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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
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Education’s ready for 2014 Reaserch: Building better berries
by: Eric Welsh
Tom Baumann hustles up the doorway of the massive greenhouse and stops.
top that are doing the heavy lifting,” Baumann elaborates as he points at some pepper plant leaves. “But in here, with light coming from all directions, the leaves on the bottom are all still green. We are getting full production. We had a Dutch consultant in not long ago who said, ‘You guys are now 10 years ahead of what we’re doing.’”
“You have shades right?” the University of the Fraser Valley agriculture professor says, pointing to your friendly neighborhood writer’s blue sunglasses. “You should put them on now.” Wise advice. As we step through the door our eyes are protected from the blindingly bright light coming through the white walls of the 12-metre tall structure, and Baumann starts pointing to this and that, wonders of agricultural science that he’s collecting under this roof. He talks about the air control system above our heads that provides precision temperature control for the plants on the floor. Heat, humidity and carbon dioxide are all micro-managed by a sophisticated computer system. Baumann flips a switch for ventilation. Operating at full tilt, each of the surprisingly quiet overhead fans can
Usually it’s the opposite.
The UFV’s Tom Baumann, who heads up the Pacific Berry Resource Centre.
extract the entire air volume of the greenhouse within a minute, each of them using just one amp of electricity. A 15-foot tall banner hangs from the south wall. On it is a picture of Baumann’s next acquisition,
which he hopes will arrive by late June/early July. It is a new concept, a 13-tiered vertical-growing system that he’ll use for strawberries. The walls of his greenhouse provide diffused, not direct light. That means each of the 13 levels, from bottom to
? w o n K u o Y Did
RICK COLLINS PHOTO
top, will get equal amounts of light. The system offers the potential for quicker, higher and healthier yields. “Under normal conditions, with direct light and heavy shadows, it’s the leaves on
Baumann could spend hours talking about all the cutting-edge things going on in UFV’s agricultural department, most of which can be found at the back of the Canada Education Park on Keith Wilson Road. But this morning’s conversation centers on the Pacific Berry Resource Centre. We retreat to Baumann’s office, which is tucked away in a nondescript building. He shares this small space with a former student, Eric Gerbrandt, who works alongside him. Clearly, neither of Continued on page 4
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
Education’s ready for 2014 ...Research: Building better berries, stronger agricultural sector nutritional issues. Whatever industry identifies as a problem, we’re involved with.” The BC Strawberry Grower’s Association, the BC Blueberry Council, the Raspberry Industry Development Council and BC Cranberry Grower’s Association are key players in the partnership that was forged in October 2010.
In greenhouse conditions, Baumann and company can grow two generations of strawberries in a year, proving a quicker timeline to evaluate and produce new varieties. RICK COLLINS PHOTO
Continued from page 3
them spend much time here. Aside from two desks, two chairs and two computers, it resembles more of a storeroom than an office. Boxes and binders here. A deep freeze in a corner and fridge on the far wall, both bursting with samples awaiting study.
“This facility enhances what we can do, but our lab is still in the fields of the growers,” Baumann says as he sits down. “We have a research station in Agassiz and a research plot in Abbotsford (at Clearbrook Road). We’re testing new varieties. We’re looking at disease and insect and
by: Eric Welsh
program and the Agassiz research station.”
In the meantime, they’re doing a lot of other things.
The difference in varieties is in their adaptability to diseases, pests, climate and soil conditions.
“Right now we’re looking at different pruning schemes. We’ve come up with plastic mulches with drip irrigation that runs underneath,” Baumann says. “We keep the fruit more clean, keeps slugs off and apply water and fertilizer directly to the roots. When we come up with a new method to save water, fertilizer or spraying, other areas are right on it. And similarly, when other areas develop something, we’re right on it.”
And aesthetics.
Mark Sweeney, the BC’s Ministry of Agriculture’s berry specialist, is a driver on the government side, and Premier Christy Clark was in town not long ago to check things out. The PBRC works closely with the industry in Washington State, Oregon and California as well — places with similar climates and issues to overcome.
“If it for the fresh market, then you want to have a really big fruit,” says Baumann, a 56-year-old who started 33 years ago as a volunteer in the B.C. breeding program. “If it’s for the processing market you don’t really care and it’s colouring and volume that matters. Either way, we want root-rot and aphid resistance. We have plants being grown throughout the Pacific Northwest now that don’t require spraying for aphids.”
“We’ve got a variety of raspberry called Chilliwack that came out of here and is now internationally grown, especially in Australia and New Zealand,” Baumann says. “A variety called Tulameen, which is grown all over the world, emerged from the BC Breeding
In greenhouse conditions, Baumann and company can grow two generations of strawberries in a year, proving a quicker timeline to evaluate and produce new varieties. Raspberries take two years to produce the first generation and blueberries take the longest (five years).
