BCAC News
BC agriculture is a diverse and dynamic industry that produces a constant flow of activities and news. As a leader in the industry, the BCAC is committed to being a comprehensive resource for the latest news, issues and results pertaining to BC farmers, ranchers and agriculture industry as a whole, as well as agriculture around the world. Click the tabs and scroll the page to learn about what’s happening in agriculture.
On November 2nd, 2011, the BCAC and a small contingent of BC farmers and ranchers met with Premier Christy Clark in Victoria, BC, to discuss critical areas necessary to bolster the growth and competitiveness of BC agriculture and agri-food enterprises on the local, inter-provincial and international market scenes.
BCAC and producers also met with MLAs and Ministers from the Ministries of Labour, Health, Energy and Mines, Education, and Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations with the intent to identify key areas where industry and government could encourage forward momentum toward a robust agriculture and agri-food industry.
With Canada being recognized as one of six countries capable of feeding the world in the future, there is no question that British Columbia can play a
significant role. The BC agriculture and agri-food sectors have been through some challenging times over the past several years and are currently facing new ones.
Through meetings, different government and industry initiatives were discussed that would enable us to keep food production local and prosperous.
“The key is to be ready,” says Reg Ens, BCAC Executive Director, “and that calls for acting now to continue building strong relationships between agriculture and government, and to recognize that investments in BC agriculture today mean realizing our full potential in the future.”
BCAC Chair, Garnet Etsell, shares the same sentiment.
“When industry and government work together, we can build a thriving environment in which community health, innovation, national and global competitiveness and environmental leadership form the hallmarks of BC agriculture,” says Etsell, “Isn’t food worth it?”
Moving forward, the BCAC will hone its efforts on key agri-food issues in all discussions with stakeholders and government, holding to the vision of growing BC into the most dynamic and robust agricultural province in Canada.
The BC Farm Animal Care Council (BCFACC) was founded in 2009. BCFACC is funded in part by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program.
Read about BCAC’s involvement in the Water Modernization Act.
After nearly three years of operation, we’re pleased to highlight some of the programs
and initiatives we’ve accomplished through collaboration with BC farmers, ranchers
and stakeholders, including:
- Livestock Emergency Response Courses
- Certified Livestock Transport Courses
- Behaviour and Handling Courses
- Initiated BC Farm Animal Care Line (1.877.828.5486)
One of our most recent achievements includes the very first BCFACC Conference
that was held on November 10th, 2011 at the Ramada Plaza and Conference Centre
in Abbotsford, BC. Over 150 delegates from across BC and other provinces attended
to hear from a variety of highly respected animal care experts, including Dr. Temple
Grandin, on the importance of farm animal welfare. The event was a great success and
attendees raved about the diverse group of speakers and information that was shared.
To learn more about the BC Farm Animal Care Council, visit our website at www.bcfacc.ca.
You’re probably wondering, “What on earth is Cowpower?” Good question. Cowpower is the latest initiative in renewable agri-energy, and you could be a part of it!
Cowpower’s purpose is to enable farmers across BC to build economically viable anaerobic digestion systems. These systems allow farmers to convert organic waste (such as animal manure and spoiled food) into energy and other useful co-products, which contribute towards BC’s environmental, economic and social sustainability. With every kWh of electricity injected onto the grid by an anaerobic digestion system, one environmental attribute is created.
Each attribute represents the environmental benefits that result from the production of electricity. As a promoter of anaerobic digestion systems, Cowpower sells these environmental attributes on behalf of the farmer. Residential and commercial electricity users can purchase these attributes to enhance 50 percent or 100 percent of the electricity they consume by signing on at www.cowpowerbc.com.
Once sold, all environmental attributes are ‘retired’ on behalf of the customer. This retirement ensures that the integrity of the purchase is protected, and that no one else is able to claim ownership of the environmental attributes.
To learn more about Cowpower and how you can be a part of this new environmental initiative, check us out at www.cowpowerbc.com.
