give owners responsibility for dam safety while the province oversees compliance to mitigate the risk to people, property and the environment. “Our audit concluded that the ministry has not eectively overseen the safety of dams in BC,” auditor general Michael Pickup said in releasing the report. “Dams are dangerous, and it is crucial that they be properly maintained to minimize their risk of failing. Failures can be disastrous for people, the environment and property.” The report was based on a year-long investigation of the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) with respect to dam oversight. It found the province promoted compliance with the province’s dam safety requirements but “did not adequately verify or enforce compliance” as required under the Water Sustainability Act. “They are not doing what they set out to do in terms of compliance,” says Pickup. Of the 1,900 dams across the province, 1,000 are designated “high risk,” meaning a failure could kill people and damage the environment and property. The impact of failures at the other 900 dams is lower, only damaging the owner’s property. The investigation uncovered a number of troubling facts. For example, at least 196 dams are missing from ministry records. “The ministry should have been regulating some of those,” says Pickup. In addition, 63% of dam Province falls short on dam safety oversightRanchers say cash would boost compliance, capacitySee DAMS on next page oSarah Martel and her partner Michael Weinman shared their experience as organic farmers during a Young Agrarians farm tour at 4 Elements Farm in Oyama, September 12. The couple moved to Lake Country from Westwold in 2020 and have transformed former riding rings and hay land into three acres of mixed vegetables which they market at the Vernon and Kelowna farmers markets. They are trying several crops, including 3,000 asparagus plants grown from seed, fall crops likes beans, broccoli and late-seeded salad greens as well as apple trees, partly because they could not nd organic apples for their own family during the winter. They have two greenhouses where they start and also grow some plants as well as an in-ground root cellar for keeping vegetables. MYRNA STARK LEADERAll the elementsAlthough Willmar® pull-type spreaders can’t control the volatility of fertilizer prices, they can certainly help improve your margins by delivering product more accurately and eciently than any other spreader. What more could you ask for?For Small to Large Farm OperationsYOURHelping YouWEEKLY FARM NEWS UPDATEScountrylifeinbc.comSign up for Free today.YOURelping Youelpingpingplping Youlpinoe
8 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCDAMS missing from ministry records nfrom page 7records sampled lacked key information, such as emergency contacts and dam height. Moreover, a sample of records found that 33% of operating manuals and 27% of dam emergency plans submitted to the ministry were not reviewed three or more years after submission. Reviews of high-consequence dams are backlogged. The average time to accept safety reports was 20 months; some took eight years. Competing priorities in regional oces and a shortage of sta contribute to the backlogs. Just three of the province’s 10 dam safety ocers are full time. But those ocers are responsible for a caseload that ranges from 47 to 427 dams. Using estimates from program sta, the audit “determined that the ministry would need another ve central and ve regional sta to meet all aspects of the program’s mandate.” The report makes nine recommendations for improving the province’s oversight of dam safety, including informing all dam owners of their regulatory obligations, improving processes to verify dam owner compliance, improving monitoring of compliance and enforcement activities and strengthening performance measures and targets. The province accepted all nine of the auditor’s recommendations, however it remains to be seen what action will be taken. “Our recommendations are not prescriptive,” says Pickup. “It is the government’s job to create detailed policy. They need to gure out, given what we have found, how they want to monitor compliance and enforcement.” Financial burden Ranchers own about 900 dams, or 60% the all the dams in BC. Of these, 125 are considered high-consequence. But the BC Cattlemen’s Association say the audit did not address the top barrier to compliance – money to complete the work. “We are disappointed that there was no mention of the regulatory and nancial burden that comes with dam ownership,” says BCCA assistant general manager Elaine Stovin. Dam owners are required to comply with the regulatory requirements and cover the cost of dam maintenance and upkeep. Stovin doesn’t think that’s fair given the multiple public benets dams provide. “Water stored in dams provides such a range of benets and values to a community from ood control, habitat protection, food production, re suppression and a variety of recreation opportunities,” she notes. “But the entire cost of the dam is the responsibility of the owner.” The costs are signicant. A study of dam costs and benets by national accounting rm MNP for ranchers in 2016 estimated that the average cost to operate a high-risk dam was $14,425 a year while a low-risk dam cost $1,950 a year. But the dam rating is frequently out of the owner’s control. “A rancher, of course, has no say as to whether a housing development goes in downstream of their dam, but a development below a dam would certainly increase the consequences if the dam were to fail,” Stovin points out. “A higher risk leads to a higher consequence classication and more costs for maintaining the dam.” The dam owner ends up paying more money to reduce a risk they can’t control. Moreover, higher risk dams must complete a safety review every 7-10 years at a cost of up to $50,000. And, as the audit pointed out, it can take years for provincial sta to review these. Stovin says dam safety has been a very important issue for cattlemen for over 10 years. “We have resolutions brought forward at our AGMs and this has been a key ask when we present to the province’s nance committee every year,” she says. BC Cattlemen and Ducks Unlimited prepared a discussion document on water storage in BC that they presented to FLNORD as well as the environment and agriculture ministries in July 2020. The document made several suggestions for addressing funding challenges associated with dam maintenance. Stovin says this summer’s unprecedented heat wave, drought and wildres point to the need for the province to prioritize the province’s water storage capacity. Producers are telling her that the increased costs put them in a position where they are looking to decommission their dams. “Given the summer we have just had, I don’t think we can aord to lose any water storage capacity in our province,” she says. 33% of operating manuals and 27% of dam emergency plans submitted to the ministry were not reviewed three or more years after submission ... The average time to accept safety reports was 20 months; some took eight years. 2 UNITS: LelyA4 with all hardware.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 9Orchard industry awaits government reportStabilization initiative filled with uncertaintiesBC orchardists are waiting to see what recommendations the province will make to revitalize BC’s tree fruit industry. MYRNA STARK LEADERPre-order your Baumalight generator now fordelivery in 8 weeks and get an 8% discount.PTO GENERATORSsales@baumalight.com | BAUMALIGHT.COMDale Howe 403-462-1975MFG A VARIETY OF ATTACHMENTS INCLUDING: BRUSH MULCHERS | ROTARY BRUSH CUTTERSSTUMP GRINDERS | PTO GENERATORS | AUGER DRIVES | TRENCHERS | DRAINAGE PLOWS | TREE SAWS & SHEARSTREE SPADES | BOOM MOWERS | TREE PULLERS | FELLER BUNCHERS | EXCAVATOR ADAPTERS | SCREW SPLITTERSLocate A Dealer OnlinePETER MITHAM KELOWNA – Growers say they’ve been shut out as the province prepares to release its recommendations for stabilization of BC’s tree fruit sector. An update on the process at the end of August from the province’s tree fruit specialist Adrian Arts promised draft recommendations at the end of September and nal recommendations by the end of October. But the BC Fruit Growers Association say the province refused to discuss the update with them. "We asked for a discussion of the content though that meant a delay in delivering the update," a report to association members said. "The BCFGA request was not accepted." Originally announced at the BC Fruit Growers Association’s annual convention in February, the initiative involves up to 80 sta from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries coordinated by industry development director Georgina Beyers. An industry-wide consultation this spring gathered feedback from grower organizations, packing houses as well as the BC Wine Grape Council, Sterile Insect Release Program and the New Tree Fruit Varieties Development Council. A total of 30 engagement sessions took place between April and June, drawing 165 participants. Participants also received questionnaires that gave them a chance to share information condentially. Participation by sector is unknown, but falls well short of the province’s approximately 800 tree fruit growers. Discussions focused on the lack of leadership or a long-term strategy for the industry as well as concerns about access to labour, horticulture and extension services, and “consistent and reliable data to inform decisions.” Growers also pointed to the need for strategies around new variety development, marketing and sales. Government policies and programs also require review. Ironically, given the call for greater data, the BC Fruit Growers Association says the province would not discuss the August update prior to release and has failed to provide growers with regular reports on the initiative. “They did commit to giving us biweekly updates but they’ve never done that,” says Lucas. The biweekly updates were, however, given to members of the initiative’s advisory committee, which the province says “are responsible for representing their organizations, and the interests of the tree fruit industry.” While two BCFGA members sit on the advisory committee, only one is an industry appointee – Vernon grower and association vice-president Jeet Dukhia. BCFGA director Avi Gill of Kelowna was appointed by government. Moreover, the committee’s nal report will be a provincial document approved by government. While industry will provide feedback, it will not have the nal say on content. Packers watching Packing houses have also been watching from the sidelines. Laurel Van Dam, strategic initiatives director with BC Tree Fruits Co-operative, says the province has focused its eorts on growers. She says the province’s regular updates were promised to them, not to packers or other industry players. “We really haven’t had much involvement. That’s really the way it was set up,” she says. “It’s really been the industry organizations that have been meeting on a biweekly basis and have been leading the process.” Van Dam says BC Tree Fruits and other packers are look forward to the advisory committee’s report. “We are eagerly awaiting the report that’s due to be set out by the end of September, but we really don’t know what it’s going to say,” she says. “Until we see that report, and see what the next steps and recommendations are, it’s really hard for us to comment.” Work continues, according to Arts. “The members of the Tree Fruit Industry Stabilization Project are continuing to develop a way forward so more BC tree fruit growers can improve their businesses, and become more competitive,” he said in a statement to Country Life in BC. “We anticipate a nal action plan being complete this fall, and remain committed to working with growers to implement that plan, and help them revitalize The province’s Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund, a $5 million program announced in February 2018 to support infrastructure, marketing and research, is on hold. The province suspended the four-year program in December 2020, a move the BC Fruit Growers Association describes as “unprecedented.” Concerns over a lack of transparency with respect to the program’s review prompted the association to end its involvement this summer, leaving administration in the hands of its delivery partner, the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. “A government program that was supposed to be helping with innovation has been stalled out,” says BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas. “It just seems very unusual, at a time when industry is in dire straits nancially, that they would suspend the program.” Among other initiatives, the fund supported a review of governance at the BC Tree Fruits Co-operative, an initiative that aims to put the grower-owned packing house on a rm footing for the future. —Peter MithamCompetitiveness fund on holdBC’s tree fruit sector, encourage economic growth, and contribute to our province’s food security.”
10 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCDustin Stadnyk CPA, CAChris Henderson CPA, CANathalie Merrill CPA, CMATOLL FREE 1-888-818-FARM | www.farmtax.caExpert farm taxation advice: • Purchase and sale of farms • Transfer of farms to children • Government subsidy programs • Preparation of farm tax returns • Use of $1,000,000 Capital Gains Exemptions Approved consultants for Government funding through BC Farm Business Advisory Services ProgramARMSTRONG 250-546-8665 | LUMBY 250-547-2118 | ENDERBY 250-838-7337View over 100 listings of farm properties at www.bcfarmandranch.comBC FARM & RANCH REALTY CORP.Buying or Selling a Farm or Acreage?GORD HOUWELING Cell: 604/793-8660GREG WALTON Cell: 604/864-1610Toll free 1-888-852-AGRI Call BC’s First and Only Real Estate Office committed 100% to Agriculture!PROFESSIONAL SERVICESCollins wins gold for food security columnColumnist Bob Collins was one of two award winners from Country Life in BC at this year’s Canadian Farm Writers Federation awards on September 24. For the second consecutive year, Collins won gold in the Opinion Writing category. Judges awarded top marks to his April 2020 column, “Food security demands out-of-box thinking,” which challenged idealistic notions of food security and highlighted the fundamental importance of farmers being able to make a living producing food that consumers can aord. Myrna Stark Leader received a bronze award in the Production Photography category for her November 2020 cover photo, “Snow job.” The composition of the photo, showing a snow-ecked apple hit by last October’s early, heavy snowfall, received praise from judges. Congratulations are also in order to BC Holstein News, whose photographer Kevin Plastow won silver, for his entry in the Production Photography category. The awards, presented in an online ceremony as part of the CFWF conference originally scheduled for Windsor, Ontario, honour the best in farm communications both online and print. A total of 227 entries were received for this year’s program. — Peter Mitham Agrologist and sector champion dies BC agriculture lost one of its most ardent supporters on August 3 with the passing of Wayne Wickens, just days before his 82nd birthday. After growing up in Vancouver and Burnaby, Wickens attended UBC, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture. After a short stint as an Agriculture Canada poultry inspector in Winnipeg, he moved back to BC and a 33-year career with the BC Ministry of Agriculture. He began as a 4-H specialist, then became the 4-H supervisor. In 1972, he became the liaison with BC Fairs and the province’s farmers institutes. In 1977, he became the supervising district agrologist in Prince George. When the ministry was restructured in 1980, Wickens moved to Abbotsford to become the South Coast and Vancouver Island regional director, a position he held until 1997. Following his retirement from the ministry, he spent several years as chair of the BC Chicken Marketing Board pricing and production advisory committee and as a director of the BC Farm Industry Review Board. During that time he relocated to Midway and often judged at the Rock Creek Fall Fair and Boundary C 4-H club events. Wickens was also an avid and active member of both the BC Institute of Agrologists and the BC Farm Writers Association. He served as BCIA president in 1984 and served as the BC director of the Agricultural Institute of Canada for several years. With the BCFWA, he served as a trustee of the Tim Armstrong Educational Foundation for over a decade. Wickens is survived by his wife, Lynn, of 48 years, children Steven, Melissa and Jennifer, son-in-law Bo and four grandchildren. He requested no funeral and no mourning. Donations in his memory can go to the BC 4-H Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association or the UBC Department of Land & Food Systems. —David Schmidt Kelowna approves land exclusion Kelowna will seek the exclusion of 40 acres from the Agricultural Land Reserve in order to build a new regional transit facility. Kelowna council approved the exclusion bid September 13. The mayor and ve councillors approved the motion while two councillors were opposed. The tract, located at 4690 Highway 97 North near the UBC Okanagan campus, is part of a 140-acre parcel the city acquired in 2017 with the intention of creating new public spaces and balancing any proposed uses with adjacent agricultural operations. But the city now contends that the site, which also includes a small lake and wetlands, is “orphaned.” This is a factor in favour of it being excluded for development. The remaining 100 acres, including the wetlands and lake, will remain protected within the ALR. The move comes despite consistent opposition from the city’s agricultural advisory committee, which has twice recommended against excluding the property. “We did not see a clear benet to agriculture that would result in putting a bus depot there,” committee chair John Janmaat told Country Life in BC earlier this year. To oset the exclusion, Kelowna plans to spend $40,000 on site improvements designed to mitigate its impacts on adjacent agricultural parcels. It is also proposing creation of a $250,000 Agricultural Reclamation Fund to bring other farmland in the city into production and a partnership with Young Agrarians. A further $250,000 over two www.tjequipmentllc.com 360-815-1597 FERNDALE, WA ALL PRICES IN US FUNDSNEW 2019 CADMAN 4000SWB IRRIGATION REEL, 4"X1250' HOSE, 443-600 GPM, HONDA MOTOR $42,0002005 MCHALE FUSION 1 ROUND BALER/WRAPPER COMBO, 18000 BALES, THROUGH SHOP $45,0002017 MCHALE F5500 ROUND BALER, 2235 BALES, 15 KNIFE CHOPPER UNIT, DROP FLOOR DESIGN $40,0002015 KUBOTA WR1400 ROUND BALE WRAPPER, SELF LOADIN MECHANISM, HYDR. FILM CUTTER $15,000Ag Briefs EDITED BY PETER MITHAMyears will support the hiring of an “Agricultural Enforcement Planning” position. — Peter Mitham BC on watch for hornets Washington State Department of Agriculture sta have destroyed three Asian Giant Hornet nests this year, making it the most active season yet for hornet hunters. The invasive insect, which can measure up to 5 cm in length, is at the most active stage of its lifecycle right now, seeking out animal proteins in advance of overwintering. Honey bees are among the targets of the hornets, which can wipe out colonies in hours. WSDA sta hope to wipe out the colonies rst, however. So far, they’ve been successful. WSDA’s rst eradication operation at the end of August took place east of Blaine, just 400 metres from the Canadian border. A second nest was destroyed in early September, and the third was taken out September 23. All nests to date, including one destroyed late last year, also near Blaine, have been found in hollow deciduous trees. This may indicate the insect’s nesting preference in the region. But it also heightens concerns regarding an unconrmed report from 32 kilometres east of Blaine on the lower slopes of Mount Baker. The sighting is much further east than any previous report, in a locale with plenty of trees. There have been no conrmed sightings on the BC side of the border this year to date. Provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp says this may be due to the insect’s nesting preferences. “We have started foot patrols in the key areas nearest to the border where the recent nests have been found,” says van Westendorp. But unlike on the Washington side of the border, where dense mixed forest abounds, the BC side is characterized by rural acreages and open farmland. “There are far less undisturbed habitats that will make a suitable nest site more dicult,” says van Westendorp. Conrmed sightings occurred in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island in 2019, with a nest destroyed in Nanaimo that September. Sightings occurred in Langley and Abbotsford last year. — Peter Mitham YOURHelping YouWEEKLY FARM NEWS UPDATEScountrylifeinbc.comSign up for Free today.YOURelping Youelpingpingplping Youlpinoe
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 11Province begins wildfire recovery paymentsCoverage will help farmers and ranchers rebuild herdsBC cattle producers may be wondering if they have enough feed to get through the winter after a summer of drought and wildres. The province is making $20 million available to help them recover. JULIA SMITH BCHA Secretary Janice Tapp 250-699-6466 BCHA President John Lewis 250-218-2537 Proudly offering quality farm equipment and wholesale farm product delivery across BC.Call, email or visit us onlineinfo@reimersfarmservice.com855.737.0110reimersfarmservice.comCheck out our Einbock Tillage Equipment For Organic FarmingTine Weeders t3PX$SPQ$VMUJWBUPSTr3PUBSZ)PFT $BNFSB(VJEBODF4ZTUFNAND On In StockAEROSTAR 900 Tine WeederDELTA Drain Tile Cleaner *NQSPWFT%SBJOBHFr$POEJUJPOT4PJMr&DPOPNJDBM 3FMJBCMFr-PX.BJOUFOBODFr4BGFBOE1SPWFOSPECIAL PRICING On In Stock KATE AYERS KAMLOOPS – With close to 870,000 hectares burned across BC this year to date, the province has announced $20 million in nancial assistance for ranchers and farmers hit by drought and wildre. “This year’s drought and res have been incredibly dicult for many BC ranchers and farmers,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham said in a statement announcing the funding, noting that the BC government is ready “to help them keep their livelihoods and the province’s food security and economy moving forward.” But the September 3 announcement came nearly three weeks after Ottawa boosted the federal share of the program to $500 million. It marked the smallest aid package among the four western provinces. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba had their programs ready in early August, anteing $322 million matched by $482.5 million from Ottawa. The program in BC sees the province stake $8 million and the federal government $12 million towards relief eorts. “We’re really happy to get this. I think it is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary areas,” says BC Cattlemen’s Association general manager Kevin Boon. BC ranchers can access the 2021 Canada-British Columbia Wildre and Drought AgriRecovery Initiative to cover costs of reseeding forages and replacing fencing or other uninsurable infrastructure destroyed in res, the province says. While somewhat dependent on the situation, farmers and ranchers should receive an initial payment within days of registering with the AgriRecovery program and lling out the paperwork. The government is “trying to get money in producers’ pockets as quickly as possible,” says Boon. “There are already applications being submitted. And right now, it is looking very positive for the producers lling them out in time and getting some relief in their pockets,” he says. Similar to the province’s $20 million response package in 2017, this year’s relief fund will cover up to 70% of transportation costs to ensure livestock have feed and water, up to $80 per head to re-establish safe winter-feeding facilities, general re clean up and up to 70% of the market value of breeding animals that perished in wildres. New this year, the program includes funds for beekeepers to cover up to 70% of replacement costs for apiaries and equipment lost in wildres. The coverage is more “comprehensive this round,” Boon explains. “They’ve added a couple things to it in regard to drought coverage. It will cover the shortfall in feed for those who are aected by drought that aren’t aected by re as well. It’s also added (coverage for) those who had to market cows early because of a shortfall of feed. They are able to replenish their herds over the next two years, which will help maintain our base herd. There is money there so that … (ranchers) can buy breeding stock back to make up for what they had to sell this year.” The program does not cover fruit and vegetable growers. The funding reects the success of previous rounds of support in helping producers recover, Boon says. But producers are concerned about their future feed supplies. “We are anxious about how soon we can get these cattle back out on that range. In the past it has taken us two to three years and we are really hoping that we can start utilizing some of that range by next year. That’s the big thing now, getting it into use,” says Boon. This will require reseeding burned range, something the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development expected to start last month. “That is probably the best news we could have got,” says Boon. But producers still face the prospect of feed shortages this winter. While several initiatives are underway to bring feed from Vancouver Island and other parts of the province, the situation remains dire given low yields this summer. “It seems like (producers) are able to nd feed, but I think that will run out shortly,” says Boon. “I think we will have a shortfall.”
