Winter farm shows begin

The province’s largest agriculture show takes place January 23-25 at Tradex in Abbotsford, and exhibitors are ready.

“There’s real demand,” says Pacific Agriculture Show organizer Jim Shepard. “The show sells out so quickly, we’ve got a long waiting list.”

This year’s event, taking place alongside the Lower Mainland Horticultural Conference, will feature the latest in technology as well as displays for the whole family.

The petting zoo, a perennial favourite, will present the softer side of agriculture, as will the Rabbitats Rescue Society display that proved popular last year.

A registered charity, Rabbitats is dedicated to rescuing abandoned and feral rabbits, populations of which have overtaken parkland and have been a long-time threat to crop producers in Richmond and Surrey. Giving a home to the fluffy pests is a perfect blend of the heart-warming and the practical.

Coinciding with the show, the BC Agriculture Council gala on January 22 will celebrate leaders in BC agriculture, including the BC Agriculture in the Classroom’s Teacher of the Year, the Scotiabank Champion of Agriculture and the BC Agriculture Council’s Award for Excellence in Agriculture Leadership.

A silent auction is raising funds for the next generation of agricultural leaders, with proceeds supporting the BC Young Farmers.

Country Life in BC will also be on hand, as well as online. The paper’s show preview, available in the January-February edition, is posted to its website, and hard copies will be available at the booth on the show floor.

The usual educational streams for berry, vegetable and floriculture producers will be running as part of the horticulture conference, with water management and agri-technology being particular focuses given the backing of the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The ministry is also organizing the educational program for the Islands Agriculture Show (January 31-February 1) at Cowichan Exhibition Park, Duncan, and the Southern Interior Horticultural Show (February 12-13) at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, Penticton.

Country Life in BC will have a presence at both events, covering the local discussions around water management, innovation and other issues of importance to producers.

7 hours ago

Headed to the Pacific Agriculture Show at the Abbotsford Tradex tomorrow (or Friday or Saturday)? You'll want to take a look at this. Be sure to stop by our booth to say "Hi!"

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Hort workshops tackle water, pest and disease management

www.countrylifeinbc.com

A key priority of the new provincial government when it comes to farmers and ranchers is water, and the Lower Mainland Horticultural Conference – organized by the province for the second year in a r...

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3 days ago

In 2008, I moved back to B.C. with a baby and two Master's degrees (an MBA in International Business and an MAg in Rurual Economy.) from University of Alberta. Because I was doing a career change from ocean transportation to agriculture, finding a job was not easy, so I began to build my agriculture network by taking volunteer roles. My first such role was as a Director of Barrowtown Agriculture Development Society, a group of enthusiastic agrarians who had started farming on some City of Abbotsford - The Hub Of The Fraser Valley -owned land that was not being used. I wrote a press release and sent it to David Schmidt, a well-known agriculture journalist in B.C. I'll never forget his response. "I think this is a well-written article, Cheryl. You should submit it to Country Life in BC and get paid. "
Later, David encouraged me to join the BC Farm Writers' Association, and this provided me with more writing opportunities. David asked me to be the vice president, and when I asked him what the role involved, he said, "Absolutely nothing." How could I turn that down? ;) As an economist, identifying as a writer took me a while, but communications has become a large part of my career.
David was the most respected journalist in the sector. Agriculture industry leaders were always happy to take his calls because they trusted him to write fair, balanced stories with accurate quotes.
When we lost David as a colleague last November, I didn't hesitate to step into his role as Treasurer of the BC Farm Writers' Association, where I also became part of the "Honouring David Schmidt Committee."
Today, I proudly share the David Schmidt Legacy Award to support agriculture journalists and communicators in B.C. to do more research, and take "deep dives" into stories they couldn't do otherwise.
If you knew David, or his work, please consider donating in his honour. give.vancouverfoundation.ca/s/public-donation-page/a2ON300000FJcnJMAT/david-schmidt-legacy-award ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

Dr Murray Minnema, a practicing vet from California, told Mainland Milk Producers this morning in Abbotsford that avian influenza in cows "is a mess" in that state. "And how do you mitigate it? We still don't know." He says a spiked fever always shows early but not all farmers see it. Over time, they've grown confident in their diagnosis of the disease but he's had to treat between 60% and 70% of milk cows in herds he saw. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody," he told BC dairy farmers. "This virus is changing."

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Idk did you go to the conference?

Managed decline. Just say no. Keep growing

How were the cows treated? What proof was presented? How about credentials and background... were those explored and checked on? Did the cows die or recover from whatever they had? If they recovered, what opinion was formed? ... If nothing else, the last few years should have taught all of us to take everything with a hrain of salt. Ask, ask, ask until you are properly satisfied with the answers.

Serious fear mongering. Keep it up ;)

Hm is it lab grown and mutated like covid?

I'm guessing they want to vaccinate the animals or cull. Anyone heard of.overpopulation

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3 weeks ago

BC agriculture minister Lana Popham has put her signature on a host of appointments to the Agricultural Land Reserve. The details are in this weeks Farm News Update from Country Life in BC.

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ALC members appointed

The closing days of the old year heralded a host of appointments to the Agricultural Land Commission. Commissioners Erin Carlson (Summerland), Jolleen Dick (Port Alberni), Wayne Harris (Creston) and�...

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4 weeks ago

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