Information flow is fundamental to improving and maintaining industry competitiveness. For the British Columbia agri-food industry, the development of a renewed system for online knowledge exchange has been needed for quite some time to meet competitive challenges. To address this need, the BCAC and BC Ministry of Agriculture (AGRI) have recently collaborated to develop AgriFoodBC—a new web based system that will serve as an information mobilization platform for the sector.
With a mission to inspire and support Growing Connections, we’re thrilled about the launch of AgriFoodBC and the potential it presents to fuel sector competitiveness and growth by facilitating information sharing and reducing costs for using new media. Essentially, AgriFoodBC acts as both a website that directs visitors to information and organizations within the industry as well as a launch pad to develop new media tools. Its purpose is to provide links and resources to help others access content produced by various industry players, supporting back-and-forth sharing of knowledge.
To learn more about the AgriFoodBC Knowledge Platform please visit:
www.agrifoodbc.com or email: info@agrifoodbc.com
Consumers are increasingly basing their food purchase decisions on a desire to support environmental sustainability and, consequently, this increases the focus on the producer and their management practices. The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) Program is the foundation of the government and the agriculture sector’s efforts to implement beneficial management practices that benefit Canada’s natural resources.
Through one-on-one meetings with producers, EFP Program Planning Advisors (PAs) assess each farm and ranch to identify strengths and possible areas of improvement which are summarized in an EFP. With a completed EFP, producers may be eligible to apply for cost-sharing incentives to address environmental risks that have been identified in the completed farm plan. Projects that can be funded address waste management, air quality, emissions control, soil and riparian integrity, water quality and on-farm materials storage.
Effectively implemented Environmental Farm Plans will help to improve the sustainability of the province’s agricultural industry through proactive environmental farm management practices. In turn, this will boost consumer confidence and open new marketing opportunities for BC agriculture.
What’s New for 2012?
The EFP Program is rolling out key upgrades that will significantly benefit producers and their agricultural operations.
Effective January 1, 2012, BC farmers and ranchers are able to:
1) Apply for funding months sooner than in previous years.
2) Gain access to more funds per project than ever before.
3) Pool their efforts with neighbouring producers with similar projects while preserving the ability to individually access the full cost-shared funding.
For more information
Applications for the EFP Program are currently being accepted for projects to be completed by December 31, 2012. For more information or to apply, call toll free 1.866.522.3447 or visit www.bcefp.ca.
Dark Horse Ranch is nestled in a picturesque valley near Westwold, BC and is bisected by the Salmon River. Owned and operated by Cheryl Rose Murray, the 33-hectare property was a horse breeding operation and is now in transition to pasture purchased calves over the summer months.
Previous owners had built a traditional log stringer bridge spanning the Salmon River. It served as access for Cheryl’s livestock and machinery to a pasture on the other side. The aging bridge was rotting and sagging, causing no end of worry for Cheryl during the high water season every year. In the spring of 2011, the inevitable happened—high waters took hold of the bridge and started pushing it downstream.
Cheryl’s quick action and efforts reclaimed the logs to safety, but she was left bridgeless and unable to access the rest of her land. Cheryl’s neighbours, having faced a similar situation, urged her to contact a regional Planning Advisor to complete an Environmental Farm Plan and eventually secure the funding necessary to install a replacement steel stringer bridge. The new bridge was completed in the fall of 2011.
With safe passage restored, Cheryl went further to protect stream-side integrity by installing fencing and gates to prevent livestock access to the river and bridge approaches, except for a small restricted access site for watering her animals. She also moved her fuel tanks to reduce fire risk, closed off access to the watercourse from a confined livestock area, and completed a contingency plan for her ranch. Now, spring-time concerns about high waters and sagging bridges are a thing of the past for Cheryl.
Now I have a great sense of accomplishment, not to mention a bridge that will outlast me and is an enormous asset to this property and for all who may live here in the future. It is all the people whom I have dealt with who have made this a success.
– CHERYL ROSE MURRAY