12 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCbcfarmandranch.com | 1-888-852-AGRI (2474)John Glazema778.201.2474agri@bcfarmandranch.comGeorgia Clement250.378.1654georgiaclement_2@hotmail.comSusanne Walton604.309.9398sw.bcfr@gmail.comGord Houweling - PREC604.793.8660gordhouweling@gmail.comRajin Gill - PREC778.982.4008rajinrealtor@gmail.comGordie Blair250.517.0557gt.blair@live.caVeer Malhi - PREC778.241.7451virbinder77@gmail.comGordon Aikema250.306.1580gordon@bcfarmandranch.comSteve Campbell250.550.4321s.campbell.sells@gmail.comEmma Rose604.614.9825emma@bcfarmandranch.comBarry Brown-John250.342.5245b.brownjohn@gmail.comRobbi-layne Robertson250.453.9774rlr@bcfarmandranch.comGreg Walton604.864.1610greg@bcfarmandranch.comAlec Yun778.859.8011alecyun@icloud.comAmanda Leclair604.833.1594amandaleclair@live.comRuth Meehan604.309.2295ruthma.meehan@gmail.comWe have positions available in the South Okanagan, Prince George and Vancouver Island. Call for more information 604.852.1180 | info@bcfarmandranch.com BC’s only brokerage devoted 100% to farm, ranch and agricultural real estate.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 13Have you herd? VBP+ TrainingWorkshops or Webinarsare Free!Looking to learn moreabout how to raisehealthy beef cattle?Open to producers of allsizes!free to all beef producersin bc!www.tubeline.ca 1.888.856.6613@TubelineMFGFind us onSPREADERSACCUMUL8 & BALE GRABSBALEWRAPPERS SILAGE RAKEKATE AYERS CALGARY – Strong international and domestic demand for beef was the focus of several speakers at the Canadian Beef Industry Virtual Conference on September 2. Canfax manager and senior analyst Brian Perillat notes that while global meat production has declined over the last two years, North America is at record production levels and global demand for meat products is high. Consumer demand has grown so much that beef prices are surging worldwide. Other factors supporting higher meat prices include limited cattle supplies in some countries, labour shortages in processing facilities and rising feed costs. During the rst eight months of this year, Statistics Canada reports that retail beef prices increased about 10%. Production remains high but Canada has its smallest cattle herd in 30 years with just over 11 million head, he adds. This compares to a peak herd of 15 million head in 2005. Economists anticipate the herd will continue to shrink. Over the last 18 months alone, livestock producers have faced many challenges, including a processing bottleneck due to COVID-19 that pushed down cattle prices and this year’s drought and wildres that have caused water and feed shortages, driving up the cost of production. Both scenarios confronted producers with dicult marketing decisions. In a normal year, Western Canadian producers cull between 10% and 12% of their breeding stock and eventually ll the gap with new animals. Alberta Beef Producers estimates ranchers will cull between 20% and 30% of their herds this year – an unprecedented reduction according to records dating back to 1970. Historically, the US has been one of the top importers and exporters of beef, says Perillat. The US was traditionally a net importer of beef, but this year the country has been a net exporter of beef with a billion-pound switch in supplies due to strong international demand. Canadian beef export values have also hit record highs, with year-to-date exports 12% greater than 2019. The sector is also seeing record high retail beef prices. Perillat notes this situation is ideal as the sector can sell more beef at a higher price. Demand for beef is near some of the strongest levels in 30 years, Perillat says, and consumers continue to spend their protein dollars on beef. But will these prices last as Western cattle ood the market? Total Canadian slaughter this year is the highest since 2010. Cow marketings were initially expected to spike this fall, Perillat says. However, some producers may take heart from recent rains and slow their panic selling of cattle as they see pastures greening up. On the processing front, more cattle are staying in Canada for nishing and processing, which is growing the feedlot industry. Feedlot expansion and increased packer utilization are driving production, Perillat says. The growth is increasing beef production this year, he adds. However, feedlots face more risk with increasing feed prices. Perillat says fed cattle prices struggle to stay high. While fed basis levels are back to normal, feedlots saw a short-lived protability and are enduring a long run of tough margins, he adds. The basis position may weaken if the US continues its strong trend in the fed cattle market. Fortunately, cut-out values are strong and fed cattle prices should rise seasonally by the end of the year, market analyst and Alberta rancher Deb McMillin predicts. Furthermore, the Canadian dollar inuences cattle and feed prices. When the loonie rises above 80 US cents, cow-calf producers take note because it raises a concern for calf prices. Moving forward, Perillat anticipates a continued shrinking of the North American herd and competition for land. On the bright side, “I expect the amount of revenue sharing through the supply chain to improve and producers will capture more of the retail dollar as cattle numbers tighten,” Perillat says.Beef sector sees strong demand High market prices, demand, but challenges still lie aheadCanadian Hereford Association general manager Stephen Scott presented Copper Creek Ranch owners Sharon, Carey and Ron Stevenson with an award acknowledging CCR’s annual sponsorship of the Canadian National Junior Hereford Show at the beginning of the Visions 2021 production sale. SUBMITTEDThanks for the support!
14 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCCopper Creek Ranch in Princeton held its rst Visions 2021 purebred Hereford production sale on September 11. Participants submitted bids online through Direct Livestock Marketing Systems. The sale grossed $305,634 on 42 lots for an average of $7,277 per lot. The high-selling lot was Lot 1, a two-year-old daughter of Copper Creek’s main walking herd sire, Blackhawk 7057. The animal sold for $40,000 to JK Fraser of Cochrane, Alberta, and Torchview Cattle Company of White Fox, Saskatchewan. “Cattle sold into six provinces, from the Maritimes to British Columbia, and into the United States. Cattle were displayed in lots outside for viewing on the Princeton ranch, but cattle did not go through a sale ring,” says Phil and Catherine Brown, managers of Copper Creek Ranch. “Cattle were previously videotaped and videos were displayed on screens at the auction block. These videos were also visible to online bidders. This method of selling cattle in the purebred cattle industry has gained in popularity over the past 15 years as a virtually stress-free way of selling purebred cattle through auction.” Copper Creek Ranch runs a purebred Hereford and Hereford-inuenced commercial cattle herd. It is a growing, diversied and increasingly regenerative operation which also has a growing freezer beef market. Richardson Ranch’s 12th annual online sale also yielded solid sale numbers in its September 17 and 18 auction in Tlell. This two-day sale was also hosted by DLMS. The highest selling heifer calf, Lot 1, sold for $5,250 to Alden and Colleen Voth of Vanderhoof. The highest selling yearling heifer, Lot 5, sold for $5,000 to Skyvirtu Ranch Inc. in Leduc County, Alberta. The highest selling cow, Lot 8, sold for $2,700 from to Skyvirtu Ranch Inc. The highest selling embryos sold for $1,750. The ve embryos were purchased by Knoxbury Farms in Westerville, Ohio. Richardson Ranch is a family farm with polled Hereford cattle, a complete veterinary hospital with boarding kennels and a feed and pet store. –Kate AyersBC-bred females sell well in fall production salesThis is what $40,000 looks like. CCR 7057 Bonita 21G is Prairie-bound, selling to JK Fraser of Cochrane, Alberta and Torchview Cattle Company of White Fox, Saskatchewan. SUBMITTEDKAMLOOPS | Darrell Comazzetto 250-573-3939WILLIAMS LAKE | Wade McNolty 250-398-7174VANDERHOOF | Mike Pritchard 250-567-4333OKANAGAN FALLS | Shawn Carter 250-497-5416BC LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS Proudly Supporting BC Ranching Since 1943www.bclivestock.bc.caHead Oce: 250-573-3939 Fax: 250-573-3170 kam@bclivestock.bc.caOCTOBER SALESOct 1 - Vanderhoof Regular Sale *9:00amOct 4 - OK Falls Regular SaleOct 5 - Kamloops Calf & Regular SaleOct 6 - Williams Lake Calf SaleOct 7 - Williams Lake Regular SaleOct 8 - Vanderhoof Pre-Sort Sale *9:00amOct 12 - Kamloops Calf & Regular SaleOct 13 - Williams Lake Calf SaleOct 14 - Williams Lake Regular SaleOct 15 - Vanderhoof Regular Sale *9:00amOct 18 - OK Falls Regular SaleOct 19 - Kamloops Calf & Regular SaleOct 20 - Williams Lake Calf SaleOct 21 - Williams Lake Regular SaleOct 22 - Vanderhoof Pre-Sort Sale *9:00amOct 26 - Kamloops Calf, Yearling & Reg.SaleOct 27 - Williams Lake Calf SaleOct 28 - Williams Lake Regular SaleOct 29 - Vanderhoof Regular Sale *9:00amWatch for New Online Sales to be listed Go to https://bclivestock.nextlot.com to Register.KAMLOOPS250-573-3939WILLIAMS LAKE250-398-7174OKANAGAN FALLS250-497-5416VANDERHOOF250-567-4333Your BC Livestock Marketing Team Has You Covered!Traditional Ring Sales | Direct Sales | In House Video Sales | Team Sales | Online SalesBC Livestock brings the most competitive prices on all classes of cattle as well as guaranteed payment and selling exibility. If you want the best price call us today. We can price your cattle anywhere, anytime - even in the eld.As we head into this busy time of Fall Run Calf Sales, we remind you that booking your cattle in advance gives us a better opportunity to market your cattle, ensuring quality service.We will have online bidding available at our Bred Cow Sales this Fall in order to accommodate people who can’t make it to the sale. Visit www.bclivestock.bc.ca for regular updates & The Market Report.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 15Sheep producers monitoring for bluetongue Several bighorn sheep test positive in Grand ForksALL CLEAR so far. BC sheep producers have been put on alert after an outbreak of bluetongue in wild bighorn sheep in the southern interior. The disease is spread by biting midges, not direct contact between infected animals. FILE“Serving British Columbia proudly since 1946”Machinery LimitedROLLINS RToll Free 1-800-242-9737 www.rollinsmachinery.comChilliack 1.800.242.9737 | 44725 Yale Rd W Langley 1.800.665.9060 | 21869 - 56th Ave Chemainus 1.250-246.1203 | 3306 Smiley RdAre you READY for WINTER feeding?Chilliwack 1.800.242.9737 . 47724 Yale Rd W Langley 1.800.665.9060 . 21869 56th Ave Chemainus 1.250.246.1203 . 3306 Smiley Rd Kelowna 250.765.8266 . 201-150 Campion StToll Free 1-800-242-9737 www.rollinsmachinery.com info@rollinsmachinery.caBARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER GRAND FORKS – An outbreak of bluetongue disease among a herd of bighorn sheep in the Grand Forks area has livestock producers on watch. More than 20 bighorn sheep and white-tailed deer in the region were reported dead due to bluetongue virus (BTV) at the end of August. “It happened super-quick,” says Wild Sheep Society of BC director Peter Gutsche in an interview with Wild Sheep Society podcast host Kyle Stelter. “Multiple collars dropped within hours.” Gutsche was referring to the GPS collars twelve bighorn sheep in the Granby herd wear for monitoring purposes. They ping biologists’ receivers every four hours. If two consecutive pings come from the same spot, it means either the collar slipped o or the animal is dead. When some collars went down and stopped moving at the end of August, a team went straight to the mortalities and sent them to Abbotsford for testing. They could see the disease’s classic “blue tongue” from the animals’ swollen tongues and mouths. Gutsche estimates a loss of 60-80%. Bluetongue is a disease of wild and domestic ruminants that is spread by certain species of midges, small biting ies also known as “no-see-ums.” The specic species of biting Culicoides midge that transmits the disease is only found in BC’s southern Interior. There is no BTV vaccine licenced in Canada, and no treatment. Sheep are most aected by the disease and can experience serious illness and a high mortality rate. They may exhibit high fever, excessive salivation, panting, swollen tongue or ears and muzzle ulcers. Cattle and goats are less aected, with a mild, self-limiting infection that may result in weight loss, milk loss and reduced fertility or abortion. Bluetongue is rare in Canada, but there are occasional outbreaks in the Okanagan due to the wind-borne spread of infected midges from the US. Be vigilant While the disease is a larger issue for sheep producers than cattle producers, BC Cattlemen’s Association general manager Kevin Boon has told local ranchers to be vigilant. “This outbreak is earlier in the season than normal likely due to abnormally warm temperatures this summer,” says Boon. “The only control right now is basically insect control, and most are doing what they can do to help themselves.” Keeping animals inside when midges are most active may help decrease transmission. Veterinarians recommend newer topical y products such as Saber and Boss, which can minimize bites for up to four months. Laboratory analysis has identied BTV serotype 11 in the aected wild sheep, according to Canadian Food Inspection Agency district veterinarian Amanda Emery. This serotype is not reportable in Canada. There are at least 27 dierent serotypes of BTV. Laboratories are required to report all conrmed diagnoses to the CFIA. “Any producers that are concerned about the health of their sheep are encouraged to contact their private veterinarian,” says Emery. The BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries issued an alert to veterinarians to inform them of the outbreak and remind them to remain vigilant for BTV infections in ruminants. Anyone with animals that exhibit clinical signs or more than one animal that suddenly dies are instructed to contact their veterinarian or the BC Animal Health Centre (604-556-3003) . Sheep producers in the region are aware of the outbreak, and some are in contact with their vet for guidance on mitigating the risk to their ocks. Most have not seen any symptoms in their livestock, and no deaths have been reported. Bluetongue is not spread by direct contact. Rather, the biting midge spreads the virus via the transfer of blood from an infected animal when it bites another animal. This is accelerated in times of drought as water sources dry up and animals congregate at water sources, which are also midge-breeding sites. Producers are advised to drain stagnant water bodies and use insecticides to reduce midge numbers. Midge activity ceases with the rst frost. BTV does not survive winter in Canada. The disease does not pose a risk to human health. “Serving and Supporting the Community Together”PROVINCIALLY INSPECTED ABATTOIR B.C. #34ALL SIZES MARKET GOATS & LAMBS604.465.4752 (Ext 105)FAX 604.465.4744 ashiq@meadowvalleymeats.com