One of the most useful PBRC offerings is an extension service that sees Baumann, Gerbrandt and other ‘specialists’ going to industry to deal with problems and offer solutions. “We go to conferences and bring that information to the growers to let them know what’s new,” he says. “We take the scientific gobbledygook and we make it accessible to them. Continued on page 5
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...Building better berries And we trouble-shoot. A farmer calls us and says, ‘My plants are dying and I don’t know why.’ We go out there and tell him what it is. And if we don’t know we take a sample to the appropriate lab and we figure it out. We want our specialists to be doing that instead of having fertilizer companies telling growers what they need.” UFV figures to be in the center of BC’s agricultural revolution for a long time to come. Other institutions will be involved, but UFV will run the show. “As long as I live it will be done appropriately, and it will be done for industry,” Baumann says. “Universities miss this sometimes, working towards tenure and publications and the Ivory Tower academia sort of stuff. What we need is practical academia — people who can do the thinking and get their hands dirty.”
For the 30-36 students who figure to be involved in one way or another, the PRBC offers unsurpassed access. “There aren’t a lot of jobs coming up in government, so most of them will end up in private industry,” Baumann suggests. “They aspire to be greenhouse managers and researchers. There are jobs galore and I’ve just heard you can make over $150,000 as a really good grower. In 2050 this planet is supposed to have nine billion people. The challenge for agriculture will be to feed them all, and while I’ll be long gone by then, I’m hoping what we’re doing now lays the framework for whoever follows me to meet that challenge.”
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Agriculture ready for 2014 A key player in Chilliwack’s economy Farms by type:
Agriculture in Chilliwack by the numbers
Bee farms: 20 Rabbit farms: 10 Llama and alpaca: 26 Mink farms: 2 Goat farms: 48 Horses and ponies: 167 Hens and chickens: 270 Turkey: 26 Other poultry: 50 Sheep and lambs: 65 Swine: 23 Beef cows: 87 Dairy cows: 148 Cattle and calves: 308
Top 5 ag employers: Rainbow Greenhouses Hi-Pro Feeds Cannor Nurseries Inline Nurseries Fraser Valley Duck & Goose Source: CEPCO
Estimated value of economic activity in Chilliwack: $700 million. Percentage of local labour force involved in agriculture: 7 per cent. Estimated growth in agriculture from 2006 to 2011: 16 per cent Investment in agriculture in Chilliwack over the past five years: $2.5 billion.
Number of farms in Chilliwack: 939. Estimated value of farm receipts in Chilliwack: $360 million Percentage of revenue generated by dairy farms: 50 per cent Annual cash wages for 445 of the 939 farms responding: $48.5 million Source: Statistics Canada
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Food processing ready for 2014 Johnston’s meats...
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Johnston’s custom meat cutters has been working ferociously at boosting the market for B.C. pork. For four straight years, Johnston’s has been highly visible at trade shows and charity events, it’s sponsored several barbecue competitions, and has worked with B.C. chefs to get the best from its product. Heck, it even pushed out bacon-loving T-shirts with the meme ‘Bacon is a vegetable’ that were first made as an in-house joke, but quickly turned viral, resulting in five more shirts made for retail. All to boost B.C. pork’s value.
Proudly Supporting Pr Chilliwack’s Farming Chil Community for over 100 Years
“We’re trying to educate people about us, about the industry, about B.C. pork, right down to how to cook it,” said Bonnie Windsor, Johnston’s assistant plant manager. “We’re trying to bring value to B.C. pork. We’re trying to show people that B.C. pork is an awesome product, a lean product, a healthy product, a versatile product, you can do so much with pork.”
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The recent push came after Johnston’s started seeing its local farmers struggling; some shutting down operations altogether. Six years ago, the custom meat cutters had 26 producers, now it has 17.
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“They were going broke,” said Windsor. “Pig prices have been in the tank, hog farmers were losing upwards of $100 a hog, and consumers haven’t necessarily been willing to pay fair prices for pork.”
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Local farmers have struggled to shake the “cheap meat” label that’s plagued the hog industry for years.
