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Kootenay Farmer newsletter is an initiative of the Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors to communicate with farmers and ranchers, and to grow and support the agriculture sector.
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Local Producers Step Up
After a summer of drought and wildfire, extreme weather in the Province has been impacting BC's agricultural sector in profound ways. Producers in the Kootenays have been stepping up to meet the recent disruptions in supply chains to keep food on shelves including Kootenay Meadow's Dairy and Sunshine Valley Egg Farm in the Creston Valley and Jerseryland Organics in Grand Forks, and many more. Our hearts go out to producers recently impacted by the flooding.
Thank you to our local producers!
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Grocery stores in the Kootenays have been thanking local suppliers on social media for stepping up during the recent supply chain disruptions.
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In This Issue
Headlines: KBFA Winter Events| Adaptation Resources| Kevin Murphy Retires | Aphids
Events: Beef Cattle Nutrition | Tomato Production | Flock Health | Forage Quality | Soil
Kudos to our Farmers: Spray Irrigation Fields | Track Street Growers
Local Dirt: Water Licensing | Food Producer Internship Program
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KBFA Rolls Out Winter Extension Schedule
KBFA has been collecting feedback about what producers would like to learn about over winter months. Here is a snapshot of the online events coming your way! Details are in the events section and KBFA website.
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Regional Agrologist for the Kootenays Retires
Kevin Murphy, regional agrologist with the Ministry of Agriculture for the Kootenays has retired after 31 years of working in the public service sector. Kevin has an extensive history working with agriculture in BC including forage in Central and Northern BC, premise ID and soils. Kevin was a great mentor and collaborator to KBFA over the last four years providing linkages to Ministry programs and technical support. His expertise and collaboration will be missed. The position of regional agrologist for the Kootenays has not yet been filled.
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Cranbrook: Testing Virtual Fencing’s Potential in BC
Cranbrook rancher Jordy Thibeault is at the forefront in pursuing new technology to control cattle more effectively and economically and this year he piloted a prototype of virtual fencing wearable technology for his cattle. “The collars themselves have a combination of satellite, GPS and cellular LTE technology so we know where the cattle are and virtual boundaries can be created and enforced,” says Amanda Miller, rangeland ecologist with Palouse Rangeland Consulting and project collaborator.
Read more
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Flooding Impacts BC Farms
The BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is accepting donations on behalf of our province's farmers and ranchers impacted by the recent flooding. BCAC is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization representing a membership of 27 farm associations, who in turn represent approximately 20,000 farm families and over 90% of farm gate sales in BC.
Learn more.
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Beef Cattle Nutrition
Online: Wednesday, December 15
Join Jeremy Plesmen of Valley Nutrition to discuss why feed quality and efficient digestion, absorption and conversion are key factors in animal health, reproduction, performance, and profitability in the beef cattle industry.
Learn more and register here
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Tomato Production for Organic Soil-Based Systems
Online: Tuesday, January 11
Vegetable and berry specialist at the University of Vermont, Dr. Vern Grubinger, will share best practices being used by organic high tunnel (hoophouse) tomato growers to optimize soil nutrient management.
Learn more and register here
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Forage Quality and Sample Analysis with the BC Forage Council
Online: Wednesday, January 19
Join producers from the Kootenay and Boundary for a workshop to learn about forage quality and how to interpret forage analysis reports. The BC Forage Council and experts will support producers during this interactive workshop to interpret lab results.
Learn more and register here
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Indicators of Soil Health & On-Farm Measurements
Online: Wednesday, January 26
Hear from soil experts and producers on why water infiltration is a good indicator of an agricultural soil’s physical properties and soil health. Dr. Catherine Tarasoff will also introduce new on-farm research templates to monitor and measure soil health.
Learn more and register here
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Seeding Rates & On-Farm Measurements
Online: Wednesday, February 2
Hear from producers about the importance of seeding rates to optimize production based on their own on-farm trials. Dr. Catherine Tarasoff will introduce research templates to measure yield to fine tune your seeding rates.
Learn more and register here
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Pest Management for Small Farms
Online: Wednesday, February 9
Join this interactive online workshop to learn about pest management for small farms using real pest examples including spider mites and carrot rust fly. Participants will take away tools they can apply to the specific needs and concerns of their own farm.
Learn more and register here
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Experiences from the Field: Cover Crops for Forage
Online: Wednesday, February 16
Facilitated by the BC Forage Council, Kootenay producers will share their experiences incorporating cover crops into their forage rotations. Cover crop specialists will discuss the balance between risk and reward when considering what species to plant and timing.
Learn more and register here
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Wildfire, Heat & Sequestering Carbon | Agriculture Research Workshop
December 7 - 9 - Online
Join three mornings of discussion on climate adaptation research for wildfire, extreme heat and carbon sequestration with the BC Agricultural Adaptation Research Network. Free registration here.
Climate Adaptation for BC Cattle and Forage Resilience | Workshop
December 14 - Kamloops
Join producers and the BC Agricultural Adaptation Research Network in Kamloops to discuss what's needed to support continued resilience in BC's cattle and forage sectors. Learn more.
Young Agrarians: Kootenay Farmer Slideshow Social
December 20 - Online
Celebrate the end of the 2021 farming season and ring in the Holidays with the Young Agrarians. Farmers are invited to share their favourite photos from the season! Learn more.
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Spray Irrigation Fields - Cranbrook
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KBFA Blog Post
Community and agriculture work hand in hand at the Cranbrook Spray Irrigation fields. For decades, the City of Cranbrook has been reusing treated wastewater to benefit the agriculture community.
Read the blog
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The Spray Irrigation fields have been operating for decades and provide irrigation for 1600 acres.
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Track Street Growers - Revelstoke
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Story from Country Life in BC
Sarah Harper and Stu Smith of Track Street Growers in Revelstoke had a busy year. Their commercial kitchen license was approved to produce hot sauce with their locally grown peppers to supply nearby stores and restaurants. They credit careful financial management and planning with their new business success.
Read the full story here
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Read our interview with Sarah Harper of Track Street Growers last November on the KBFA Blog.
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Food Producer Career Internship Program
NEW program from Columbia Basin Trust provides support to the Basin’s local food production and processing sector with up to 70 per cent of an intern’s salary and mandatory employment related costs (up to $25,000 over a 5 to 12-month term) for seasonal or permanent, year-round, career-focused positions that lead to permanent employment.
Learn more
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Thank you to our sponsors:
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