16 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCTOLL FREE: 1-877-553-3373 WWW.PRAIRIECOASTEQUIPMENT.COMPRINCE GEORGE 250-561-4260 | KAMLOOPS 250-573-4412 | KELOWNA 250-765-9765 | CHILLIWACK 604-792-1516 | NANAIMO 778-441-3210ORDER BY OCTOBER 29 forBIG DISCOUNTS!EARLY ORDER PROGRAMOn Now!WINDROWERSSELF-PROPELLEDFORAGE HARVESTERSLARGE SQUARE BALERSTRIPLE MOUNTED MOWER CONDITIONERSTOM WALKER VICTORIA – BC farmers hope changes owing from a review of the Columbia River Treaty – now underway between the province, the federal government and the US – will benet them. The province wrapped up a public consultation September 15 of agricultural interests in BC’s Columbia Basin as summarized in a discussion paper released June 18. “The Columbia River Treaty team undertook an analysis of the issues raised and the federal, provincial and regional programs and initiatives that may address them, and where gaps may exist,” says Kathy Eichenberger, who is leading the Columbia River Treaty review on behalf of the province. “The treaty team sought feedback on this analysis from the Basin agriculture community, to identify whether the programs address the issues and where more support may be needed.” The 18-page discussion paper listed interests and concerns gathered from local area meetings. These were paired with a table listing existing or recent federal, provincial and regional agricultural sector programs and initiatives designed to address them along with additional information about the programs. But local agriculture organizations say the paper is short on recommendations. “What they’ve created is a valuable resource in terms of listing agricultural supports in one document,” says Melissa Hemphill, a board member with the Revelstoke Local Food Initiative, one of the organizations that have submitted a formal response to the discussion paper. “What it doesn’t address is the lost ability to produce food as a result of the ooded lands. There are no recommendations to address food security in communities most aected by loss of farmland. There are no ood mitigation ideas or opportunities listed.” Gaps Many of the programs listed seem more suitable to larger farming operations says Rachael Roussin, program coordinator with Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors. KBFA has been working with Kootenay farmers for the last four years and Roussin sees two basic gaps in the report of agricultural interests. “More than half of these programs are not serving small farms, which is what most of the agricultural production is in the Columbia Basin,” she says. “What our farmers really need is infrastructure and labour and none of these programs speak to that.” There is no mention of a collective or commons approach to producing food, adds Hemphill. “If a non-prot were producing food, most of the programs listed would not be applicable,” she points out. “With the cost of land being what it is (especially in our corner of the world) more collective approaches to food production are popping up – co-ops, non-prots, collectives.” There is also little mention of climate change. “Some of the programs listed mention climate mitigation, but it is not highlighted as a key issue,” says Hemphill. “This is a big oversight.” Compensation for ongoing impacts is also a concern of local governments. Over 2,000 acres of prime agricultural land was ooded and entire communities displaced. Ranchers lost grazing lands, and many – particularly around the Koocanusa reservoir southeast of Cranbrook – found their ranges impacted as tourism attracted more visitors to the area. “There has never been any (direct) compensation for farmers who were or are now impacted by the treaty,” says Linda Worley, chair of the Columbia River Treaty local governments committee and a director with the Kootenay Boundary Regional District. “The loss of lands and livelihoods has never been recognized and that continues to aect food security across the Kootenays.” The local governments committee has met and continues to meet across the region to hear residents’ concerns, a kind of consultation missing from the original treaty process. Eichenberger says food security, irrigation, climate change and nancial supports have all been themes in responses as well as how to make farming attractive to young people. She expects the province to make a ‘what we heard’ document available by mid-October. Originally signed in 1964, negotiations to update and modernize the treaty began in 2018. Considered a model of international cooperation in its day, Canada and the US aim to complete negotiations by 2024, when the current treaty expires. While the initial treaty limited itself to power generation and ood control, the review has brought salmon habitat restoration and other environmental concerns as well as First Nations issues into play. Agriculture remains a marginal consideration, although fruit and vegetable growers in BC say the treaty has given Washington growers a competitive advantage through stable year-long access to irrigation water and cheap electricity to pump that water to where it’s needed. But a 1994 review of the treaty’s eects on the BC agriculture sector, prepared for the province’s Agricultural Land Commission and since reviewed by Eichenberger’s team determined that the treaty does not give US growers any special advantage. Columbia River Treaty impacts reviewedGrowers demand updates as 60-year-old treaty set to expire in 2024
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 17It wasn’t rain or hail that caused problems for cherry growers this season, but the heat dome in late June that resulted in smaller fruit that was too ripe before pickers could get to it. MYRNA STARK LEADER604.291.1553 info@agricultureshow.netOver 30 0 Exhibitors Showcasing Innovative Agriculture TechnologyJanuary 27 - 29, 2022KATE AYERS KELOWNA – Cherry and apple growers are counting the costs after high temperatures took a bite out of their crops this summer. “When you have such extreme heat, the trees go into survival mode. They start conserving energy, so they shut down and that impacts fruit size,” says BC Fruit Growers’ Association president and Kelowna producer Pinder Dhaliwal. Cherry size was reduced due to the June heat wave but the quality rebounded for some growers. The industry also took the unusual step of accepting 12-row cherries, the smallest size of fruit, for sale. This beneted both domestic producers and exporters. “The Americans were buying those right up to the end. So, the market was strong,” says Alan Gatzke, owner of Gatzke Orchard in Lake Country. “Export prices are high, so the returns for export people were good.” Coral Beach Farms Ltd. in Lake Country harvested its largest volume of cherries ever despite the heat and supply chain challenges related to the ongoing pandemic. A later harvest window, thanks to new high-elevation plantings, allowed for optimal market entry timing in August following on Washington’s crop. As a result, retailers had capacity for the extra volume and customers had access to fresh cherries late into the summer. But producers without access to adequate water suered devastating crop losses. Gatzke described the cherry crop damage as occurring on three levels in the Okanagan Valley. “On mature trees that are a little weaker, the damage was pretty signicant. It’s not as easy to see with the eyes as it is with apple damage. The fruit were just getting red and ripe and the heat kind of cooked them,” he says. “When the fruit was harvested from the older, weaker trees, people were getting 30% culls because the cherries were cooked and soft and didn’t look right. A number of those orchards were abandoned because they were old varieties, not part of an export program and they didn’t have high returns.” Damage also occurred to younger trees. Cherry blocks between three and ve years old had a heavy crop on them but a lighter, less developed canopy meant less shade than on older trees. “There was some gorgeous export-quality fruit on those trees that took a shit-kicking,” says Gatzke. “The roots aren’t established quite as well so the trees wilted right down, and the biological systems of the tree shut down. Those trees looked really sore for a two-week period after the heat.” But most growers saw minimal damage. Gatzke estimates the culls on his farm at less than 3%. “The vast majority of the cherry production done by experienced growers who spray nutrients and have a good investment in their watering systems” was ne, says Gatzke. “If you kept the trees healthy and happy and they’re well-vegetated and they’re making some shade for the fruit, the fruit fared okay.” Other factors that inuenced cherry damage include labour, location and harvest timing. “The biggest factor for everybody was shortage of labour. A lot of people couldn’t get their cherries harvested in time because the heat accelerated the ripening of everything,” says Dhaliwal. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative strategic initiatives director Lauren Van Dam says damage was dependent on location, but everyone took a hit. “The southern end of the valley, including the Similkameen Valley, got hit harder than the central and north Okanagan,” she says. “[And] we saw a lot of heat damage in the cherry crop that was harvested in late June and early July.” While some of the early maturing cherry varieties, including Chelan, gave decent crops in areas such as Osoyoos, rain damage in Cristalina cherries from early June rains meant shippers and packers rejected some loads. BC Tree Fruits estimates the nal numbers will show a 20% drop from early crop estimates. Apples suffer Apples were also heavily impacted by the unrelenting sun and heat, which arrived at a critical time in fruit development. “Just like humans get sunburned, so can fruit. We have a lot of sunburn- damaged apples throughout the valley,” says Van Dam. Summer weather takes toll on OK fruitDamage dependent on location, variety, management practices See APPLES on next page o
18 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCApple growers were able to thin out some heat-damaged fruit but the impacts weren’t all skin deep. Some won’t show up until apples are in storage. PINDER DHALIWALAPPLES damaged nfrom page 17To some extent, the labour shortage enabled growers to identify and remove damaged fruit, allowing the trees to put their energy where it would do the most good. “The guys who were behind the eight ball with the labour shortage benetted because the heat came early in the growth cycle of the apple at a time when not all the thinning was completed. So, they were thinning through July and were able to see the damage from the heat and continue to take o the damaged fruit,” Gatzke says. But some damage is dicult to detect during picking, only showing its true colours – in this case, a leathery tan colour – in storage. The fruit ends up being culled at the packing house, reducing the payout to growers. Fortunately, the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries’ production insurance program has extended its claim observation period for apple quantity losses this year. To be eligible, producers must have led a notice of loss and had a preharvest inspection to conrm heat damage in each block. As of September 23, the ministry was reporting 878 notices of loss from tree fruit growers in the Okanagan Valley. Ultimately, this year’s apple crop will likely end up 15% lower than previous years because of reduced acreage, the biennial yield pattern of apples and weather events, says Dhaliwal. Despite the hardships in this growing season, all is not lost. “Yes, the heat has aected crops, but we are nding that there is still a lot of good fruit out there,” says Van Dam. “We are still receiving lots of bins daily.” Stone fruits good Beyond cherries, stone fruits also had a good year. Apricots did not experience much damage and “they tasted really good,” says Gatzke. “The peaches and nectarines loved the heat. They could do that every year and be happy. The sweet and prune plums had virtually no damage. There may have been some wilting during the heat, but really no impact. Some of the gold plums had white spots on them, but overall, it was a decent year for soft fruits other than cherries.” Growers such as Gatzke are anxious to see how this year’s weather will impact next year’s crop. “We’ve never really seen such high temperatures. I did see a number of trees that wilted so bad that when the heat passed and moisture came back up into the trees, certain sections and branches browned and looked like someone hit them with RoundUp,” Gatzke says. “I don’t know what the physiological impact will be on the long-term growing cycle of the dierent varieties of trees, but we often learn the following year.” SUBSCRIBE TODAYTRACTOR TIMEVICTORIA 4377C Metchosin Rd. 250.474.330130 minutes from Victoria and 15 minutes from Highway#1 in Metchosin.tractortime.comPREMIUM TRUCKPRINCE GEORGE 1015 Great Street 250.563.0696WILLIAMS LAKE 4600 Collier Place 250.398.7411premiumtruck.cahandlersequipment.comHANDLERS EQUIPMENTABBOTSFORD 339 Sumas Way 604.850.3601HOUSTON 2990 Highway Crescent 250.845.3333Mahindra 7095MOREBUILT-INWEIGHT
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 19Cheesemakers felt the heat this summerReduced milk yields created challenges meeting demandCory Spencer experienced about a 50% drop in milk production during this summer’s extreme heat, but it bounced back when cooler, more seasonal weather resumed. SUBMITTEDKATE AYERS DUNCAN – Keeping their animals cool and elds productive were challenges for many dairy farmers this summer, but those with processing facilities in their operations also struggled to ensure adequate milk production. Dairy and artisan cheese producers on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland took a double hit as the heat stressed their animals and cooling equipment laboured to keep products from spoiling. “The drought has aected our pasture. Our irrigation water tends to run out a lot sooner than it did 10 years ago. Right now, we’re on water restrictions, which reduces the amount of grass the animals have,” says Cory Spencer, co-owner of Duncan’s Haltwhistle Cheese Co. “When we had that extreme heat of 42°C, that put a lot of stress on the animals and milk production dropped because they didn’t want to eat. We noticed about a 50% drop in production during that time, but we saw it bounce back once it cooled down again.” Haltwhistle sources milk from 100 goats on its farm and produces cow’s milk cheese with uid milk from nearby Balme Ayr Farm. The heat also put pressure on the compressors that keep the aging rooms cool, adds Spencer. “They were working quite hard just to keep up. They aren’t really designed to work in those temperatures,” he says. Spencer and partner Kirsten Thorarinson were forced to close their cheese shop for two days during the heatwave. Dana Dinn of The Farm House Natural Cheeses in Agassiz also noticed a dip in production. The business produces handmade artisan cheeses and specialties from both cows and goats. Its on-farm shop sells cheeses, butter, Greek-style yogurt, buttermilk and bottled uid milk. “This summer has denitely been quite the feat for us here, both on the farm and within our cheese plant. Keeping our cows and goats comfortable and well-hydrated in the heat is a full-time job in itself. The stress of the heat often causes a dip in milk production, which means less available product for our customers,” says Dinn. “Our cheese caves and refrigeration systems were all working overtime through the last heat wave, and young ripening cheese in particular is very sensitive to temperature and environmental changes. We've lost some cheese to the heat, that's for sure.” Farm House Natural Cheeses also cancelled participation in several farmers markets during the summer because the fridges in its market trucks were not equipped to handle excessive temperatures. “All in all, it's been hard, and we unfortunately have experienced a lot of loss,” says Dinn. Some operations made it through the heat and drought relatively unscathed. Resilience Nancy Gourlay, co-founder of Little Qualicum Cheeseworks and Morningstar Farm in Parksville, credits sustainable production practices with the operation’s resilience through this summer’s challenging conditions. The farm’s pasture management maintained sucient forage production for the herd, even without a third cut. “We have always believed in the environmental benets of permanent grass pastures, both as a carbon sink and for resilience in the case of drought. While other farmers across the West were waiting for that moment when they could get on their elds with equipment and get seed into the ground – then wait for rain – we were happily watching our grass grow,” says Gourlay. “Responsible forest, vegetation and soil management will be key to agricultural sustainability in our neck of the woods.” Continuing that legacy will be Albert Gorter and Chelsea Enns and their young son, who purchased the farm and cheese business this summer after managing Gorter’s parents’ dairy farm in Manitoba. Quality Pre-Owned Tractors & EquipmentANDEX 773 RAKE . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500 CASE 415 CULTIPACKER . . . . . . 12,500 JAYLOR MIXER WAGON . . . . . . . . 13,500 JCB 409 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,000 JD 348 BALER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000 KUHN FC313 MOWER TG . . . . . 20,000 KUHN 4 BOT ROLLOVER PLOW . . . . 19,900 KUBOTA BX2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 KVERNELAND 4032 MOWER . . 16,000 MASCHIO DC4000 POWER HARROW . . . . . . . . . . . .12,500 MASCHIO 4.5 M PWR HARROW COMING MF 1523 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,000 NH 570 BALER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000 TYCROP HIGH DUMP 16’ . . . . . . . 9,500 WACKER NEUSON 750T . . . . . . . 62,500
20 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCNope. There’s only one answer for used motor oil. Recycling.Do the right thing. Find the closest Public Recycling Centre for your motor oil and oil fi lters. Go to bcusedoil.com/recycling“ Oil comes from the ground. It should go back in the ground, right?”
