Monday, November 30, 2009

Province Changes Farm Assessment Classification System

The Province is establishing new rules for the split-classification assessment system for farm properties to boost local food production and support small-scale farms, announced Community and Rural Development Minister Bill Bennett.

“Supporting family farms at a time when they’re facing the challenges of financial uncertainty, high overhead and a changing climate is essential to preserving one of our most valued industries,” said Bennett. “We’ve listened to what farmers have said, and we’ve responded by reviewing and changing our assessment practices to make it easier for them to continue providing the local products British Columbians rely on.”

The change is among the recommendations put forth by the Farm Assessment Review Panel, which the Province established in February 2008 in response to feedback from the farming community and stakeholders.

The Province is significantly reducing the tax burden on farm properties by eliminating the split classification of farm properties on the Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) that are not used for other purposes; and eliminating the split classification for non ALR properties where at least 50 per cent of the property is in or contributes to production, or 25 per cent is in production and meets a higher income threshold.

Under the split-classification system, portions of farm properties in residential class can be valued at $500,000 an acre or more in urban areas. Farm land has a much lower assessed value and much lower property taxes.

“This change is something the farming community has advocated for and we’re delighted it’s being implemented for the 2010 assessment roll,” said Garnet Etsell, chair of the BC Agriculture Council. “Modifying the split-classification assessment system will have a considerable impact, especially on smallholder farmers’ ability to make a living off the land, and help ensure a sustainable future for agriculture in this province.”

Friday, November 27, 2009

New Mexico Researcher Developing Poplar Agroforestry

New Mexico State University's Mick O'Neill is working with the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry to evaluate whether poplar production can be a viable agroforestry crop for them.

"We are uniquely qualified to develop solutions to global warming, over population and environmental degradation so the next generation — whether in Rwanda, Azerbaijan or New Mexico — can realize their full potential."

Read the full article at the Las Cruces Sun-News website.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Reminder: Central BC Agroforestry Workshops

"Agroforestry: Diversification options for communities impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle"

Resources North and FORREX invite you to attend the following workshop series:

WORKSHOP – Part 1: Adding Value to Sustainable Harvest Practices

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
8:30am – 4:30pm – Burns Lake Chamber of Commerce (Heritage Room), Burns Lake, B.C.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
8:30am – 4:30pm – Kwah Hall, Fort St. James, B.C.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

8:30am – 4:30pm – University of Northern British Columbia (Bentley Centre), Prince George, B.C.

WORKSHOP – Part 2: Ideas into Action - Creating & Enhancing a Value-Added Business

Friday, December 4, 2009
8:30am – 3:30pm – University of Northern British Columbia (Bentley Centre), Prince George, B.C.

To register, please submit a registration form or contact Diana Tecson at Resources North 250-612-5840, diana@resourcesnorth.org.

For more information on these workshops, please view the Agenda at www.resourcesnorth.org, under the Events tab, or contact Karyn Sutherland at FORREX at 250-828-4967, karyn.sutherland@forrex.org or Kathi Zimmerman at Resources North at 250-612-5844, kathi@resourcesnorth.org.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Woodlot book available

The Federation of BC Woodlot Associations (FBCWA) is proud to present Forest Life: British Columbia Woodlots, a coffee-table
book showcasing and celebrating BC’s woodlots and woodlot licences and the families who diligently manage them.

Through beautiful photos and a few words, this book captures the seasonal beauty of coastal and interior woodlots and portrays the landscapes and diversity of our forests as well as the stewardship of those who manage them.

Copies can be ordered from the FBCWA website (www.woodlot.bc.ca). The cost is $39.95.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Preliminary Line-up for the 2010 Alternative Crops Session

At the Horticulture Growers Short Course,
Pacific Agriculture Show
Abbotsford

Saturday January 30, 2010

9:00 - 9:30
Growing for the Natural Health Products Market
TBA, West Kootenay Herb Growers Coop, Edgewood, BC
Learn what it takes to grow a crop and develop a product for the natural health products market.

