Cariboo Central Coast
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Cariboo Central Coast Edition
"The Roots"
Regional Newsletter
January 2025
Blueweed (Echium vulgare)
Native to Europe and west-central Asia, it is now found in the Cariboo, and elsewhere in the Interior and is listed as a noxious weed. Blueweed invades roadside drainage ditches, fence lines, right-of-ways, pastures, rangelands, and other disturbed areas.
Once introduced into rangelands and pastures, blueweed outcompetes native species, contaminates clover patches and acts as a host for viral diseases in livestock. This can lead to major economic loss. It is generally an unpalatable plant for most livestock and avoided by most grazing animals, allowing blueweed to develop a strong monoculture.
Blueweed’s bright blue, five-lobed flowers taper up the entirety of the hairy stems - which are painful to the touch! Blueweed is a distinct-looking plant hard to mistake for any native B.C. species.
Mowing can be an effective control method requiring several passes over a growing season to deplete the root reserves and reduce the likelihood of flowering and seed production. Blueweed produces seeds called ‘nutlets’ in clusters of four along the plant’s stem. A mature plant can produce 2,800 seeds per year! These seeds are rough and can cling to skin, clothing, and fur allowing for easy transport to new areas. It’s important to remember to check yourself for any unwanted hitchhikers and always remember to PlayCleanGo.
Warning: Blueweed (Echium vulgare) is toxic to horses and cattle.
Learn more about Blueweed:
Blueweed - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
Learn more about PlayCleanGo:
PlayCleanGo - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
Are you CanadaGAP
Certification Ready?
Are you interested in pursuing CanadaGAP certification but are feeling overwhelmed by the process? Concerned that certification will mean increased paperwork and operational complexity?
Join us for two online sessions, where we’ll demystify this food safety certification for fruit and vegetable producers and open the door to the significant marketing opportunities that CanadaGAP provides for local certified products.
Session 1: Navigating CanadaGAP: Practical Guidance for On-Farm Food Safety
Friday, Jan. 17th @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
An in-depth look at the CanadaGAP certification process, including an overview of the program, how to sign up and prepare for an audit, record keeping, funding opportunities and more.
Register here.
Session 2: In the Field: Experiences and Tips from CanadaGAP Experts
Wednesday, Feb. 5th @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
In this second session, a panel of experts (including a certified organic producer, marketer and certification body contact) will help you build on your knowledge of CanadaGAP certification by sharing experiences and peer-to-peer tips for success.
Register here.
Virtual Workshop
Understanding Your Soil Test Report
To register, please visit:
Winter Webinars
Wednesdays 6:00 - 7:00 pm (PST)
The following webinars are provided by the Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors:
Discussion Series with the Kootenay Soil Building Network
- January 15, 2025
- January 29, 2025
- February 5, 2025
Join KBFA and local farms to discuss your questions about soil building including texture, nutrient management and compost application.
Agriculture Funding Opportunities
- January 22, 2025
Curious about funding opportunities available to you? Join local Farm Advisors to explore grants, eligibility, and deadlines. Topics include Environmental Farm Plans, water infrastructure, grazing, biodiversity, energy efficiency, waste management, weather preparedness, food safety, and more. Bring your questions!
Drones on the Farm
- February 12, 2025
Join local drone pilots and geospatial experts Vadim Stolyarov and Santiago Botero of Above Sensing for an insightful presentation on leveraging drone technology to enhance your farming operations.
Explore DIY drone applications, professional mapping services, data management tips, and more! Q&A to follow.
Farm Water Storage
- February 19, 2025
Learn how to boost water storage on your farm! Join farm water planner and general advisor Andrew Bennett to explore legal, physical, and economic considerations, from dams vs. dugouts to licensing, siting, costs, and funding. Q&A to follow.
Electric Fence How-To
- February 26, 2025
Join KBFA advisor Andrew Bennett to learn how electric fences can solve farm challenges, from protecting chickens to keeping out wildlife. Explore fence types, installation tips, and how to get funding for your project. Andrew will share practical insights and advice, followed by a Q&A to address your needs.
Seed Security: Organic Vegetable Seed Production Course
Including online classes, guest speakers, reading exercises, and field days, the Seed Security: Organic Vegetable Seed Production course will run from January 7th to March 11th, 2025, meeting on Tuesdays 4 pm - 7 pm.
The course will discuss policies surrounding seed sovereignty as well as the supply chain in Canada.