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 21Sam Takhar and his wife Harjit Kaur are waiting for an occupancy permit so they can move into their new home on their farm in Abbotsford. SARBMEET SINGHFarm and Rural Residential Properties in the Peace Country are our specialtyAnne H. ClaytonMBA, AACI P App, RIAppraiserJudi LeemingBHE, AIC CandidateAppraiser250.782.1088info@aspengrovepropertyservices.caInsurance products and services are provided through Assante Estate and Insurance Services Inc. Please visit www.assante.com/legal.jsp or contact Assante at 1-800-268-3200 for information with respect to important legal and regulatory disclosures relating to this notice.Financial planning for farm families Farm transition coaching Customized portfolio strategy Retirement income planningDriediger Wealth PlanningMark Driediger, CFP, FEA, Senior Wealth AdvisorBrent Driediger, BAA, CPA, CMA, CFP, Wealth Advisorwww.DriedigerWealthPlanning.com | 604.859.4890 Assante Financial Management Ltd.PETER MITHAM & SARBMEET SINGH ABBOTSFORD – Abbotsford blueberry grower Sam Takhar is eagerly awaiting the occupancy permit that will allow him to move his family into their new farmhouse. The family demolished their old house to construct a new home. The new house is 5,000 square feet while the old one was just 2,600 square feet. But constructing the new home was a challenge due to Agricultural Land Reserve rules. When the family decided to construct a new home to accommodate their growing multigenerational family, provincial regulations didn’t allow secondary homes. “My children have grown up now and we are planning for their marriage,” says Takhar, who lives with his three children, wife and mother. “We bought the farm in 2007 and now, we felt the need to construct a new home. As per the norms, we were told to demolish our old house before constructing the new one.” A sudden change in February 2019, following the passage of Bill 52 the previous fall, required landowners to seek provincial approval for a secondary residence. Hundreds of BC growers and landowners were aected. The requirement was heartbreaking for the Takhar family, who instead decided to donate their old home when construction began on the new one in 2020. “It was a very dicult decision to demolish the house as we had so many memories with it. So, we decided to donate the house,” he says. While interim rules allowed the placement of modular homes for immediate family to support farming activities, other forms of secondary housing were prohibited. Takhar and his family were forced to rent a home while their new one was being constructed. Living away from their farm, they felt like they were homeless. “That was an additional burden for us. We paid $3,000 per month,” he says. “Our rented place was away from our house, so it was very dicult for us to manage the farm. Additionally, we paid for moving and storage of our household items.” Following an extensive consultation period aimed at paciying rural landowners, BC announced this summer that it would again allow secondary residences on properties in the ALR without landowners having to seek permission from the Agricultural Land Commission. (They still have to meet local government rules.) The new rules take eect at the end of this year and allow a second residence if the primary residence is 5,400 square feet or less and the farm property is 80 acres or less. In these cases, a secondary residence of up to 970 square feet can be built. But if the primary residence is more than 5,400 square feet, landowners must seek permission from the ALC. However, farmers on more than 80 acres can build secondary residences irrespective of the size of the primary residence. Takhar says government shouldn’t limit the size of homes. The issue particularly aects South Asian farm families in which multigenerational households are common. The issue of house size surfaced in Richmond in 2018 during marathon council sessions over a bylaw aimed at protecting farmland from speculative housing development. The city ultimately approved a bylaw largely in line with current provincial guidelines. Kelowna city council has also addressed the issue, ultimately approving a 2019 application for a 7,000 square foot home. Council granted approval in view of provincial changes to farm housing rules and the fact that the amount of space proposed per resident was in line with national averages. Moreover, Kelowna permit data indicated that a third of the residences built within the ALR in recent years were larger than 21,500 square feet. Takhar says large families should have access to homes that suit their needs. Many cities grapple with family-sized units of three or four bedrooms, but multigenerational farm families face even greater obstacles. While farmland supports farming, it should also support the families who care for the land. “Big families deserve big houses to accommodate their family members,” he says. “Constructing the home was a big challenge for us.” Housing rules continue to challenge farmersMultigenerational farm families face limits despite changesHelpingyou growyour Business.
22 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSANDRA TRETICK NORTH SAANICH – Veteran resource manager Andrea Kalischuk is the new director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Centre for Plant Health near Sidney. Kalischuk took over as director in August from Thomas Nederberger, who moved east to become associate director of CFIA’s Falloweld Laboratory in Ottawa. She will handle general management of the centre, home to 30 scientists and support sta. With more than 20 years’ experience in natural resource management, she will provide leadership and strategic direction on policies and programs as the centre’s mandate expands. It currently has a $500,000 budget for programs and diagnostic testing. “Key to my role is developing partnerships with the horticultural industry, academia, Indigenous communities, NGOs and other stakeholders that have an interest in plant health,” says Kalischuk. Kalischuk has a master’s degree in science from the University of Lethbridge. Prior to joining CFIA, she spent 18 years with Alberta Agriculture, primarily as a director in the irrigation branch. Most recently, she was the director of resource authorizations for the Kootenay Boundary region with the BC Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Kalischuk takes the lead as the centre prepares to break ground on new facilities. In 2018, the federal government announced $80 million to replace the aging laboratory with a world-class plant health diagnostic and research facility to safeguard Canada’s plant base and advance plant science. Starting where Nederberger left o, Kalischuk will work closely with a group from CFIA and Public Works and Procurement Canada to help them understand the operational work her team does in the lab and in the eld. The new lab is scheduled to open in 2024, but no date has yet been announced for the start of construction. Despite being called the Sidney laboratory, the 100-acre site situated on prime real estate overlooking the ocean is actually located in the adjacent community of North Saanich. It was established here in 1912 as a Dominion experimental farm and became a quarantine centre in the 1960s. When the CFIA was created in 1997, the centre fell under the jurisdiction of the new agency. As Canada's only post-entry quarantine, research and diagnostic facility for tree fruit, grapevine and small fruit, it is responsible for testing these types of plants for viruses. The centre played a key role in Canada’s ght against the plum pox virus following its discovery in Ontario and Nova Scotia in 2000, and ensured clean plant material as growers in these regions recovered from the disease. It is also a leader in the use of genetic testing to detect plant diseases. Kalischuk looks forward to continuing the lab’s work in the eld of plant science on Vancouver Island. “This includes our work on leading-edge virus and pathogen diagnostic techniques and the modernization of the lab facilities,” says Kalischuk. “Our ongoing work in DNA-based technologies and partnerships with organizations like Genome BC will support fast, reliable testing that protect Canadian crops and the success of Canadian plant breeders and growers.” Federica Di Palma, chief scientic ocer and vice-president of sectors at Genome BC, congratulated Kalischuk on her appointment. “She has an excellent track record in Western Canada and we look forward to many more continued partnerships with the CFIA,” says Di Palma. “To date all of our projects with them have been impactful, and moved the needle in agrifoods management.” The laboratory is isolated from commercial plantings to prevent the possible spread of infection and has a climate suited to cultivating all of Canada's fruit crops and ornamental plants. Despite its seemingly idyllic placement, the lab was slated to close in 2012 with a plan to relocate the quarantine centre to Summerland. The decision was reversed following an outcry led by local MP Elizabeth May, who feared a virus escape could wipe out entire agricultural sectors in the Okanagan. 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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 23All’s gourd – pumpkins not squashed by heatIrrigation and high temps yielded healthy plants A fall display of pumpkins and gourds. SHARI GABRIELKATE AYERS SURREY – With fall now in full swing, what better time to purchase fall vegetables, including beets, carrots, onions and squash. With Halloween around the corner, too, pumpkins and gourds are the season’s stars. And, despite the severe impact heat had on many fruits and vegetables this summer, the traditional fall crops seem to be doing quite well. “In our case, this growing season has been great because we have access to irrigation,” says Albert Anderson of Aldor Acres in Glen Valley. “We have sandy land and up until the end of August, irrigated [the pumpkins] once every week to 10 days. We have tremendous foliage and now that’s dying down and it looks like there are lots of pumpkins in there.” Albert and his wife Dorothy manage about 20 acres of pumpkins and operate as a u-pick and educational farm. Sheila Ormrod of Dave’s Orchard in Langley experienced signicant loss of her apple and pear trees. She had to cut down some of the trees, she says, while others dried right up and fell over. Fortunately, Ormrod’s fall vegetables fared much better. “For the amount I planted, it is looking really good,” she says of her pumpkins and squash. “I couldn’t believe how big the zucchini got and I have lots of them.” Shari Gabriel of Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch in Surrey was concerned about her squash crops during the heatwaves, but so far, they look to be holding their own. “It was worrying at the beginning, thinking of how hot it was going to be in the summer. We are super-fortunate on our farm to have a water supply and [can] irrigate,” she says. “We irrigated at least once a week and the crop is amazing this year. Everything has turned out really well.” Gabriel and her partner Chris Tompe grow over 12 acres of pumpkins and gourds as well as operate a mini corn maze, two large petting zoos and other attractions. Gabriel says the pumpkins “did wonderfully” and were not aected by the heat. “[But] if we didn’t irrigate, I think we would have lost our crop. Farmers who couldn’t irrigate may have catastrophic losses of squash and pumpkin crops,” she adds. Though last year provided exceptional growing conditions for pumpkins, Gabriel believes this year’s crop may be even better. But the pumpkins are ready quite a bit earlier as the heat hastened ripening. “We are seeing that they are all ripe and leaves are dying down, which is a week or two earlier than in past years,” she says. But this year’s hot, dry weather reduced the incidence of powdery and downy mildews. Durable and long-lasting varieties are key for u-pick farms, especially when the crop ripens early. “When it comes to growing pumpkins and squashes, the amount of time they stay rm and healthy in the eld is really dependent on the variety. We select varieties that are tolerant to mildews and have a longer shelf-life,” says Gabriel. “When farming pumpkins, you need them to be viable throughout the fall season.” Since they do many school tours, her favourite variety is aptly named Field Trip. “The peduncle lasts a long time, and the pumpkin can be dropped,” she explains. On Vancouver Island, irrigated fall crops also seemed to hold up well. “The squash that we have is very good. Lots of vegetables per plant,” says Terry Michell of Michell’s Farm in Saanichton. In mid-September, Michell was halfway through butternut squash harvest and was also picking spaghetti and acorn squashes in addition to carrots, parsnips, leeks and cabbages. The beet crop looked healthy, too. “The crops look pretty good for most things, but we did have some problems with the head lettuce. It got cooked in the eld during that hot spell. But so far, the crops look good,” Michell says. Between 70% and 75% of Michell’s 225 acres of fall vegetable crops are sold through wholesale trade and at retail grocery stores. The balance is sold at the farmgate market. However, this production would not be possible without ample water supplies. “It was so dry in our area. We hadn’t had any rain to speak of all through May, June, July and August. We’ve used triple the amount of water this year as we do in an average year,” Michell says. “That is with our own wells and ponds and the city water we buy from the [Capital Regional District]. We haven’t received a bill for that yet, but it will be very, very high, even though we pay an agricultural rate.” Like many other growers with fall vegetables on or in the ground, Michell needs a solid stretch of decent weather to wrap up this growing season. “We are counting on a good fall for harvest because we have a lot of acres to cover yet. We need a good window of harvest weather for the next six weeks,” he says.