9:30 - 10:00
Discovering Success through Trial & Error
Amy Suess & Hannah Cavendish-Palmer, Skeeter
Farm, Abbotsford, BC
Learn about the opportunities and challenges of a diversified small scale operation.

10:00 - 10:30
Balancing Market Size and Production Capacity with Alternate Crops
Andrea Gunner, AG Consulting, Armstrong, BC
Learn about what to consider when deciding on an approach to a niche market.

10:30 -10:45 Refreshment Break

10:44 - 11:15
Alternate Crops and Agri-tourism – A Year Round Experience
Heloise Dixon-Warren and Ted Traer, Moose Meadows Farm, Quesnel, BC
See how alternate crops and agri-tourism can provide a unique experience to consumers.

11:15 - 11:45
Opportunities in Ethnic Crop Production
Raman Gill, BCMAL, Abbotsford, BC
Find out about the local opportunities to grow for the ethnic communities around us.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tokyo Symposium on Agroforestry

Have some air miles and/or vacation time to burn?

Symposium on Agroforestry: Its Relevance and Potential in Promoting Local and Global Sustainable Development

16 December 2009
at United Nations University headquarters in Tokyo, Japan

This Symposium will address wide-ranging topics of agroforestry, covering both theoretical and practical issues with the participation of Dr. Dennis Garrity, Director-General of the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) as well as advocates of the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesia agroforestries.

For more information read the programme here.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Australian Landowners Abandon Agroforestry, but Keep Trees

"In 1994, Rick and Pam were among the first landholders to establish agroforestry on a saw log regime...Today, Rick prefers mixed plantings of trees and understorey over agroforestry.

'We are so busy running 6000 sheep and a cropping program that we haven't got time to manage an agroforestry plantation properly,' he said.

'We started trimming the trees with great passion and had planned to harvest them. Now we are not sure; the trees have achieved their purpose of controlling water logging and salinity. It is now a fantastic block and we would rather keep it that way.'"

Read the full story at Weekly Times Now.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Soil Biology to Improve Plant Health Seminars

*Soil Biology to Improve Plant Health*
with Mario Lanthier of CropHealth Advising and Research.

Friday November 27, 2009 Armstrong BC - Oddfellows Hall, 3005 Wood Ave.

and
Friday December 11, 2009 Langley BC - Kwantlen University College, 20901 Langley Bypass

Proper manipulation of organic matter can make plants healthier. This intensive 1-day seminar will be interest to organic growers, landscapers and persons working in horticulture. Topics covered will include preparation and testing of compost, composts suppressive of plant diseases, and use of commercial microbial inoculants and mycorrhizal fungi.

Cost: $30 per person includes coffee/tea and lunch.

To register contact Cara Nunn at 250-540-2557 or at northorganics@gmail.com

Monday, November 16, 2009

A Year in a Forest Garden DVD

by Martin Crawford / Iota Video

Martin Crawford takes you through the seasons in his Devon, UK forest garden, and shows you how to plan your planting to make the most of the space, taking layers, density, patterning and diversity into account. Many unusual edible plants are featured. Find out how you can apply the principles of a forest garden to spaces big and small.

For more information or to order, visit the Agroforestry Research Trust website.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Top Agroforestry Enterprise Ideas for 2010

AgForInsight.com has published it's top agroforestry enterprise ideas for the Pacific Northwest including: bigleaf maple syrup, huckleberries, rose hips, Douglas-fir Christmas trees and hawthorns.

Read the full blog posting at www.agforinsight.com

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Chinese Approval Opens Market for Canadian Lumber

SHANGHAI – Shanghai’s approval of a new wood-frame building code is a major step forward in the growing demand for Canadian wood products in China, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and British Columbia’s Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced November 9.

“The Shanghai Local Code is the first comprehensive set of guidelines for wood-frame construction ever published in China,” said Minister Raitt. “This is a big step forward in achieving our goal of opening new markets for Canadian forest products. We are confident that the Shanghai Local Code provides a framework that will be easily adaptable to other cities and provinces across China.”

