Islands Edition

Regional Newsletter
January 2025

New, Ongoing,
Soil Management Courses

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has developed soil management courses to help producers understand soils and soil tests to make crop management decisions and improve production resilience.

Several workshops across the region were done last fall with DeLisa Lewis instructing and showing field demonstrations on soil structure, soil sampling and laboratory testing. These events were well facilitated by the presenter, who aligned the workshop with the needs of the broad range of skill levels of the attendees. Feedback on the quality of the events was great and the hands-on field component was well received.

Three more of these soil workshops are coming to the region in February:

1. Foundations of Soil Management: Introduction to Soil Fertility, Soil Sampling and Soil Health Indicators - Saanich Seedy Saturday
   Saturday February 8, 2025 (10:00 am - 2:00 pm)
   Prospect Lake Community Hall, 5358 Sparton Rd, Victoria
   Register Here
    
2. Foundations of Soil Management: Introduction to Soil Fertility, Soil Sampling and Soil Health Indicators - Salt Spring Island
   Saturday February 22 or 23 (date and time to be determined)
   Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute, 351 Rainbow Rd, Salt Spring Island
   Register Here
    
3. Foundations of Soil Management: Introduction to Soil Fertility, Soil Sampling and Soil Health Indicators - Port Alberni
   Friday, February 28, 2025 (1:00 - 3:00 pm)
   Beaver Creek Community Hall, 8505 Beaver Ck. Rd, Port Alberni, BC

These 3 events are 2-hour classroom sessions on the foundations of soil fertility management, including how and why to take soil samples, and how to choose a soil laboratory for analysis of soil fertility. The second part will be an overview of soil health indicators, tools for the exploration of soil health and management practices for the promotion of soil health.

For other soil field days, workshops, and training events around the Province, including upcoming online courses on Understanding Your Soil Test Report:

Virtual Workshop
Understanding Your Soil Test Report

To register, please visit:

• VIRTUAL WORKSHOP - Understanding Your Soil Test (Vegetables/Grains)-Jan 21 Tickets | Eventbrite

Lab to Land

Join us online 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

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

Save the date for SIFI's Farmer to Farmer Week!

Join us all week January 20-24, 2025 for region wide field days, networking, workshops, and discussions on farm strategies, technical skills and getting business dialed in. This event is a great opportunity for farmers to come together, share their knowledge, and learn from one another. Don't miss out on this chance to connect with fellow farmers and grow your skills. See you there!

Registration opened late November, mark your calendars, January 20th to 24th, 2025!

For updates please visit: https://sifarmersinstitute.ca/

Funding for the field days is provided in part by the Governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Nutrient Management Plan
Training in Nanaimo

Nutrient management plans (NMPs) are used to help farmers efficiently meet their production objectives and protect the environment. The 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.  Visit the nutrient management plan training website to learn more.

Join us in Nanaimo for a 2-day accelerated in-person training session from February 11th and 12th to expedite your completion of the NMP course. 

This 2-day accelerated in-person training session is FREE. However, participants must be enrolled in the Open School BC Nutrient Management Plan course. Course enrollment is $100.

To attend this 2-day in-person training, you must have completed the self-paced online portion of the course.

For further inquiries, please reach out to Ahmed Lasisi at ahmed.lasisi@gov.bc.ca.

Lunch, coffee, and snacks will be provided at the training. 

Funding for this event is provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

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.  

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 

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:

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. 

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

Help the CRD Track Canada Geese with Goose Gauge

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: 

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. 

Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza Outbreak

British Columbia is currently experiencing a serious Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak. As the virus arrives with migratory birds, poultry owners should be implementing high biosecurity measures to protect their flock.

For more information, please visit:

Current disease alerts and events 
Avian influenza - Province of British Columbia
Status of ongoing avian influenza response by province

Extension Program News

Our current focus is planning for next season’s Extension Program, including recruiting potential host sites for next season.  This is the time to contact us if you want to collaborate on projects!  Next year’s opportunities include:

• Dry Farming is the practice of crop production without irrigation and uses the moisture stored in the soil from the rainy season.  We have a project contracted to Kwantlen Polytechnic University to demonstrate the potential to produce vegetables on Vancouver Island using dry farming techniques, modeled after Dry Farming  at Oregon State University.  We’re hoping to establish a few more dry farming demonstration sites in the 2025 growing season. Please contact Thom at Thom.Odell@gov.bc.ca if this is of interest.
   
• Warm Season Forage such as corn make more efficient use of water and have increased drought tolerance. We supported one grower this year with seed, soil testing and forage analysis to demonstrate the potential for several warm season grass species as part of another regional project.   We want to support more forage demonstrations in the next growing season. This could include trying new species/varieties of grasses or legumes, or other forage management practices to adapt to climate change- bring your ideas. We can cover seed costs and a stipend.  Please reach out if you are interested in participating.

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.

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