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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 25Female ranchers excited for mentorship opportunitiesSelect beef industry stakeholders set to participate in Cattlemen’s Young Leaders initiativeJanine Rubin was pleasantly surprised to make the CYL nals. SUBMITTEDJulia Flinton, with daughter Eilidh Sellars, grew up on a Cariboo ranch and studied ag business at the University of Saskatchewan. SUBMITTEDKATE AYERS WILLIAMS LAKE – Three young BC beef leaders look forward to learning from their peers and mentors as part of this year’s Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Mentorship Program organized by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Julia Flinton from Williams Lake, Janine Rubin of Rose Prairie and Amanda Miller from Lumby are among 16 nalists for the 2021-2022 edition of the nine-month program. Flinton grew up on a small family farm in the Cariboo and studied agricultural business at the University of Saskatchewan while also playing amateur hockey. “I came home after that and got right back into the ag side of things because I missed out on it for so long because of hockey. Now I help my dad run the same farm I grew up on,” she says. Her father now operates the ranch in partnership with his neighbor, running 100-head of cow-calf pairs. Meanwhile, her husband’s mother operates the 150 Mile Ranch owned by the Williams Lake First Nation. She helps there, too. Flinton’s involvement in the beef sector goes beyond the two ranches. “I also did 4-H growing up and we started a 4-H club for the Williams Lake First Nation,” she says. “We just completed our rst year. There were only six members at the start and then there were 20 members by the end of the year. We had projects in beef, swine and sheep.” A third-generation rancher, she looks forward to absorbing everything the mentorship experience has to oer. “I’ve been involved in the cattle industry but … my only exposure is from small town and family connections, so I think it will be a great opportunity to broaden my horizons beyond the Cariboo,” she says. Perfect timing For Janine Rubin, a second-generation farmer, the program’s timing could not have been better. “My dad rst told Me about this program when I was super-young and studying agriculture at Olds College in Alberta. I had known about it for a long time, but I was busy with school and never applied,” she says. “But then this winter I was on maternity leave from my job at the [BC] Ministry of Agriculture as a program representative on the insurance side of things. I was so excited to ll out the application and send it in.” Rubin grew up on a 150-head commercial purebred Red Angus cow-calf operation in Rose Prairie and was a 4-H member for four years. While Rubin felt well prepared for the competition, which had 23 semi-nalists, she was pleasantly surprised to make it to the nals. “I knew some friends from school who applied but it took them a couple years to get in because it’s such a competitive program. So, when I made top 16, I was really surprised,” she says. “It’s such an honour to be picked and I want to thank the sponsors and organizers. I’m happy for everyone who’s involved. I’m grateful to be selected.” While she has extensive experience in crop and livestock insurance, Rubin hopes to be paired with a mentor knowledgeable about cattle marketing. She also hopes to ne-tune her skills as a sector advocate and expand her network in the industry. “I want to be an advocate for the industry and let my passion show for the cattle industry,” she says. She, along with her husband and young daughter, looks forward to one day applying her mentorship experience as ranchers. The family currently lives in Fort St. John and aspire to start their own ranch. 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26 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCDIVERSE participants nfrom page 25“[We] hope to move back to the country soon and become producers ourselves,” says Rubin. For now, she enjoys lending a hand on her parent’s ranch, helping with calving, vaccinations and other tasks around the farm. Policy background Amanda Miller grew up on a small family ranch and hopes to apply her schooling and career skills to her mentorship experience. She spent her childhood ranching, which led her to pursue education in natural resource management and rangeland ecology. “I have a strong background in policy and I want to work on policy solutions to help maintain the competitiveness and economic viability of the beef industry,” she says. “I did my undergrad in the natural resource program at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and then I went onto the University of Alberta and got a graduate degree in rangeland and wildlife resources,” Miller says. Miller has been a professional agrologist since 2016 and is the owner and founder of Palouse Rangeland Consulting in Lumby. Through the CYL Program, she hopes to grow her network and delve further into policy. “I would really like to gain more knowledge of the beef sector and the challenges and opportunities that are in the realm of policy and advocacy,” Miller says. “Having an understanding of the current state of dierent policy challenges that the industry faces, would be benecial. As well as learning where I can provide positive change.” She is also interested in conservation issues. “I come from an ecology perspective, so I look forward to further exploring the relationships between a vibrant beef industry and grassland conservation outcomes because they are so intrinsically tied,” she explains. Three-quarters of this year’s nalists are female, which shows promise for diverse involvement in the Canadian beef sector moving forward. “Women have always been heavily involved in this [industry] and now with social change, we are seeing a lot more diversity within the cattle industry and more inclusion of dierent people who oer valuable viewpoints and perspectives,” says Miller. “A place has been made in the beef industry for women and we are excited to take part.” The nalists participated in a day-long virtual competition on August 30 to vie for their spots in this year’s initiative. Following judged roundtable discussions on a variety of industry topics, 16 nalists from across the country were chosen, and each participant will receive a $2,000 travel budget and be paired with an industry leader later this fall. The 2019 and 2020 program BC participants Kate Barnet, Andrea van Iterson and Laura Code graduated at the end of September. Since 2010, the CYL program has facilitated mentorship for over 120 graduates. The CYL Mentorship Program is led by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to provide young people aged between 18 and 35 with industry-specic training and mentorship opportunities. Participants network and travel and as a mentee, gain skills that allow them to succeed in the Canadian beef industry. Introducing a new and improved way to apply for your BC Farmer ID Card with our newly updated online application (including renewals!).Try it for a chance to win!Apply for (or renew) your BC Farmer ID Card online this month and be entered to WIN $100! Winners are drawn monthly from online applicants to win a $100 Visa gift card. Ends December 2021.What are you waiting for? Give it a try!BC FARMER ID CARDNow apply or renew online!Visit bcac.ca/farmeridcardAmanda Miller is no stranger to ranch work. Raised on a ranch, she is now a professional agrologist. SUBMITTED
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 27www.hlaattachments.com 1-866-567-4162 • Grapple clamps on to any Class II fork frame with walk through guard Grapple shown mounted on HD55 pallet fork.• Minimum 12 GPM required• Secondary metering drum regulates flow onto the belt• 12” wide high abrasion rubber belt with 1 ½” paddles• Discharge from either side Straw/Lime model shown.• Includes 2-½”x 8” cylinders• Main bucket material ¼” end plates and clam floor bottom• Available widths 66”, 72”, 78”, 84”• Loader and skidsteer models available SINGLE ARM LOG GRAPPLE4-in-1 BUCKETSIDE DISCHARGE BUCKETFOR BAGGED or BULK ORDERSDarren Jansen Owner604.794.3701organicfeeds@gmail.comwww.canadianorganicfeeds.comCertified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd.KATE AYERS COURTENAY – Rising temperatures and more variable precipitation patterns could increase pest pressure on Vancouver Island. But without a baseline for current insect populations, growers will have no way of knowing how insect populations are changing, or how to cope with the shifts. This is why Climate and Agriculture Initiative BC spearheaded a boots-on-the-ground project this summer to monitor agricultural pests and pollinators and increase the use of integrated pest management approaches in operations. The project worked with a dozen farms, six in the Comox Valley and six in the Cowichan Valley. The farms range in size from small-scale market gardens to large commercial operations. “We have a good diversity of farm sizes and we are working with farms that are certied organic, that follow organic principles but are not certied, all natural farms and ones that are fully conventional,” says project lead Bonnie Zand of Bonnie's Bugs IPM in Fanny Bay. Zand and two colleagues scouted farmers’ elds each week and collected pest population data. From this information, they published bi-weekly newsletters and regular Facebook updates to keep growers informed. Farmers “get a snapshot of things they should look at in their elds and what actions to take to mitigate pests,” Zand says. The IPM team also collects baseline data on benecial insects and pollinators. “This work has been done in the Fraser Valley but not on Vancouver Island,” says Zand. “We also have a citizen science program where commercial growers and home backyard gardeners can use the iNaturalist app. They take photos of dierent insects they nd and add it to our project. We can get a broader view of what insects are showing up and when.” Ongoing data collection will allow farmers and other specialists to make year-over-year pest and pollinator population comparisons. “One of the things that the assessment pointed out is that there is a real lack of baseline data. It’s really hard to know how things are changing without rst knowing what is normal,” Zand says. “If this project carries on for a second year, we’ll be able to start looking at our results from this year, which has been a hot, dry summer. It will be interesting to see how pests change with dierent conditions.” Zand says farmers really appreciate the information the project provides and being able to hone their own skills. “Some growers tend to manage pests with the assumption that what has worked in the past will continue to work in the future,” she says. “But with monitoring methods, you can see whether a pest shows up and growers can know whether the pest is there. If that changes from year to year, they can see that instead of being blindsided. Through the newsletter … [farmers] can make management Island project establishes baseline for bugsFirst-of-its-kind data collected thanks to farmers and specialistsThere was a nice crowd at the Lake Country Garlic Festival and craft market, September 5. This was the rst time a festival has been held in the area. Hosted at Ghostly Garlic, about a half dozen garlic producers said sales were good. Brandi-Lee grows several varieties at Bessette Creek Farm at Lumby. MYRNA STARK LEADERShow me the money!decisions based on data instead of an educated guess based on the calendar and what pests have done in the past.” Organic grower Niki Strutynski of Tatlo Road Farm in Crofton nds the lack of See DATA on next page o403.347.2646rtf 1.888.500.2646 hugh@kelloughs.com BIGHAM 3 & 4 LEG PARATILLSIN STOCK c/w Heavy 4” x 7” X 3/8” Tubular Diamond Mast Framet.FDIBOJDBM5SJQ-FHT12”-17” 8PSLJOH%FQUIt3FQMBDFBCMF1PJOUT6QQFS-PXFS4IJOT4IBUUFS1MBUFTtw%VSB'MVUFE$PVMUFS#MBEFTPO4QSJOH-PBEFE"TTFNCMJFTtw%FQUI(VBHF8IFFMT PO#PMU)VCTt$BUFHPSZ1PJOU)JUDI)PPL6QCALL FOR MORE INFO#3, 7491-49 Ave., Red Deer, AB
extension a challenge and valued the regular visits from Zand’s team. “As a farmer, I don’t feel like our province has great extension. If you do have an issue or want to do better, it’s not obvious where to turn to nd that information professionally,” says Strutynski. “Your greatest resources are other farmers in the community, but it might be nice to turn to someone who maybe isn’t a farmer but is an expert in the eld. That is something that they don’t really have right now.” While her nine growing seasons have provided many lessons, Strutynski learned plenty from CAI’s project. “The big thing for us is that we thought we had a pretty good handle on the pests that we were dealing with,” she says. But participating in the monitoring project gave her a better handle on the predatorial patterns of thrips that aect her onion and cabbage crops. “Now we know, and with that information we can try to come up with better management strategies in the future,” she says. Courtenay vegetable and berry grower Arzeena Hamir also picked up nuggets from Zand’s ndings. “I’m concerned about certain pests coming to the Comox Valley, particularly the spotted winged drosophila because we have blueberries. We also have carrot rust y. The best nding is that our drosophila numbers are low. I didn’t think we had it, but I wanted to make sure,” says Hamir. Certain pressures also increased as a result of the summer’s high temperatures. “This year with the heat we are seeing scorch in our blueberries for the rst time, and aphids spread scorch,” she says. “It required action to remove some of those plants. I don’t know if I would have recognized it as scorch if Bonnie hadn’t been here to point it out.” The pollinator and benecial insect count at Hamir’s farm also yielded positive results. “It’s been nice to see what pollinators and benecial predators we have. As an organic farm, [predatory insects are] really what we rely on to do a lot of our pest control,” says Hamir. “We rely on nature taking care of itself and it’s nice to know our systems are intact and that was happening properly on our farm.” Hamir planted buckwheat for the rst time this year and the owers attracted benecial insects and pollinators. “We are going to try to have this [crop] every year because it really makes a dierence in the benecial insects that are attracted to our farm,” she says. With a more variable climate creating new and larger hurdles for growers each year, producers will need every eective tool they can get their hands on. Hamir says unpredictable weather conditions are the biggest operational challenge she faces. “In nine years, we’ve never had a similar season to the last. We can never guess what the weather is going to be like. The challenge is trying to plan. It [determines] what crops do well, and which ones don’t, irrigation (and) fertilizer applications,” she says. Long-term local data can help producers make better management decisions to mitigate pests. “Year-on-year data is so important for growers to be able to see how things change and see how things are dierent on the Island – from the Comox Valley to Cowichan and Victoria,” Zand says. “Seeing dierences in those pests is helpful. General information from the Ministry of Ag tends to be based on data from the Fraser Valley and some pests in that system may not necessarily be the same. Local information is much more useful.” Participants hope the project continues to provide this important information to growers. “You really can just get your head down and work all the time so it’s nice sometimes to be part of something bigger,” says Strutynski. “This study has connected us to some bigger picture understanding and issues.” 28 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCDATA will facilitate better management strategies nfrom page 27Marketing British Columbia to the World®www.landquest.comToll Free 1-866-558-LAND (5263)“The Source” for Oceanfront, Lakefront, Islands, Ranches, Resorts & Land in BC®SKEENA RIVER RANCHTERRACE, BCOFF-GRID RETREAT WITH LARGE ACREAGE AND BREATHTAKING VIEWSLOG HOME AND ACREAGE IN THE SOUTHERN GULF ISLANDSBACCATA RIDGE WINERYGRINDROD, BCRETREAT STYLE LOG HOME ON 160 ACRES WITH EXPANSIVE COUNTRY VIEWSSO MANY POSSIBILITIES!LOG CABIN PUB - SPENCES BRIDGEHATCH A BIRD FARMPOWELL RIVER, BCBEAVER DAM LAKE RANCHCARIBOO PLATEAU NW OF CLINTONSIDNEY ISLAND OCEANFRONT - LOT 30SOUTHERN GULF ISLANDSThis world class ultra luxurious 6,475 ft2 6 bedroom, 8 bathroom, timber-frame lodge expertly crafted with the nest wood and stone products to be found, is a masterpiece in detail, design, and décor. Located on a 305 acre ranch skirting the banks of the Skeena River only 12 miles from the airport perfect for private jet. It is super private with spectacular views of wildlife in the elds to the mountains beyond. Ranch operators live in a separate log house on the grounds, so owners can enjoy the unprecedented tranquility this outdoor recreational paradise offers. $14,995,000Extremely rare opportunity to own 75 acres with 2 cabins perfectly appointed in a private and peaceful, off-grid wilderness in the Bella Coola Valley. This unique homestead offers an amazing retreat or Airbnb opportunity with incredible views, full sun and no flood risk. $520,000Three bedroom custom log home on five acres with sunny southern exposure on Galiano Island’s south end. Excellent walkability, close to Bellhouse Provincial Park, beach accesses, ferries, and south end amenities. $1,285,000Established farm produces premium quality blueberries, wines and mead, from fruit to bottle. Exceptional growing methods, mineral rich soil and climate combined with a beautiful home and equestrian infrastructure create the ideal business and lifestyle mix. $4,850,0003,000 ft2 log home rich in country charm on 160 acres of land. Astounding views of the Eagan Valley with Eagan Lake in the distance. Well-manicured yard with a koi pond and several outbuildings. There is kennel fencing for a prospective dog breeder. Perfect country escape. $725,000This property offers opportunities: carry on with the pub business (45+ years), convert to a family restaurant, start a winery, cidery or craft brewery & grow your own fruit / hops on 6.4 acres, convert to an equestrian estate with a 4,000 ft2 log home, create a new licensed event venue 3 hrs from YVR, or … $688,000Well established organic farm on 24.4 acres within the ALR with city services. Includes 5 bedroom main home, 2 bedroom home for farm hand, 2.5 acres of market garden, a market store, 6 greenhouses, pasture for livestock, 2 barns and numerous other outbuildings. $1,599,000A gorgeous lakefront acreage on 3 separate titles. 178 acres in total. Land is mostly at with some gentle rolling pasture and pockets of forest. Picturesque views of the Marble Range. Property is fenced with some cross fencing and fronts on Beaver Dam Lake. Several cabins and outbuildings. $1,100,0002.46 acres gently sloping toward the ocean with outstanding views and easy access to ocean’s edge. Launch your kayak or sh off the rocks. Large r, cedar and arbutus trees provide good privacy. Private island with miles of sandy beaches, protected dock, airstrip and fulltime Island Manager. $459,000RICH OSBORNE 604-328-0848Personal Real Estate Corporationrich@landquest.comSAM HODSON 604-809-2616Personal Real Estate Corporationsam@landquest.comFAWN GUNDERSON 250-982-2314Personal Real Estate Corporationfawn@landquest.comDAVE SIMONE 250-539-8733DS@landquest.comJOHN ARMSTRONG 250-307-2100Personal Real Estate Corporationjohn@landquest.comCHASE WESTERSUND 778-927-6634Personal Real Estate CorporationCOLE WESTERSUND 604-360-0793ROB GREENE 604-830-2020rob@landquest.comJAMIE ZROBACK 1-604-483-1605 JASON ZROBACK 1-604-414-5577MATT CAMERON 250-200-1199matt@landquest.comDAVE COCHLAN 604-319-1500dave@landquest.comVisit our WebsiteIsland vegetable growers are among the producers that will benet from an initiative to identify and track plant pests. MICHAELA PARKS