“Shanghai – a city with about four times British Columbia’s population – is now a wider, more open market for Canadian and B.C. lumber,” said Bell. “Modern wood-frame construction can now be used to meet Chinese building needs, something that previously wasn’t easily done due to complex and dated building and fire codes.”

The Shanghai Local Code is the most comprehensive and detailed code for wood-frame structures in China, addressing all technical issues related to wood-frame construction, including structural, fire, durability, energy conservation, noise transmission and construction inspection.

Canada Wood Group (an industry marketing agency supported by the federal and B.C. governments), FPInnovations (a Canadian forest products research organization) and their Shanghai counterparts began work on updating the code in 2006.

Bell made his comments while attending the official launch of the code, which took effect Sept. 1, 2009. The event was attended by more than 300 guests, including engineers, architects and building officials who worked on the code changes.

Shanghai is one of the most important markets in China for Canadian wood products. It is home to the Dream Home Canada demonstration site that showcases wood-frame design and offices for Canada Wood Group and Forestry Innovation Investment staff promoting the province’s wood products and building solutions.

Canada is the second-largest supplier to China of softwood lumber after Russia, with about 98 percent of this lumber sourced from British Columbia.

Feds Give $760,000 to expand Quebec Maple Industry

The Government of Canada will contribute over $760,000 to the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec (FPAQ). An amount of $595,000 will allow the FPAQ to implement its long term marketing strategy, and $168,583 to carry out two studies to determine the attributes and health benefits of maple.

"The Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec works actively to improve the competitiveness of maple products on both domestic and international markets in order to support this industry's long term growth," said Minister of State (Agriculture) Jean Pierre Blackburn. "Recent years have been difficult for maple syrup producers, and our government has not let those producers down."

The marketing strategy is designed to promote value added maple products with international consumers, and to highlight the numerous uses of maple in food and other sectors because of its health benefits. The FPAQ intends to double the value of maple product sales by the year 2020.

The first study is designed to determine the nutraprevention and nutrition therapy effects of maple syrup while the second will verify the health effects of a maple drink. The purpose of these studies is to identify new value added features that will expand maple syrup marketing opportunities.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Details for Central BC Agroforestry Workshops

AGROFORESTRY
Diversification options for communities impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle

Resources North and FORREX invite you to attend the following workshop series:

WORKSHOP – Part 1: Adding Value to Sustainable Harvest Practices

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
8:30am – 4:30pm – Burns Lake Chamber of Commerce (Heritage Room), Burns Lake, B.C.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
8:30am – 4:30pm – Kwah Hall, Fort St. James, B.C.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

8:30am – 4:30pm – University of Northern British Columbia (Bentley Centre), Prince George, B.C.

WORKSHOP – Part 2: Ideas into Action - Creating & Enhancing a Value-Added Business

Friday, December 4, 2009
8:30am – 3:30pm – University of Northern British Columbia (Bentley Centre), Prince George, B.C.

To register, please submit a registration form or contact Diana Tecson at Resources North 250-612-5840, diana@resourcesnorth.org.

For more information on these workshops, please view our Poster Announcement and the Preliminary Agenda or visit,www.resourcesnorth.org, under the Events tab, or contact Karyn Sutherland at FORREX at 250-828-4967, karyn.sutherland@forrex.org or Kathi Zimmerman at Resources North at 250-612-5844, kathi@resourcesnorth.org.

Truffle sets record price at auction

"One of the biggest truffles found in decades has fetched $330,000 at an auction held simultaneously in Macau, London and Florence.

A Macau casino owner, Stanley Ho, made the record-breaking bid for the white truffle, which weighed 1.5kg (3.3lb)."

Read the full story at BBC News.

Monday, November 9, 2009

LMHIA 2010 Research Funding Program

Call For Research Proposals

The Lower Mainland Horticultural Improvement Association (LMHIA) is pleased to request proposals for field vegetable, berry, organic and other crop research.

A standardized submission form is available from Sandy Dunn:

1767 Angus Campbell Road
Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3
ph 604.857.0318 or 604.556.3001
fax 604.857.1570
e-mail sandyg@uniserve.com

The deadline for applications is January 30, 2010. Applicants will be notified of the results of the proposal review soon after this date. Funds will be released upon receipt of complete reports and invoice(s).

