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Originally published:

NOVEMBER 2024
Vol. 110 Issue 11

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Stories In This Edition

Beef herd drops

Dairy faces trade threats

Passing the test

Sidebar: Ranch sales remain steady

Chicken board considers quota exchange

Editorial: Minority opinion

Back 40: Remember what makes it all worthwhile

Viewpoint: Gold dust in your fibre optic cable

Apple harvest faces headwinds from co-op’s closure

Sidebar: Growers Supply locations sold

National award to honour David Schmidt’s legacy

Ag Briefs: UBC agriculture deal heads to Alberta

Ag Briefs: Wine Growers head to retire

Ag Briefs: BC seeks crop reporters

Investment Ag reports banner year

Island winery closes amid “perfect storm”

Cranberry crop trending below five-year average

New standards close loop on greenhuse pesticide leaks

BCLNA budget deficits continue

Famers hamstrung by lack of compost

Sidebar: Study shows Island producers face steep fertilizer costs

Native knowledge, good practices lead range tour

Field days give farmers the dirt on soil management

Farm Story: Politics and weather make for a mucky fall

Fall weather, fall threats

On-farm innovation fuels turnaround

Rye grass gets boost from Living Lab project

Woodshed: Kenneth is all dressed up and ready to ride

Vet student grateful for bursary support

Jude’s Kitchen: Warm up with new, exotic flavours

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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Congratulations!!!

Congratulations 👍🎉

Congratulations

Congratulations <3

Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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3 weeks ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 months ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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Beef herd drops

Record cattle prices make it challenging for ranchers to rebuild

Kari Lynn Turner's award-winning photo of the Ogilvie Ranch herd making a path to dinner.

November 1, 2024 byPeter Mitham

KAMLOOPS – Two years of high cattle prices and low moisture have triggered a dramatic drop in BC’s cattle herd, but the bottom is in sight.

The latest data from Statistics Canada indicates a 4% drop in Western Canada’s beef herd since 2022, not far off the national decline of 3%.

But within BC, the decline on beef operations as of July 1 was double the national average at 6%.

“We’ve seen a 200,000-head drop across the country here in the past two to three years, and that’s indicative of what we’ve seen for drought,” says Kevin Boon, general manager, BC Cattlemen’s Association. “We have to adjust according to our feed supplies and our ability to keep them.”

BC reported a total beef herd at July 1 this year of 447,800, down from 474,800 in 2022 and 507,300 in 2019.

The declines reflect massive sell-offs last year as drought squeezed forage supplies, with many auction rings seeing record numbers of animals move through.

Despite the large volumes, prices reached new records, too, as a rebound in consumer demand following the pandemic taxed supplies.

Those high prices were hard to resist for producers who lacked feed, but also made it hard for ranchers to afford to rebuild their herds.

“When you can get the price you can, it’s hard to keep the cattle from the sale barn,” Boon says. “It hasn’t been a quick rebound like we’ve seen sometimes because the price of cattle has been high.”

Moreover, drought continues to keep forage supplies in check in the Cariboo and Peace regions. This winter’s moisture will dictate whether or not ranchers start to rebuild their herds in 2025 or wait.

Boon himself is optimistic.

“The predictions are that we’ll see the prices top out in the next two to three years,” he says. “That’s when we’ll likely see the regrowth and the retention of heifers.”

Previous Post: « Experts provide drought management tips
Next Post: Milk price holds the course »

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