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 29Strategic planting and planning a good courseAlexis Arthur of Pacic Forage talks to producers at the September 22 corn trial eld day at Henry Bremer’s dairy farm in Enderby. JACKIE PEARASE PHOTOSilagrow.com1.800.663.6022 | office@silagrow.comMulch FilmLandscaping FabricsShade Nets Bale WrapsBunker CoversSilage BagsTw i n eNet WrapsHay TarpsForage & Grain SeedVisGreenhouse Ground CoverGreenhouse FilmsProtection NetsSALMON ARM 5121 - 46 Ave S.E. SURREY 112-18860 24 Ave (PU & Delivery Only)Serving all of BC1.800.282.7856 Find out more at terraseco.comFiXaTion CloverFrosty CloverCrimson CloverDC Red CloverHybrid CloverWinter PeasFiXaTion CloverFrosty CloverCrimson CloverDC Red CloverHybrid CloverWinter PeasTerra Seed Corp GROW YOUR OWN NITROGENJACKIE PEARASE ENDERBY – A knowledge of their land and available seed varieties will help corn growers prepare for what could be another tough growing season in 2022. “With what’s coming and what we’ve been through this year, I think it’s important to maybe do some strategic planting or maybe look at how we’re going to put our feed in,” Pacic Forage co-owner Alexis Arthur told producers at the corn trial in Enderby on September 22. Arthur gave an informal in-eld presentation at the event co-hosted by SilaGrow before the group began exploring the 19 corn varieties planted on Henry Bremer’s dairy farm. Included in the plot were hybrids from Pride Seeds, North Star Genetics, Horizon Seeds Canada Inc. and Thunder Seed with corn heat units ranging from 2,100 to 2,700. Arthur says CHUs work dierently on each farm so it is critical to nd a variety that will work for the specic farm and climate to ensure it nishes well with plenty of starch. The belief that only product with the highest CHUs will produce the most tonnage of feed is not the case anymore, she adds. “The mid-heat units … they’re all there to give you as much product with as much grain potential as possible,” she notes. “As long as you’re able to get them in eciently and, if possible, get water on them and feed them well, you’re going to get a lot of tons o of them.” With future weather extremes and re danger very likely, she suggests planting some low CHU seed, a bulk in the mid-range and high CHU seed in the best-producing land. “If there’s options or opportunities … if you do this a little strategically, I think you can make the money you’re putting on corn pay for itself a little bit more this season,” she says. Seed with a grain focus is also becoming more important. “You’re going to spend a lot of money on grain this year. We know what’s coming. We don’t want to talk about it or think about it, but that’s what’s going to come,” adds Arthur. “Try and make the grain work for you and help you this year. If you can keep the grain bill down, it would be really, really excellent.” Henry Bremer took a special interest in the grain corn because he generally uses a third of his corn crop for grain, with the bulk used as silage. “With the price of grain, that’s been a huge economic advantage,” he says. He says the corn trial is a good way for producers to nd seed that may work better for their farms by seeing how it grows and what the nished product looks like. “That’s what we want to see: the genetic potential and the dierences between them.” Arthur discussed the benets of the dierent varieties and provided growing tips to producers. She notes that some farms are playing with planting densities, with some growing up to 44,000 plants per acre. But that requires additional nutrients, which doesn’t always make nancial sense. “I’m comfortable with [30,000 to 32,000] as an average. I don’t like to go lower and the highest I would be willing to go is 38,” she says. Arthur advises watering corn right before and after pollination, not watering cold ground, and to stop watering at the end of August or early September to ensure the plants know to stop growing and nish. She says corn requires 38 millimetres of water a month for ideal growth. But this year, Enderby reached that threshold just once – in January. The summer months ranged from a low of 1 mm in March to a high of 17 mm in May and June. This reality emphasizes the need for farmers to be proactive with their seed choices, planting plans and agricultural practices, says Arthur. “It might be a year to look how many dierent tools you can put in the tool box to make sure you get the most in and out of those cows,” she says. Corn trial provides options for changing climate
30 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCARMSTRONG HORNBY EQUIPMENT ACP 250-546-3033 CHILLIWACK ROLLINS MACHINERY LTD 604-792-1301 CHEMAINUS ROLLINS MACHINERY LTD 250-246-1203 FORT ST JOHN BUTLER FARM EQUIPMENT LTD 250-785-1800 KELOWNA ROLLINS MACHINERY LTD 250-765-8266 LANGLEY ROLLINS MACHINERY LTD 604-533-0048 WILLIAMS LAKE GRASSLAND EQUIPMENT LTD 250-392-4024 VANDERHOOF GRASSLAND EQUIPMENT LTD 250-567-4446© 2021 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. New Holland is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.NEW T7 HEAVY DUTY WITH PLM INTELLIGENCE™THE POWER OF INTELLIGENCE WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF INTELLIGENT FARMING.Designed for you and by you, the new T7 Heavy Duty with PLM Intelligence™ delivers leading all-around performance and comfort demanded by today’s largest contractors and arable farmers.See the new T7 Heavy Duty and put intelligent farming to work. Or visit newholland.com today.SEE WIDER New Horizon™ Ultra cab with +8% cab volume and +11% glass areaOPERATE QUIETER Quietest tractor cab ever at just 66 dBATHINK SMARTER The most connected tractor with efficiency-boosting PLM® IntelligenceFEEL STRONGER Up to 313 hp with maximum torque available at just 1,400 rpmCOMMITTED TO AGRICULTURE in the FRASER VALLEY CHILLIWACK: 44725 YALE RD WEST 604-792-1301 | rollinsmachinery.com
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 31High heat, low pest pressure test corn plantingsGrowers check out 18 varieties from four companiesThe Davie farm in East Delta was host to this year’s Pacic Forage corn trials. RICHARD SULLIVANKuhnNorthAmerica.comVisit your local British Columbia KUHN dealer today!INVEST IN QUALITY®www.kuhn.comMatsqui Ag-RepairAbbotsfordNorthline EquipmentPouce CoupeHuber Farm EquipmentPrince GeorgeSmithersDRY WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHTExclusive DigiDrive® couplers provide low maintenance and long lifeMultiple options and adjustments for tedding in various crop conditionsReduce drying time with steeppitch angles and asymmetrical tinesHydraulic folding provies easy transport between work and 昀eldGF 102 / 1002 SERIES Rotary Tedders8’6” - 56’5” working widthsRICHARD SULLIVAN DELTA – There was plenty of corn starch at Davie Farm on June 3 in East Delta, but there was no baking involved. The occasion was a review of 18 varieties of hybrid corn representing Thunder Seed, Pride Seed, DLF Pickseed and Horizon Seed. The varieties were discussed by Alexis Arthur, owner of Pacic Forage in Delta. Representatives from both Pickseed and Horizon Seeds were in attendance as well. Arthur is a crackerjack lled with stats and data. She opened the tour with a discussion of the trial varieties. This year’s trial varieties were planted May 6 and this is the second year in a row the trial has run at Davie Farm. Although there was no eld day last year, Arthur was able to gather the data and referenced it when discussing this year’s plot. The planting, harvesting and weighing each hybrid separately takes time but ensures Arthur has accurate results to share and the farmers can gain insight on products grown in their own backyard. This year’s heat waves stalled the crop, as corn doesn’t like developing over 32°C and temperatures in Delta crested 40°C at the end of June. Arthur pointed out that too high a heat can slow down corn development just like too low a temperature at planting time. “The corn can stall in the heat which can aect time of pollination, cob ll and dry down.” After going through the monthly rainfall for the year, Arthur said, “My father used to say that corn can get by with an inch and a half of rainfall a month. It did not get that this season by a long shot.” BC’s heat dome in June severely aected dryland areas where corn was stunted and began dying early. She pointed out that Davie’s plot was not irrigated but a deep-water ditch sourced from the Fraser River adjoining his eld nurses his water table. The usual work horses of TH4578RR and PR1017RR along with PR1027RR were all present along with a new Thunder Seed option called 7180VT2P. Arthur remarked on HZ2220 that was a very good yielder last year but this year stood out in the plots for its ability to deal with the drought and still produce a very good-sized cob. Garret Veldman of Horizon Seeds commented on the height of the corn stand compared to the Prairies and discussed how Canadian owned Horizon Seeds also does its own genetic work in developing new hybrids on farm. Darrell Flatla from DLF Pickseed referenced the PS2320RR as Pickseed’s own workhorse while also discussing the Pickseed forage and annual fall crops that are now available through Pacic Forage locally. BC provincial entomologist Tracy Hueppelsheuser ended the tour. “There’s no root worm at Davie’s and minimum spider mites, which always surface when it’s hot,” she says. She referenced the ministry using new pheromone traps for the rootworm and the success with them this season and spoke of the rootworm beetles coming in earlier this season (closer to pollination) than last. “We’re catching 20 times more bugs with new pheromone traps.” Aphids were the most abundant pest this year in the Davie plot. Their excretions cover the leaves and can encourage the growth of black moulds that interfere with photosynthesis but this season they came in after much of the plant growth was complete. Being aware of COVID protocols, the smaller Delta group was served ribeye and burgers, BBQ’d by Andy Ness, while local corn and ‘kick butt’ beans nished it o. It was all washed down with the latest oerings from Barnside Brewing in Ladner. SUBSCRIBE TODAY
32 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCABBOTSFORD1-888-283-3276VERNON1-800-551-6411You are careful and persistent, always working to do things the right way. Avenue Machinery sells AGCO Parts so you can take care of your machine the same way you do everything else.DILIGENCEDILIGENCEGIVE YOURSELF T H E AVENUEApple growers have faced sti challenges in recent years and this year’s extreme heat, drought and wildres have added to industry pressures including low returns, declining acreage, labour shortages, new pests and, of course, the pandemic. The record-breaking temperatures this summer have caused sunburn issues and sunscald that may well aect post-harvest fruit quality and weaken trees going forward. But scientists at Ohio State University have developed an innovative analysis platform from over 100 apple varieties that could help breeders develop new varieties in a much shorter time. It could also boost the health benets of apples. This development will give orchardists a greater variety of choices for consumers with the added value of a more nutritious apple. The research has focused on the genetics behind certain traits with information obtained from hundreds of chemical compounds, or phytochemicals, ranging from sugars and acids to many antioxidants. Phytochemicals are produced by plants (‘phyto’ being Greek for plants) and help them resist fungi, bacteria and virus infections. They are found in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. The chemicals give plants their unique colours, avours and aromas. Understanding the relationship between genetics and phytochemicals has provided the scientists with a platform that could provide greater reliability and less time in the breeding process to develop new apple varieties. According to a press release from Ohio State University, it typically takes seven years from the initial cross of the parent varieties to the rst taste of a new apple, then perhaps decades to develop the new cultivar for commercial production. Analysis The researchers analyzed 124 apples that included popular varieties such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious as well as wild apples and some varieties under evaluation by Midwest growers. “We looked for strong relationships at locations in the genome that are not well studied in apples and looked for which compounds we could identify, and which had nutritional value,” study author Jessica Cooperstone, assistant professor of horticulture and crop science at OSU, says in the media release. “We could go from untargeted data all the way to nding candidate genes responsible for compound production which researchers can then validate.” The goal, she says, is to do this in a holistic way so that the process improves nutrition without sacricing yield, disease resistance or avour. They considered all of the components in a desirable apple, looked for strong relationships at locations in the genome that are less studied, and searched for compounds that could be identied with a nutritional value. The research team identied the genetic markers associated with the metabolites inuencing traits like avour, disease resistance and texture. They used high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance to detect the apple chemicals in an approach that is called untargeted metabolomics which captures as many metabolites as possible in a single analysis. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘global’ way. They then integrated the data to nd genotype-metabolite relationships that could eciently guide apple breeders’ decision-making and nd the links between specic chemical compounds and direct health benets. The press release states that, as part of the integration, the researchers assembled the data in a way that showed every genetic marker associated with at least one phytochemical. “It’s an approach that allows us to better understand how apple genetics aect the production of many compounds in apple fruit,” says Cooperstone. “We want to help develop tools that make this process simpler and allow people to use data to make decisions about the apple breeding process.” Improving nutritional quality Going forward, the team will use the data to get a clearer understanding of health-promoting compounds of interest and explore biotechnological approaches that could speed up owering and fruit production on apple trees. “If we can improve the nutritional quality of crops, we should,” says Cooperstone. “My philosophy has always been to improve foods people already eat. Let’s not improve something and then have to convince people to eat it. The foods that people already want to eat create an opportunity to have impact. That’s what we’re really trying to do with our apple work.” The research was published online in the journal New Phytologist. Breeding a better, more nutritious appleData collection could help breeders accelerate the development of new varietiesResearch by MARGARET EVANS
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 334-H event helps develop future community leadersProvincial communications finals build skills and connections4-H Public Speaking and Speak and Show nalists from across BC met in Prince George in August for the provincial nals. They toured two area farms and the campus at UNBC before stepping in front of the judges one last time. YANA VISHNEVSKAYA, 4-H BCIf you are in any way part of agriculture, you know that the people in agriculture are one big community. Youth from across British Columbia who attended the 4-H BC 2021 Provincial Communications Finals learned just how true this is, including how three farms in Prince George are nding ways to strengthen and grow this community. The Provincial Communications Finals were held in person this year from August 12-14 in the host city of Prince George. COVID-19 and wildres didn’t stop 15 delegates from traveling to the “Capital of the North” to attend the event, which combined the Public Speaking and Speak and Show nals for BC. All delegates had the opportunity to visit three farms in the Prince George area, and learn directly from the farmers how they are nding ways to build both the agricultural and local community. The rst farm on the tour was Northern Lights Estate Winery. Owned and operated by the Bell family, this local winery is located close to downtown Prince George and specializes in fruit wines. Northern Lights Estate Winery has discovered simple, eective ways to give back to the people who have supported them throughout their journey, whether it’s by taking in unwanted fruit from neighbourhood fruit trees or hiring community members who may have disabilities or lower income to pick their fruit. 4-H BC by JANEL VAN DONGENSee 4-H on next page oYOURHelping YouHelping YouHave You Moved?subscriptions@countrylifeinbc.com604.328.3814Or has Canada Post changed your mailing address? We wonʼt know unless YOU tell us!
