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JULY 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 6

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4 weeks ago

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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4 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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Staccato cherry rights defended

A federal court in Washington State has upheld Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s claim to the successful variety against attempts by a Washington grower to market it under a different name.

November 6, 2024 byTom Walker

Could a cherry by any other name be as sweet?

A federal court in Washington State believes so, and recently upheld Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s claim to the successful variety against attempts by a Washington grower to market it under a different name.

On August 22, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Washington definitively ruled that a cherry marketed as “Glory” is actually Staccato, a commercially successful late-season variety developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and managed by Summerland Varieties Corp. (SVC).

Glory was allegedly discovered as a chance seedling in a Washington orchard but DNA analysis presented by AAFC officials proved otherwise.

“When we first heard about this new late season cherry named Glory down in Washington state we were curious and started investigating,” says SVC general manager Sean Beirnes. “The Glory tree looked like a Staccato tree. It blossomed, matured and ripened at the same time as Staccato, and the fruit looked and tasted the same as Staccato.”

Beirnes says AAFC’s suspicions, and decision to pursue the case, represents a victory not just for industry but all Canadians.

“This is government stepping up and enforcing their rights for the benefit of Canadians,” he says. “Government is ensuring that the investment that Canadians and our licensed partners have made in our breeding program is not being exploited.”

The saga traces its roots to the 1990s when Washington’s Van Well Nursery agreed to grow and test Staccato cherry trees on behalf of AAFC. The agreement didn’t permit plant sales, however, a tree from the test plot was included in a shipment of Sonata (another AAFC-developed variety) Wenatchee-area grower Gordon Goodwin received.

“When a grower discovers a commercial nursery-grafted tree in their orchard is different than the others, their first presumption should be that it was a mix-up at the nursery,” Beirnes says. But instead, Goodwin, who is also a pastor, claimed it was a gift from God. He patented the variety and licensed it to Van Well Nursery with fruit shipped through Monson Fruit Co.

While the recent federal ruling is a sweet end for Staccato, it’s opened a pit of bitterness for Glory’s proponents.

Having proven that Glory is Staccato, AAFC plans to pursue claims against Van Well, Goodwin and Monson for conversion, the unlawful possession and use of Staccato plant material for their own purposes, as well as false advertising and business interference.

Staccato plant material and fruit are tightly controlled under a business arrangement between AAFC, SVC, and Stemilt Growers, the sole authorised US packer and marketer of Staccato cherries.

 

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