Projects funded by the LMHIA are generally short term, practical and address problems or opportunities for BC growers. Preference will be given to projects that include the LMHIA as one of two or more funding partners, and to projects that include commodity or producer group funding as part of the partnership. Research results will be made available to industry.

If you have any questions about submitting a proposal, please call Susan Smith at (604) 556 3046, or Mark Sweeney at (604) 556 3056.

Shelterbelts effective, but need revitalization

"Are farmers and ranchers starting to cut down the number of trees on the landscape?"

The age of windbreaks is a big part of the issue. Many were planted in the 1960s.

John Kort (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada) says research from more than a decade ago shows a yield increase for some crops when tree belts are present.

“For the least responsive crop, you’ll get a 3 (percent) to 5 percent increase for the sheltered system,”

Read the full article at AgWeek.

Friday, November 6, 2009

International Forum on Edible Mushrooms with Commercial Potential

Nov 30 - Dec 1, 2009
Quebec City, Quebec

Biopterre - Centre for the Development of Bioproducts, the Association for the Marketing of Edible Wild Mush-rooms (ACCHF) and Laval University invite you to an international forum on wild edible mushrooms with commercial potential, held on November 30th and December 1st, 2009 at Laval University in Quebec City. This Forum is geared to anyone with an interest in this non-timber forest resource and will address the biology, ecology and management of wild mushrooms as well as their harvest, processing and marketing.

For more information or for registration, please consult either the ACCHF website or Biopterre website

Thursday, November 5, 2009

3rd Edition of the NTFP Newsletter Available

The October 2009 edition of the NTFP Newsletter is available.

This edition features articles on the challenge of managing non-timber forest resources, building curriculum for NTFP harvester training, a description of upcoming events and other information reflecting the diversity of the NTFP activities across Canada.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

New Dates for 2010 Hort Growers Short Course

2010 Horticulture Growers Short Course
Tradex Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford, BC

at the Pacific Agriculture Show (www.agricultureshow.net)

New Dates due to Olympics conflict:

January 28 to January 30, 2010

Thursday January 28 Topics
Raspberries, Strawberries, Potatoes, Vegetables, Small Scale Processing, Value Added

Friday January 29 Topics
All Berries, Farm Business Management, Key Note Speakers, Alternate Crops, Vegetables, Greenhouse

Saturday January 30 Topics
Blueberries, Farm Direct Marketing, Organic, Mushrooms

Monday, November 2, 2009

Agroforestry Workshops - Central Interior

"Agroforestry - Diversification Options for Communities Impacted by Mountain Pine Beetle"

Are you interested in new economic opportunities for your woodlot or agricultural enterprise? Challenged on taking your agroforestry business to the next level? Do you produce and sell goods harvested from nature?

The first day of the workshop series will be delivered in 3 communities in West-
Central BC and includes an introduction to agroforestry, a discussion of trends,
local experiences, options, and available supports. Day two will provide a more
in-depth discussion about what it takes to develop and fund an agroforestry
project, which will be delivered in the central community of Prince George.

WORKSHOP - Part 1
Adding Value to Sustainable Harvest Practices
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 - Burns Lake
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 - Fort St. James
Thursday, December 03, 2009 - Prince George

WORKSHOP - Part 2
Ideas into Action
Creating & Enhancing a Value - Added Business

Friday, December 04, 2009 - Prince George

To Register Contact Gord Austin at FORREX 250-371-3923 or gord.austin@forrex.com

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Reminder: Shop the Wild Nanaimo, Nov 5

Shop the Wild Public Market
Thursday, November 5, 2009, 4 - 9 pm
Vancouver Island Conference Centre - New Castle Lobby

Free Admission

'Shop the Wild' offers a unique opportunity for producers to showcase their goods and services and educate consumers on the benefits of going wild.

For more information visit: buybcwild.com/shop-wild-public-market-nov-5th-nanaimo-bc