34 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCCarrots offer a peaceful break But the new potato harvester could change all that4-H puts focus on community nfrom page 33My favourite job on the farm is the early autumn carrot harvest. Nothing beats it. Carrot harvest is a highlight – a beacon – and an important seasonal marker. I cling to it rather unhealthily. This month’s article is about working through my carrot harvest obsession because I might have to move on. Carrot harvest is peaceful. After I have nished pulling the lifter through the eld – the only tractor work involved – the engine is turned o and silence descends until another row needs lifting. The lifter itself once belonged to Great-Grandpa Green (himself a peaceful man). It’s really a single-row potato harvester with the chain removed. Pulled by the tractor at low speed and with no need for noisome PTO or hydraulics, the blade slides under the carrots, gently picking them up and putting them down again. It all ows nicely. That job done, I can grab a bucket, sink into the cool earth in line with my fellow carrot pickers, and pull the orange gold. The morning always passes quickly, and I am content in rubber boots and rain pants until the sun breaks through the clouds in the afternoon. Tangential comment: the sun still seems slightly more … noticeably powerful … than usual. Really, quite a piercing sun this year, isn’t it? Carrot harvest is very meditative on our farm. One picks up carrots, snicks o their tops, and puts them in a bucket. When one has crawled to the point where the person in front started, one gets up and walks up the row to an unpicked section. The full buckets multiply. Quite straightforward, leaving plenty of time for the mind to wander. The carrots smell good, taste good and the rows aren’t long enough to get really discouraged. It’s convivial. Absent the sound of machinery, it’s very easy to visit. The conversationalists are forced to separate abruptly, however, when – reaching the end of their section – they must leapfrog into a new position in the row in proximity with new pickers who may be talking about something completely dierent or not talking at all. It’s practically fun. Having described the myriad joys of the carrot harvest, it’s time to destroy the idyllic vision. There are hard realities that are demanding attention: no-one else in my family likes doing it, it costs a bomb to hire people who do, and it takes too long to get the crop in. I know what’s going to happen: the Grimme potato harvester is going to be put into service as a carrot harvester. This is very problematic for me. The Grimme is good at harvesting potatoes as intended, but terrible for carrots. It can whip along the row in minutes and get almost all the carrots out of the ground and into the hopper, but they are un-topped and they are likely broken, the predictable consequence of getting whipped around in the innards of a modern potato harvester. The very thought of spending hours bagging up the broken ones in the cold, dark cooler and selling them for less this winter causes me irritation. I am very resistant to giving up my all-time favourite job in favour of an alternative method that is going to result in a sub-standard product. It’s galling. We’ve tried the Grimme before now, so I am not making any of this up. From experience, we know the carrots break because they fall through the digger chains that we can’t avoid or remove. They need to be bigger and this year we might have come close to achieving this. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I do wonder if it’s time to give the Grimme another go. I need to nd a new favourite early autumn farm job. On the plus side, with summers like this past one, anything involving rubber boots is going to be a winner. Anna Helmer farms in the Pemberton Valley and loves her job even when required to resign herself to fate. Farm Story by ANNA HELMERNext, delegates visited Glenbirnam Farm, a family-run sheep farm on the outskirts of Prince George. Owners Roma and Jim Tingle have strong connections to the 4-H program. They raise lambs for youth to have as their 4-H projects, opening up these youth to all the opportunities 4-H has to oer. This in turn grows the agriculture community by introducing the younger generation to the industry, and how its opportunities can fuel their careers and lives. Lastly, delegates got to view agriculture from the eyes of students not much older than themselves. The nal stop on the tour was to the University of Northern British Columbia to see their Farm for Thought program. This program is run by students, who not only learn how to grow food in an urban environment, but also how to price, market and sell their food at the local farmers market. The university is developing a new generation of farmers, while also teaching them how to be businesspeople and grow the local economy at the same time. On the day of the competition, delegates were split into two groups – those doing speeches and those doing speak-and-shows. In the morning, each speech delegate was given the topic – Agriculture’s Impact on Community – and allowed just 40 minutes to prepare a 2–6 minute speech. This high-pressure situation seemed to have little eect on the speakers as they all presented condently and shared well thought-out speeches with knowledge and skill. In the afternoon, speak and show delegates delivered their agriculture-based presentations. Speak and Shows are 10–20 minute long presentations that are based on an agricultural topic and include the use of props. While not having a direct connection to the tours, the speak-and-shows still educated the audience and demonstrated the presenters’ knowledge of agriculture. Between each speak-and-show, the public speaking delegates shared their prepared speeches that earned them the opportunity to compete at the provincials. Delegates delivered their speeches on topics such as agriculture and mental health to climate change, just for fun and not for marks. At the awards banquet, everyone celebrated the success of all the delegates, further proving that 4-H – and agriculture – is like one big family. Throughout the event, participants made new friends, developed their communication skills, and learned about agriculture – the three most important skills a person can have when learning how to grow their local community, and the agricultural community too. Thank you to all the sponsors, sta and volunteers who made this event possible, and congratulations to all the delegates who attended. A special congratulations to the winners of speeches – Veronica P in rst, Janel V in second, and Amanda M in third – and speak and shows – Victoria P in rst, Emma D in second, and Sophie J in third. Everyone who participated reminded us all that 4-H is not just about raising an animal or learning a new skill, it is also essential to developing the community leaders of the future. All rights reserved. Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or afliates. www.caseih.comKNOCK OUT CHORES IN ONE-TWO-THREE.Got a chore list that won’t quit? Make short work of long days with the Case IH Vestrum® and Maxxum® series tractors. Choose a transmission conguration that best ts the demands of your operation. The dependable, proven ActiveDrive 4 semi-powershift transmission is ideal for tasks across the farm—available in Maxxum tractors only. The ActiveDrive 8 dual-clutch transmission delivers uninterrupted torque through more working speeds, faster shuttle shifts and simplied shifting. And the user-friendly CVXDrive™ continuously variable transmission delivers smooth, seamless speed changes through varying conditions, and adjusts to maintain the desired speed under any load. Need help deciding what’s right for you? Request a demo to experience the performance of Case IH equipment for yourself! Contact your dealer or visit caseih.com/multipurpose.CONTACT US TODAY!000.000.0000www.dealer_url.comDealer Name 1 Dealer Name 2Dealer Address 1 Dealer Address 2 City, State ZipCALIBER EQUIPMENT LTD 34511 Vye Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 8J7 604-864-2273 www.caliberequipment.ca
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 35A drone commandeered by David McNab provides a bird’s-eye view of the Chilliwack Plowing Match, September 11. A shadow of its former glory because of the pandemic, the match attracted just eight drivers in a determined effort leading up to the match’s centennial next year. Below, left, Hunter Ramey of Agassiz puts an antique tractor through its paces while, right, Peter van Huigenbos keeps a careful watch on his plow. DAVID SCHMIDTUSED EQUIPMENT BE-IGN150 59” TILLER, BED SHAPER ATTACHMENT . . . . . . . . . . . 2,950 N/H FP230 27P GRASS HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,500 CLAAS VOLTO 1050 8 BASKET TEDDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500 USED TRACTORS KUBOTA T2380 2017, 48” DECK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,500 KUBOTA BX2360 2010, 1,900HRS, TRAC/MWR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,750 KUB F3680, 2006, 72” DECK, GRASS CATCHER, DUAL HYD VALVE 16,900 KUB B2650HSDC 2013, CAB, 175HRS, R4 TIRES . . . . . . . . . . . 24,500 NEW INVENTORY: *NEW* GREENWORKS COMMERCIAL CORDLESS BLOWERS, CHAINSAWS, STRING TRIMMERS, HEDGE TRIMMERS, LAWNMOWERS. 82/48 VOLT NEW MODEL- JBS MISP1436 IN THE YARD KUBOTA RAKES, TEDDERS, MOWERS, POWER HARROWS . . . . . . . . CALL JBS VMEC1636 VERT. SPREADER, SAWDUST & SAND THROWERS CONSTRUCTION TORO TX1000 350 HRS, BUCKET, FORKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28,500 [TORO ATTCHMENTS ALSO AVAILABLE] ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD. DUNCAN 1-888-795-1755NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR COURTENAY 1-866-501-0801www.islandtractors.com TRACTOR & FARM EQUIPMENT HEADQUARTERSYour Vancouver IslandPlow match perseveres despite pandemicDAVID SCHMIDT CHILLIWACK – Two years ago, the small group of plowing acionados who make up the Chilliwack Plowing Association were brimming with optimism. The recent past had seen a few relatively successful matches, both in terms of participants and spectators. Their president, Francis Sache, had recently won the Canadian championship. And in just three years, the association would celebrate its 100th anniversary. When local plowmen dug their plows into the ground for the rst Chilliwack match in 1923, there were plowing matches all over the province, the country and the world. An international championship match in Sumas Prairie in the middle of the last century attracted several dozen plowmen and several thousand spectators. When Charlie Thomson returned from a world match in the early 1970s with the championship trophy in hand, Chilliwack fêted him as a conquering hero. Those heady days are long gone. Tillage technology changed and the single or double-bottom plow was replaced by discs, harrows and rototillers. The plows that remained were often large units with eight or more bottoms that did not lend themselves to practising plowing as an artform. As a result, most plowing matches disappeared by the wayside leaving only two in the province: Chilliwack and Armstrong. Still, the two groups persevered – until a year ago last spring when COVID-19 put an end to the formal matches in both communities. They were not alone. Other planned matches throughout Canada and the world were also cancelled, resulting in the cancellation of both the Canadian and world championships in 2020 and 2021. Although there were to be no ocial matches in 2020 or 2021, the Chilliwack group determined not to give up. It aimed to make sure it could celebrate 100 continuous years of plowing matches in 2022. It therefore held an unocial match in October 2020, and another on September 11, 2021. This year’s match featured eight plowmen and women participating in single, reversible and antique tractor classes. Because of scheduling conicts, the horse plowmen, who are always a huge attraction at the matches, did not participate. Instead, they did a centre stage (or more correctly centre eld) plowing demonstration at the Agassiz Fair the following weekend. “We were so close to celebrating our 100th anniversary, we couldn’t miss this year,” says Francis Sache’s uncle, Jim Sache, the current vice-president of the World Ploughing Organization. Organizers driving for 100 continuous years
36 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSubscribeWhen we left o last time, Delta Faye Poindexter had just agged down Kenneth Henderson as he tried to pass her stalled truck and trailer in the middle of the road. Even though Kenneth declared he was “not a mechanic,” Delta Faye managed to convince him to have a look under her hood. Rural Redemption, Part 139, continues. Kenneth Henderson stepped up to the front of Delta Faye Poindexter’s truck and ducked under the hood beside her. He stared blankly at the jumble of wires and hoses. “You sure you’re not out of gas?” “It’s a diesel,” said Delta. “And it’s nearly full.” “Maybe your battery’s dead?” “I think the battery’s okay. The engine starts ne but the truck just won’t move.” There’s more than truck trouble with Delta Faye“Did you put it in gear?” “I sure did.” “Maybe the emergency brake is on?” “No.” Kenneth had almost exhausted his diagnostic check list. “Are any of your tires at?” he asked hopefully. “No, tires are all good.” Kenneth stood silently, trying to think of something automotive to say. Delta realized he was about to spit out the hook. “Oh, look down there! What do you suppose all that might be?” “All what?” “That! Right down there. See?” Delta slipped her Stetson o and slid over until her hip was against Kenneth’s leg. She slid her arm around his waist and leaned her head over until her cheek touched his. “Look, right down there,” she said, directing his gaze to the sheen of transmission oil visible just past the fender well. Kenneth found himself suddenly engulfed by the touch and scent of Delta Faye Poindexter. “Maybe your radiator is leaking and there’s a safety switch that turns everything o or something.” Right, or something, thought Delta. Kenneth felt her give a long sigh and hug his waist just a little tighter. “Isn’t that just the darndest luck,” she said. “Now what am I going to do?” vvv Half a mile away, Old Jimmy Vincent was standing on his front verandah with a pair of binoculars. He lowered them and called in the front door. “There’s goings-on down the road a-piece. I’m going for a look-see.” Moments later, he was slowing to a stop as a man and woman stood up from under the hood of an expensive looking pick-up truck. Jimmy stuck his head out the window. “You folks realize your blocking a public thoroughfare here? What’s going on?” Delta walked up to Jimmy’s truck. “Hi! My name is Delta Faye Poindexter and I’m having troubles with my truck.” “Pleased to meet you, Delta Faye Poingdeckter. I’m Jimmy Vincent. That’s my farm over yonder. Maybe you could get Mr. Poingdeckter there to move your other truck o the road so trac can get past.” “Oh, that’s not my husband. That’s Mr. Henderson. He was kind enough to stop and help.” “Henderson? You don’t mean Kenny Henderson, do you?” Delta said she sure did and asked if Jimmy knew him. “Know him?” said Jimmy, “Everyone hereabouts knows Kenneth Henderson. He’s a living legend in these parts.” Jimmy climbed out of his truck and walked toward Kenneth. “Well, well, well,” said Jimmy “Look who it is! Ken Henderson, as I live and breathe.” Jimmy grabbed Kenneth’s hand and pumped it vigorously. “It’s great to see you. It’s been a while since you’ve been out our way.” “I’m sure it has; I can’t recall the last time.” “Aw, your being too modest now. Surely you recall the time you came looking for that goofy dog of yours and went for a swim in the manure pit?” “I’ve done my best to forget it. After all this time I can’t imagine why you haven’t done the same.” “Forget it?” asked Jimmy. “Hell, man, there’s some things I’m never going to forget and seeing you popping up in that pig slurry and dog-paddling your way to shore is right at the top of the list. You’re a legend in your own time. People still talk about it all the time. Last year, there was a kid in the kindergarten who told about it in story time.” “Really? In the kindergarten? Somehow I doubt that,” said Kenneth. “I know it for a fact,” said Jimmy. “Cause it was my granddaughter who told it and she heard it from me.” Jimmy looked down at the trickle of uid seeping from under the truck. He bent over, ran his ngers through it and took a sni. “Transmission uid, looks like. That there’d be your problem.” Jimmy could see uid still dripping from the transmission. He went to the back of the trailer and spotted the streak leading back down the road. CREDIT CARD # _________________________________________________________________ EXP _____________ CVV _____________ Thousands of BC farmers and ranchers turn to Country Life in BC every month to nd out what (and who!) is making news in BC agriculture and how it may affect their farms and agri-businesses! o NEW o RENEWAL | o ONE YEAR ($18.90) oT WO YEARS ($33.60) o THREE YEARS ($37.80) Your Name _______________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________ Postal Code __________________________________ Phone _________________________ Email ___________________________________________________ www.countrylifeinbc.com/subscribeMAIL TO: 36 DALE RD, ENDERBY, BC V0E 1V4 | subscriptions@countrylifeinbc.com Please send a _______ year gift subscription to ________________________________________________ Farm Name ______________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________ Postal Code ________ _________________________ Phone _________________________ Email __________________________________________________ CALL FOR AN ESTIMATE LARRY 604.209.5523 TROY 604.209.5524 TRI-WAY FARMS LASER LEVELLING LTD.IMPROVED DRAINAGE UNIFORM GERMINATION UNIFORM IRRIGATION FAST, ACCURATE SURVEYING INCREASE CROP YIELDS We service all of Southern BC“She’s been leakin’ for a while, looks like. You’re going to need to get her towed.” “I don’t know a soul here yet. How will I nd someone to tow it?” said Delta. “And what will I do with my horses? “You’re not as bad o as you think,” said Jimmy. “You know me and I know Frank, and Frank’s got time on his hands, and he’s got a tow truck. And you know Kenny here and he’s got a place not all that far from here with a little barn that’s got enough room for a horse or two. And he’s got this fancy pickup to pull you over there with.” Jimmy called Frank on his cell phone. “Frank? It’s me Jimmy. Henderson’s down here on the road past my place. He’s got himself tangled up with a woman that has a blown tranny and a trailer full of horses. What’s the chances of getting a tow?” There was a brief pause, then Jimmy continued. “Yeah, Frank, I’d have to say that ... About his age, I suppose ... All’s I can say is things were looking pretty cozy under the hood of the truck when I pulled up … I don’t know, Frank. Why don’t you hop in the wrecker and come on over and see for yourself?” Frank arrived 15 minutes later. After he was introduced to Delta, he coaxed Kenneth back to the wrecker to give him a hand. “I’m surprised to see you back this way so soon. And you’ve got yourself a ne-looking lady friend already. Kinda makes me wonder why you let the rst one get away” “We’ve had this conversation several times now, haven’t we, Frank? About what’s your business and what’s not. All you need to worry about is towing the truck.” “I was only asking because I don’t know your lady friend from a hole in the wall. How’d it be if you paid me for the towing up front?” “Look, I’m here because there is a surprise graduation party for my daughter at Newt’s place the day after tomorrow. I met Delta less than an hour ago and she’s not my lady friend.” “That’s not the way old Jimmy tells it. He says you were both looking all hugs and cozy when he came along.” “You should take Jimmy with a grain of salt. He’s very much mistaken.” “Okay, then. That being said, it occurs to me that none of us knows anything at all about the lady you’re not friends with, so I’d feel a whole lot better about being paid before I put her on the hook.” ... to be continued Woodshed Chronicles by BOB COLLINS