Food Business Planning Workshop
We invite you to join us for our free Food Business Planning Workshop, designed to help food processors learn, develop, and strategically expand their businesses.
This 2 day workshop focuses on:
- Identifying key challenges that hinder growth
- Enhancing the ability to scale through improved business management skills
- Adopting effective management practices and creating a business plan
You will gain access to planning support systems like This Commerce Life and BC Food and Beverage and connect with fellow food and beverage entrepreneurs who have successfully advanced their growth strategies, acquiring valuable expertise to help you compete in your target
markets.
We aim to improve access to business planning resources and foster collaboration across different regions.
- Burnaby, January 15 - 16, 2025
- Victoria, January 20 - 21, 2025
- Vancouver & Gulf Islands (Virtual), January 22 - 23, 2025
Lab to Land
Join us online for a Lab to Land virtual workshop to connect with researchers, farmers, agrologists, and policymakers from across the province. Grow your network and participate in thought-provoking discussions on adapting to climate change challenges at both farm and landscape scales. This multi-day workshop offers presentations, panels, and networking sessions exploring projects and research that are advancing agricultural resilience:
- January 15: Explore collaborative approaches to drought resilience across the province. Featured projects address adaptation from the farm to watershed level and include research from on-farm management to Indigenous co-governance.
- January 16: Dive into research investigating how soil supports ecological and community resilience. Discuss farmer-led research to evaluate soil management practices and learn about collaborative soil stewardship integrating Western scientific and Indigenous methodologies.
Thanks to funding by the BC Ministry of Agriculture & Food and CleanBC the workshop is available at no cost, registration is required.
🗓️📌This virtual workshop is on Jan 15 & 16, 2025, from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PST. Registration opened early December. Stay tuned by following @BCFoodWeb on their website www.bcacarn.ca and social media platforms: Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
More details and registration: labtolandbc.eventbrite.ca
ECHEN Healing Society
Indigenous Ha’unuyeh (Garden) session
Date: January 21, 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Location: 324 Hoy St N, Quesnel
ECHEN Healing Society invites you to a journey to explore experimental learning around indigenous agriculture involving personal reflection of what this means to us as a group
Topics may include:
- Climate adaptation and mitigation
- Plant and animal health
- Soil, nutrient, water. Air and biodiversity management
Lhunats’uwesdel (we Gather) with Chad Stump
Date: February 8, 2025
Location: Dragon Lake, Quesnel
Time: 12:00 – 3:00 pm
ECHEN Healing Society invites you to a fishing demonstration and get together, pending safe ice conditions
A waiver and fishing license is required
Please wear solid footwear and snow gear, and bring fishing gear if you have it
Visit www.Echenhealing.ca or Echen Healing on Facebook
Save the Date!
Drought Workshop Series
- February 20 - Kersley
- February 21 - Williams Lake
- February 22 - Tatla Lake
Sessions will be from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, lunch will be provided.
Save the Date!
Online Soil Health Webinar Series:
All webinars will take place 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm (PST):
- February 24 - The Impacts of Soil Compaction on Soil Health
- February 26 - Managing Forage Stands for Soil Health and Productivity
- February 28 - Managing Vegetation for Snow Capture
Contact Catherine Tarasoff catherine@agrowest.ca for more information
Virtual Nutrient
Management Plan Training
Nutrient management plans (NMPs) are used to help farmers efficiently meet their production objectives and protect the environment. This NMP training program will provide trainees with the expertise to use planning tools and produce NMPs as a service to farmers or for their own farm. Course content focuses on how to build a plan that meets objectives laid out in the Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Food is organizing a one-full day online facilitated session of the NMP training course. Visit the nutrient management plan training website to learn more.
Date: February 26, 2025
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm PST
Participants will receive the Zoom link prior to the event day.
For further inquiries, please reach out to Ahmed Lasisi at ahmed.lasisi@gov.bc.ca.
BC Agriculture and Food
Export Funding Program
BC Agriculture and Food Export Funding Program Intake Opened January 6
BCAFE helps B.C. businesses expand and sustain their export markets. It offers cost-shared funding for market development outside B.C. Funding for this program is provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
Application Dates: January 6 – February 3, 2025.
Find out more by visiting bcagricultureandfoodexportprogram.ca.
BC AgriWeather
The BC AgriWeather tool has launched!
The tool provides weather station data and hosts decision-support tools (that rely on the weather data) for public use, at no cost to users. The data and tools will continue to help agricultural producers make informed decisions in their daily operations as weather conditions and climate change.
To access BC AgriWeather and other resources, visit the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's Drought in agriculture web page.
Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency Program
The Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency Program invites eligible businesses to apply for a cost-shared funding opportunity that aims to increase farm-level resilience and preparedness to extreme weather events that threaten the competitiveness of British Columbia’s tree fruit sector. The program will provide 80 percent cost-share funding for eligible projects up to a maximum of $100,000 per farm business.
- Applications will be accepted starting on Thursday January 30, 2025, until funds are fully committed
- Attend our webinar on January 27th from 12-1pm to learn more about the program and how to apply (pre-registration not required).
- Projects may include protection from extreme cold, heat, and hail for commercial orchards.
- Application and eligibility details are available on the program website:
Young Agrarians
Looking to write a business plan for the farm of your dreams?
Join Young Agrarians on Wednesday evenings from January 15 - March 26, 2025 for their Business Bootcamp for New Farmers!
This online, community-based program is open to all new and aspiring farmers looking to write (or rewrite) a business plan for a farm enterprise. It is a great place to explore the viability of your farm dream, figure out your first growing season, or explore adding another enterprise to your current farm.
Young Agrarians has carefully selected an exceptional team of first-generation farmers and business experts to help you get your farm off the ground. During this course, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Write a farm business plan, including creating a financial and marketing strategy
- Gain insights from experts on your farm business
- Get to know others in farm start-up
- Explore ideas and inspiration from your peers
- Get set up to access capital
Learn more and register here:
youngagrarians.org/courses/business-bootcamp-for-new-farmers/
Not sure if the Business Bootcamp is right for you?
Reach out to Chantelle at elearning@youngagararians.org
Free support for farmland
lease agreements
Young Agrarians offers free lease agreement support for folks currently leasing farmland. This is sometimes an overlooked part of the land matching program.
Young Agrarians can help you protect your farmland or farm business! Your agreement will also be reviewed by a lawyer, all at no cost to you! Reach out to Kiyomi Ito at kiyomi@youngagrarians.org for more information or to get started.
Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) Advisors for BMP Applications
Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) Advisors can allot up to 5 hours per Beneficial Management Practices (BMP) application to support making a BMP application.
The 5 hours can be used for:
- Assisting you in identifying which BMPs would be most suitable for this operation,
- Supporting you in the steps to design and implement the BMP,
- Providing details of the EFP workbook numbers that align with the corresponding BMP for your application.
More information on EFP's can be found here.
The Beneficial Management Practices Program (BMP) applications will open on January 14, 2025 for Planning, Technical Assessments & Engineered Designs and Water Infrastructure!
More upcoming BMP category application dates:
- Biodiversity and Riparian & Grazing applications open on February 20, 2025.
- Energy & Fuel Efficiency, Nutrient & Waste Management, and Soil Carbon applications open on March 4, 2025.
All BMP categories now have eligible activity details available! Take a look at www.iafbc.ca/bmp/ to explore the opportunities for your farm or ranch this coming season.
Buy BC Partnership Program 2025
Save the Date – Buy BC Partnership Program 2025 Intake
Cost shared funding is available for B.C. producers, processors, and industry associations to support local marketing activities that increase consumer awareness and sales of B.C. agriculture, food, and beverage products.
The next application intake for Buy BC Partnership Program funding opened January 6, 2025 to January 27, 2025.
Funding is available under two streams:
- Stream 1: For producers and processors, Buy BC projects are anticipated to start in April 2025 and be completed by September 2025.
- Stream 2: For industry associations, boards, and councils, Buy BC projects are anticipated to start in April 2025 and be completed by March 2026.
Apply for a Buy BC logo license or find out more about Buy BC.
Business Risk Management Programs
B.C.'s agricultural producers face many business risks that are beyond their control (production losses, severe market volatility, extreme weather events or disasters); the Province’s suite of agricultural insurance and income stability programs can help you manage those risks.
UPCOMING PROGRAM DEADLINES:
- Late Participation for 2024 AgriStability until April 30, 2025
- AgriStability 2025 program year enrollment until April 30, 2025
- Production Insurance coverage for 2025:
- Silage corn and forage spring plantings – until April 30, 2025
- Grain and Oilseeds – until April 30, 2025
Updated Trickle Irrigation Manual
Now available for free online! This represents a significant modernization of an important resource that was previously only available in hard copy through the Irrigation Industry Association of BC (IIABC).