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 37Agricultural Grade Products - Made in the U.S.A. Contact your local Nelson Irrigation dealer today!NEW HANGINGSPRINKLER SOLVESPROBLEMS FORORGANIC GROWERS15-50 PSI8.5-75 GPH9-16’ RAD.PREMIUM PERFORMANCE ON HOSE REEL TRAVELERSIntroducing the S7 Spinner - a new Nelson innovation designed to combatrising energy and labor costs. The S7’s modular design allows quick and easynozzle exchange - and the Quick Clean (QC) technology reduces irrigatorhours — simply turn, flush and reconnect. Special insect protection helpsprevent plugging or stalling. Find out more at WWW.NELSONIRRIGATION.COM®RONDA PAYNE DELTA – Bains Vegetable Farms is BC’s primary conventional turnip grower but repeated infestations of cabbage root maggot almost led it to abandon the crop. Then, three years ago, an insect-specic mesh came to the rescue. The mesh has been a success, ensuring retailers and consumers have access to locally grown turnips undamaged by one of their biggest pests, says Susan Smith, industry specialist in eld vegetables with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. “The mesh is something we’d been looking at for a very long time and we rst became aware of it over 10 years ago,” she says. “This type of insect mesh, we are using [it] for cole crops and for carrots. We need a mesh that is breathable.” Similar meshes have been used for many years in Europe where there aren’t sprays registered for control of small ies like the cabbage root maggot. Smith saw the success organic grower Hermann Bruns of Wild Flight Farm in Mara had in controlling carrot rust y with mesh from Germany and suggested it to the Bains family. With a similar product from the UK, the mesh was applied in early spring, after planting, with positive success. “It’s done the job so far,” says Rick Gilmour, who provides eld services to growers with BC Fresh. “We roll it out and seal it down so it doesn’t blow o.” The grower simply piles dirt on the edges of the mesh covering to keep it in place. This must be done completely as the pest will exploit any gap to get to the plants. Without the mesh, turnips are unmarketable due to extensive damage from the maggot. While the plants don’t necessarily die, they will be severely stunted. The maggot is the larval stage of a bristly grey y that’s slightly smaller than a house y. The cream-coloured larvae grow up to ¼ inch long. “They enter into the soil very quickly and feed on the roots,” explains Smith. The rst generation of ies appear in early spring as larvae mature from eggs that overwinter in the soil. These ies lay eggs on the soil beside plant stems throughout spring which mature into larvae that feed on the roots. When the larvae mature into ies, they start the next generation. There can be two or three generations in a single growing season. As the process continues, egg-laying can be continuous, without a gap in generations, leaving growers like the Bains understandably frustrated. Registered sprays for cabbage root maggot in turnips are extremely limited, making the mesh a benecial option. While it is expensive to purchase and labour-intensive to roll out and secure, it is strong enough to last numerous seasons. Most importantly, when applied to a growing area that is clear of cabbage root maggot eggs in the soil, it helps ensure a viable crop. The mesh is kept in place until harvest, then peeled back one section at a time. Post-harvest, growers should replant brassica crops with others outside the family to break the y’s lifecycle. A good season with the mesh may eliminate the concern, however. “It’s very dierent from the row covers that are typically used for season extension,” says Smith. It is also sturdier than traditional row-cover products yet still allows light to pass through. The mesh also works to bring a crop along earlier, according to Gilmour, but because growers can’t take it o, they may need to increase herbicide applications. These inconveniences have been worth the eort for the Bains farm, however. “He’s receiving a better pack-out so far,” says Gilmour. “Our data would say it’s improved his production quality. I think the only thing he applies now is a weed spray.” With the reduction in pest sprays and less labour required to cull harvested roots, the initial cost outlay and labour to install the mesh each spring seems worth it, making it an eective option for organic and conventional growers alike. Mesh covers control vegetable pestsCole crop, carrot growers keep culls in check with protective netting
38 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCSlow cookers or crockpots make dinner simple. This smells divine when you walk in the door after a busy day and everyone will love it. Just steam a few vegetables such as turnips, parsnips, carrots or Brussels sprouts and serve over rice, pasta or steamed potatoes—or zucchini. 1 lb. (454 g) pork shoulder 1 large onion, or 2 small 1 garlic clove 1 tsp. (5 ml) cumin 1 tbsp. (15 ml) sesame seeds 2 tbsp. (30 ml) soy sauce 1 tbsp. (15 ml) molasses • Trim fat from pork (shoulder or a tougher, cheaper cut is ne) and cut into one-inch cubes. Brown lightly in a frypan drizzled with a little oil, then dump into the bottom of the crockpot/slow cooker. • Slice up onions, mince garlic and add to frypan from which you removed the pork. Soften, stirring often, then add remaining ingredients, except cold water and corn starch, combining well. • Stir in about a half-cup of water and pour over top of ingredients in crockpot. • Cover and turn to low and don’t peek, for 6 to 8 hours. • Turn up to high, combine corn starch and cold water in a small bowl, then stir in to liquid in crockpot. Cover and leave for 15 minutes or so, to thicken the sauce. • Serves 4. SLOW COOKER POLYNESIAN PORKSavoury slow cooker Polynesian pork makes weeknight dinners easy. JUDIE STEEVESFall weather calls for cool comfort foodPut the crockpot to work so you don’t have toWith cooler weather and the resumption of activities that make life busy, fall is a good time to dig out the crockpot/slow cooker and plan some meals you can prep ahead, so dinner-time is a little less hectic. There’s nothing quite like coming in the door from a busy day to smell dinner already cooking and wafting heavenly aromas around the house. It’s enough to make you relax – even if you’re the one who is expected to make dinner! There’s a little pre-preparation required, but that spreads out the whole task of creating a dinner and makes it so much easier than trying to do it all at once. Some people are so well-organized they cut up vegetables like carrots and celery on the weekend to take for lunches or toss into the slow cooker with a protein for an easy dinner. The alternative is to do that cutting-up the night before so the day of the meal is not as rushed. If your ingredients are ready to go, all you have to do in the morning is pop them into the crockpot, plug it in and turn it on. After work (or play) it’s then not nearly such a chore to just steam a few spuds, rice or pasta with vegetables to accompany your main dish, which is hot and waiting Jude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVESfor everyone. Many crockpot recipes call for lots of veggies to go right into the stew or braised dish you’re preparing, so you don’t even need to prepare vegetables when you get home. Most dinners can be left in the slow cooker for the full 8-9 hours you’re at work, on low, and you must not peek or you lose some of the valuable steam in which it all cooks long and slow and luscious. With all the zucchini still around, I like to use a spiral vegetable slicer to make a bed of lightly-steamed strands of zucchini instead of pasta underneath a stew or braised dish. For a special dessert, this tangy lemony square will tingle the taste buds and have everyone coming back for more. Or there are lots of fresh fruit options still around from BC orchards and berry patches to create simple bits of sweet with just a little yogurt or ice cream. Fall is the time to enjoy the bounty of squashes, peppers, tomatoes, brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower and fresh, local potatoes. Eat them while they’re available from local farms instead of when they have to be shipped from half a continent away. There’s such a difference in flavour, and you’re supporting your neighbours and your community at the same time. These are full of avour; everyone will rave about them. Crust: 1/2 c. (125 ml) butter 1 c. (250 ml) our 1 tbsp. (15 ml) sugar • Pre-heat oven to 350° F. • Melt butter and combine with our mixed with sugar. Press into a nine-inch square pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool while you make the lling. Filling: 2 eggs 1 c. (250 ml) chopped walnuts 1 c. (250 ml) brown sugar 1/2 c. (125 ml) grated coconut 1 tbsp. (15 ml) our • Beat all ingredients together and pour over the baked crust. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until set. Topping: 1 lemon, zest and juice enough icing sugar to make a thin icing • Zest the lemon rind and mince nely. Combine the minced zest and the juice from the lemon with just enough icing sugar to make a thin icing. Pour it over the hot lling. • Let cool until well set, then use a clean knife to cut into squares. Clean the knife before each cut to keep the slices neat. LUSCIOUS LEMON SQUARES1 tbsp. (15 ml) balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp.. (15 ml) minced ginger 1/4 tsp. (1 ml) cayenne pepper 1/2 c. (125 ml) water 1 tbsp. (15 ml) corn starch 1 tbsp. (15 ml) cold water
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC OCTOBER 2021 | 39couADVERTISING THAT WORKS!TRACTORS/EQUIPMENT TRACTORS/EQUIPMENTLIVESTOCKIRRIGATIONREAL ESTATEREAL ESTATEWANTEDFOR SALESERVICEHAYSEEDBERRIESFor Tissue Culture Derived Plants of New Varieties of Haskaps, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Saskatoon Berries and Sour Cherries, Please Contact:DISEASE FREE PLANTING STOCK OF NEW BERRY CROPS 4290 Wallace Hill Road, Kelowna, BC, V1W 4B6info@agriforestbiotech.com250.764.2224www.agriforestbiotech.com NEW POLYETHYLENE TANKS of all shapes & sizes for septic and water storage. Ideal for irrigation, hydropon-ics, washdown, lazy wells, rain water, truck box, fertizilizer mixing & spray-ing. Call 1-800-661-4473 for closest distributor. Manufactured in Delta by Premier Plastics Inc. premierplastics.com. Feeders & Panels that maintain their value!ROUND BALE FEEDERS BIG SQUARE BALE FEEDERS FENCE PANELS CATTLE & HORSE FEEDERSHeavy duty oil field pipe bale feeders. Feed savers, single round bale feeders outside measurement is 8’x8.5.’ Double round bale feeder measurement is 15’x8’. Silage bunk feeders. For product pictures, check out Double Delichte Stables on Facebook Dan 250/308-9218 ColdstreamGREAT SELECTIONQUALITY PRICETerra Seed Corp1.800.282.7856terraseco.comWANTED: FARM LAND TO RENT in N. Okanagan for conversion into organic alfalfa seed production. Alden 204-979-7457 a_braul@hotmail.com DON GILOWSKI 250-260-0828 Royal LePage Downtown Realty Ltd BUYING OR SELLING OKANAGAN FARM, RANCH OR ACREAGE? COURTENAY HEREFORDS. Cattle for Sale: yearling bulls and bred heifers. John 250/334-3252 or Johnny 250-218-2537.PYESTERDAY’S TRADITION - TODAY’S TECHNOLOGYMANAGERS Phil Brown 250-293-6857 Catherine Brown 250-293-6858 ccr.princeton@gmail.com www.coppercreekranch.com PRINCETON, BC Raising registered polled & horned Herefords & F1s. BREEDING BULLS FOR SALE.RAVEN HILL MEADOWS: Coneygeers bloodlines - call for seedstock. 250-722-1882. NanaimoLIVESTOCKIt’s the top linethat makes the Bottom LineBC SHORTHORN ASSOCIATION Scott Fraser, President Bob Merkley, BC Director 250-709-4443 604-607-7733ZcXjj`Ô\[j7Zflekipc`]\`eYZ%ZfdfiZXcc1-'+%*)/%*/(+C@E<8;J1),nfi[jfic\jj#d`e`dld(*gclj>JK#\XZ_X[[`k`feXcnfi[`j%),;@JGC8P8;J1),gclj>JKg\iZfclde`eZ_M[WYY[fjcW`ehYh[Z_jYWhZi$NOVEMBER DEADLINE OCT 22Irrigation Pipe | Traveling Gun/Hose ReelsPivots | Pumps | Power UnitsCall for a quote on Irrigation Design and our current inventory of new & used Irrigation Equipment.Several used 1,200ft pivots & used hose reels available now.TALK TO BROCK 250.319.3044Dynamic Irrigation beyedynamic@gmail.com HAYLAGE EXCELLENT QUALITY HAYLAGE Delivery available on Vancouver Island and along the Trans Canada Hwy corridor in BC. 250-727-1966FARM EQUIPMENT • FORD 4610 TRACTOR, 60HP, Nar-row, Low Profile 2wd, Nice Cond, $11,500. • CATERPILLAR 215 EXCAVATOR, Mechanical Thumb, Caged all around, $22,000. • NEW HOLLAND 8 row hyd fold corn head for a self propelled harvester, Claas style, can be fitted to JD, $12,500. • IH, GEHL, NH, JD,1 to 3 row corn heads, $750 to $3500 each. • FELLA TEDDER 6-Star, folds back, low acres, $5500. • KUBOTA FLAIL MOWER, 50” 3ph, $1950. • KHUN GC300G Disc Mower Condi-tioner, 10’ cut, low acres, $12,500. • NH 258 and 260 Rakes with tow bar, V-Combo set, $5900. • VICON WHEEL RAKES, 4 to 8 wheel, 3ph, drawbar and V Combinations, $350 to $2200. • HAY WAGON and Utility Trailer Chassis, $200 to $2000. • WELDERS and Air Compressors, all types and sizes. • HYSTER 3PH FORK-LIFT, Heavy Duty, $2300, Other Fork-Lifts and at-tachments. • JIFFY/CRAWFORD HYDUMPS, 14’, $2500 to $6000. • Fixer-Uppers and Antique Tractors, Massy, Fordson, Kubota. • LOADER ASSEMBLIES, FORD/NH, CASE/IH, ALLIED, TIGER. • HAY, 400-16’ by 18’ Bales on trailers, can deliver, OFFERS! CALL JIM FOR ANY HARD TO FIND ITEMS ABBOTSFORD 604-852-6148DeBOER’S USED TRACTORS & EQUIPMENT GRINDROD, BCUSED JD TRACTORS 60-100 HP JD 7810 75,000 JD 5105 2WD, 2006, 1,400 HRS 15,000 [ADD LOADER TO 5105 3,500 JD620 21’ disc dbl fold 20,000 KVERNELAND 7512 round bale wrapper w/3 spool valve 4,500 ED DEBOER 250/838-7362 cell 250/833-6699 CURT DEBOER 250/838-9612 cell 250/804-6147• ROCK PICKER converted potato harvester. Asking $2,500 • MF 12’ disc harrow, $3,500 Contact Carl 604-825-9108 or email ourgoodearth@live.comTop DORPER RAM LAMBS for sale; BORDER COLLIE pup for sale. Call or text 250-706-7077.1-888-770-7333EQUIPMENT DISPERSAL • HOOF TRIM CHUTE 3 pt, hydraulic cylinder tilt, $2,250 • LOEWEN AGITATOR 18’, 100 HP prop, nice condition, $2,500. • LOEWEN SUB-SOILER 2-shank, big shoes, mint, $2,500 • NH 824 2 row corn head, $1,500 TONY 604-850-47182008 NH H7230 DISC BINE, $20,000. 250-845-7707 or 845-8772.850 LB ROUND BALES, $80/Bale. Delivery available, extra. Bulkley Valley. 250-845-7707 or 845-8772SCOTTISH HIGHLAND BULLS for sale, phone 2505463646PREMIUM HAIR SHEEP BREEDING STOCK FOR SALE. ST CROIX And ROYAL WHITE RAMS: parasite resistance, small bone/less fat, all sea-son breeding, premium meat, maternal excellence REGISTERED WHITE DORPER EWE LAMBS: vigour, rapid gain, high meat yield. All excellent health, clean genetics, ideal conformation. 250-682-8538 TractorsAutomotiveWeldingAir Conditioningwww.havetoolswilltravel.caRED SEAL HEAVY DUTY MECHANIC | JOSH EPP 250.878.9660Carrie Nicholson PREC* 250-614-6766 DISCOVER PRINCE GEORGE PRINCE GEORGE & AREA SUBDIVISION LOTS: R2599066; R2599013; R2599027; R2598853; R2598860; R2599054; R2610535; R2610527; R2610554; R2610531; R2610543 EQUESTRIAN/CATTLE RANCH. Out-standing 445 acre property w/~250 acres in hay/pasture, updated home, MLS R2604494 $1,650,000 CRANBROOK HILL 77 acres w/dev potential minutes from UNBC. MLS R2599818 $1,500,000 HART HWY 54.95 acres. MLS R2598804. $750,000. See adjacent lots for sale: MLS R2599544/R2599530 STUNNING LAKEFRONT Year-round home with over 1000’ of shoreline on Francois Lk. MLS R2605976 $399,900 LITTLE GEM Fantastic 3 bed/2 bath family home on 5.23 flat acres. MLS R2609051 $499,900 CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN 8.3 acres. MLS R2610880 $295,000 STARTER HOME! 3 bed/1 bath ranch style home in rural PG. MLS R2609555 $179,000 160 ACRE parcel near Fraser Lake. MLS R2610887 $294,900 310 ACRES on Leg Lake (Fort Fraser). MLS R2610870 $374,900 LARGE 5 bed/2 bath home on 1.6 acres. MLS R2601948 $389,900 74 ACRES w/ 20,000 sq ft bldg., 40 acres cultivated. MLS C8037690 $1,700,000 FANTASTIC find in Beaverley. 5 bed/3 bath home w/suite on 7.52 acres. MLS R2590538 $549,900 ESCAPE the city. Two lots in Willor River, 22,500 sq ft. MLS R2591708, $49,900 MIWORTH. 4.07 acre building lot. MLSR2593015 $175,000 STUNNING LAKE VIEWS. Executive home, MLS R2593375 $769,900 PRIVATE acreage south of Quesnel. 5.9 acres, 6 bed/3 bath home, MLS R2594685. $355,000 145 ACRES Develop into a farm or private retreat. 5 bed/2bath home. MLS R2565420, $649,900 COUNTRY ESTATE 5 acres, 2,800 sq ft home; horselovers delight. MLS R2556910 $889,900 69+ ACRES ON RIVER Approx 50 acres in hay. River, road access. MLS R2569334 $785,000 RANCH PARADISE 700 acres, 5 titles, 160 acres in hay. MSL C8038028 $1,244,421 VANDERHOOF 5.15 building lot. R2575990 $79,900 GRAND FORKS 27.74 acres less than 5 miles to US border. MLS 2456824 $1,200,000 55 ACRES Development potential close to airport. MLS R2435958, $599,900 112.02 ACRES IN CITY LIMITS. Potential for development. MLS R2435725. $1,300,000 REID LAKE Sprawling 2,100 sq ft rancher on 16 acres. MLS R2616368 $299,999 VANDERHOOF 2 homes on 160 acres (95 in hay) MLS R2615764 $899,900 PRINCE GEORGE & AREA RURAL LOTS see MLS: R2531431; R2531443; R2603761; R2603767; R2603772; R2603775ALLIS CHALMERS 18' finishing disc, c/w hydraulic wings, good condition, $7,000, call 250-567-2607KVERNLAND PLOW PARTS complete bottoms, including coulter - conven-tional model, $1000 ea; disc blades also available; Call 250-567-2607.countrylifeinbc.comThe agricultural news source in BC since 1915.Excellent ROUND BALES, clover/grass mix. 800 lb bales. 604-220-4903
40 | OCTOBER 2021 COUNTRY LIFE IN BCPower. Performance. Comfort. Without the cost. That’s the NEW Kubota M7-2 Rancher Edition. Built to handle the toughest jobs, the M7-2’s load sensing (CCLS) hydraulics allow you to run a variety of implements and gives you wide-ranging versatility to handle all your jobs. Work comfortably from the roomy cab with a built-in radio and comfortable seats. Plus, you can add a front loader with an impressive lift capacity of 5776 lbs. The M7-2 certainly earns its “Rancher” title.RANCH-WORTHY POWER AT A PRICE YOU’LL LIKE.RADIOSPECIAL EDITION BRANDINGLED LIGHTSkubota.ca | 1521 Sumas Way, Box 369Abbotsford, BC V2T 6Z6(604) 864-9568avenuemachinery.caAVE010OLIVER GERARD’S EQUIPMENT LTD 250/498-2524 PRINCE GEORGE HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/560-5431 SMITHERS HUBER EQUIPMENT 250/847-3610 VERNON AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/545-3355 ABBOTSFORD AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 604/864-2665 COURTENAY NORTH ISLAND TRACTOR 250/334-0801 CRESTON KEMLEE EQUIPMENT LTD 250/428-2254 DAWSON CREEK DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/782-5281 DUNCAN ISLAND TRACTOR & SUPPLY LTD 250/746-1755 KAMLOOPS DOUGLAS LAKE EQUIPMENT 250/851-2044 KELOWNA AVENUE MACHINERY CORP 250/769-8700 PROUD PARTNER OF