The manual provides comprehensive guidance on trickle irrigation system design and operation for British Columbia conditions, covering everything from system flow requirements to specialized applications for greenhouses and landscapes.
You can find the manual at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/water/irrigation/bc-trickle-irrigation-manual
Updated TIP Benchmark data
Do you want to know more about commodity specific returns in different income ranges? The Towards Increased Profits (TIP) is based on information producers file to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The 2021 Program Year Benchmarks are now available (as well as the 2020 Program Year Benchmarks).
- You now can look up:
- 15 different crop types (i.e. Forage (XLSX, 177 KB))
- 10 different livestock categories (i.e. Cattle, Feeder (XLSX, 183 KB))
- by 5 different income ranges
- $0-50k
- $50-100k
- $100-500k
- $500k-1mil
- $1mil to infinity
- (unless they must be grouped together to obtain large enough sample size to address privacy concerns).
Visit the Towards Increased Profits (TIP) website for more:
Towards-Increased-Profits (TIP)
Minerals and Livestock Nutrition
Mineral nutrition for livestock is a critical part of their diet, affecting health, fertility, production and your bottom line. Supplementation requirements can vary greatly depending on feed types, animal requirements and your operation’s location. Mineral levels influence reproduction and performance / growth, immunity and disease resistance.
This article walks you through considerations of how to choose the appropriate mineral for your situation, how to feed it appropriately and how to start to troubleshoot a suspected mineral problem. You can access the full article here:
New Research Brief from
BC Food Web!
Recent field trials across 20 organic vegetable farms in southwest BC found that using compost to meet crop P needs, paired with a high-N organic fertilizer to meet N needs, can work well on farms with moderate to high soil P. However, the best approach depends on farm context like compost and fertilizer cost, and soil P and organic matter levels.
Read the research summary here: bcfoodweb.ca/briefs/balancing-nitrogen-and-phosphorus-vegetable-farms-southwest-bc
The Stewarding Agricultural Watercourses (SAW)
Action Plan Publication
The Stewarding Agricultural Watercourses (SAW) project, initiated in 2021, seeks to enable and encourage improved stewardship of agricultural waterways on private land in British Columbia. Phase 1 of the project consisted of engagement with producers, government staff, environmental professionals, and NGO's to gain an understanding of the stewardship barriers facing producers with agricultural watercourses and then develop a plan to address these challenges.
The culmination of the first phase is the Stewarding Agriculture Watercourses Action Plan which is now publicly available. Phase 2 is now underway seeking to implement actions identified in the plan. To read the Action Plan and learn more about the project visit the website.
Exciting updates from the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program (KTTP):
A total of 49 knowledge development and hands on-learning events were approved through the 2024 intake, which closed on December 13th, representing a funding commitment of over $210,000 to the agriculture and food sector. Many events have already been delivered and more are expected to wrap up by Spring 2025!
Here are a few examples of completed events that were supported by the program:
- Field Days, organized by the BC Hazelnuts growers Association: Farmers gathered twice in 2024 to explore innovative hazelnut farming practices. The first field day in Black Creek, B.C., included hands-on workshops on soil health, orchard tours showcasing organic practices, and expert insights on becoming Certified Organic. During the second field day in Chilliwack B.C., attendees toured various orchards and learned about soil nutrient management and opportunities for hazelnut value-added products.
- Conference, organized by the Wine Island Growers Association (WIGA): In April 2024, expert Nikki Callaway joined the WIGA Viticulture and Oenology Conference to present on small-lot Pinot Noir production. Topics included the vinification of Pinot Noir under various conditions of terroir and climate, the diversification of multiple styles of Pinot Noir, and the maintenance, conservation, and promotion of varietal typicity.
- Hands-on Workshop, organized by the Kootenay Milk Producers Association: Instructors from the Western Canadian Certified Hoof Trimmers Association delivered a two-day workshop for dairy producers. This course taught participants how to provide a higher level of animal care and increase their technical skills.
Stay connected with AgriServiceBC for announcements from the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program and future program intakes.
Cyber Security and Farming
It's crucial that farmers protect their farming enterprises against cyber incidents as they embrace technology in all areas of operations, including email, text, online banking, and smart farming tools. Without robust safeguards, cyber threats can disrupt operations, impact profits and damage the trust built with customers. Staying ahead of these cyber risks will help farmers thrive in the digital age.
Visit the website to learn more:
Cyber security and your farming business - agriculture.canada.ca
Follow the link below, follow, like and share!
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