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“As a Canadian, it really bothers me that our hog farmers, especially in this province, the very people who grow our food are forced to go to a food bank to feed their families,” said Windsor. “It is so unfair to our
JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
local farmers. It costs just as much, if not more to raise a hog as it does beef. “My goal is to take pork off of sale. I’m trying to increase prices so we keep our farmers in business.” When Johnston’s was approached by BC Pork four years ago to help market the industry, it had no clue how to go about doing so. “Until four years ago, we had never advertised in the history of our company, and we didn’t need to; our product grew by word of mouth,” said Windsor. Still, the company has had a long history supporting small, family owned, Fraser Valley farms. It didn’t take convincing for Johnston’s to jump on board. Johnston’s was founded in 1937 by Chilliwack native Carmen Johnston. A small operation located in a barn on Young Road, it employed one full-time and one parttime employee, and offered custom slaughtering services to local farmers. Now, more than 75 years later, it’s located on Promontory, employs and supports over 120 families in the Fraser Valley, and is still owned by a member of the original Johnston family. Don Ball, Carmen Johnston’s nephew, started working at the shop in his teens; in 1968, he purchased it. His son, Mat Ball, is now being groomed to take over. Every day, 10 Johnston’s trucks go into the Lower Mainland delivering B.C. product; two loads a week to the Okanagan; two loads to Vancouver Island; and one to two loads up North. Typically, the hogs are transported to the abattoir Sunday night, processed Monday morning, chilled overnight, then broken down first thing Tuesday morning, and loaded onto the various trucks by 10 a.m. Continued on page 9
The Chilliwack Progress Wednesday, June 25, 2014
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Food processing’s ready for 2014 ...Bringing home the bacon “It’s in the butcher’s showcase by the afternoon – it’s that fresh,” said Windsor. “We’ve grown simply by putting out quality product and word of mouth.” Johnston’s has had its issues over the years. It used to have a bad reputation as a rough place to work with “every drug dealer, jail bird, criminal,” working the floor. There wasn’t a day that went by where two guys weren’t scrapping or pulling knives on each other, said Windsor. When she set out to clean house she was repeatedly told she wouldn’t be able to do it, that that was the nature of abattoirs. But Windsor, never one to back down from a challenge, set out to prove the naysayers wrong. Now, 15 years later, it’s a place to be proud to work for, said Windsor. “I am so proud of my staff. We have the most awesome staff on the planet. Seriously, it’s an awesome culture,” she said. The company has never had a layoff, not even in tough times. And when a member of the “family” is in need, everyone steps up in support. That culture, said Windsor, is reflected in the quality of product going out. One of the biggest challenges Johnston’s, and subsequently B.C. hog farmers, face is competing with the commodity market. Because farmland and resources is more expensive in B.C., the number of hogs being farmed is limited compared to that of the prairie
provinces or South Carolina where “there’s more hogs than people.” For years, Johnston’s operated at 80 per cent commodity, 20 per cent niche; it couldn’t compete. “We were having to sell product for less than cost just to get rid of it,” said Windsor, who in the last four years has helped flip those numbers. “We’re not Maple Leaf. We’ve never been Maple Leaf. We don’t want to be Maple Leaf. We don’t want to grow to be this huge company. We want to remain a family size with our great little staff up on the hill pumping out awesome product.” B.C. hogs are typically grown 20 kilograms smaller than anywhere else in Canada or the U.S. It’s a leaner meat that’s not being travelled hundreds of miles. And with Johnston’s, it’s not being pumped full of saline or other such preservatives either, adding to the overall priced weight. “We don’t want to ever turn into commodity; we want to stay in the quality game,” said Windsor.
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That means that even though Johnston’s will always be limited by the number of hogs B.C. produces, it can continue to evolve in other ways such as producing different forms of bacon, hams, sausages and other such cured meats. “If you tried our bacon, you would never go back, I swear to you,” said Windsor. To find Johnston’s meats, as well as other B.C. meats, visit the new BC Meats phone app, which lists every store and restaurant B.C. meats can be found in the province.
9 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS • 8915 McElwee Rd. Rosedale • Chilliwack Central & Broadway (across from Highroad Academy) • Knight & Vedder (by Fraser Valley Meats) • Alexander Ave. (by Fraser Valley Meats) • Vedder Village Plaza (Sardis) • Yale Road West (beside Easy Flo/Contact Security) • South Prest Rd. (7899 Prest Rd.) • Minter Country Garden • Hope (Old Hope Princeton Way)
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FRESH BLUEBERRIES W W W. C H I L L I W A C K B L U E B E R R I E S . C O M Johnston’s meats is proud of its products and proud of its staff.
JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
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Continued from page 8
by: Katie Bartel
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
The Chilliwack Progress Wednesday, June 25, 2014
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Dairy farming ready for 2014 Striving for the highest standards of care
by: Jennifer Feinberg
Chilliwack dairy farmer Devan Toop was 21 when he took the reins of the family business, Toop Farms in Greendale.
rebuilding the farm. To account for the future family that would need to be supported by their dairy, Richard, Allan and Devan created a plan to expand Toop Farms and grow the herd significantly. They went ahead purchased more quota and updated their facilities; building a new main barn with larger stalls, easier access to feed and better ventilation for the cows, a new parlor to milk the cows faster in a cleaner, quieter environment, and renovating heifer and calf barns, calving pens and creating a separate maternity area and hospital pen for better management of their herd.
For some that may seem a little young, but he’d already been helping out around the farm since he was about six. “Even at a young age, I’d feed calves or shovel poop with a pitchfork. That was just a part of life.� It took him some time to come around completely to the idea, but today he’s proud to be the sixth generation to farm the land his family has owned for more than 140 years. Back when he was 17, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, as the only son of his family. As a teen, you don’t necessarily like to think your life is predestined. He worked retail jobs when he was in Manitoba at school, and even spent a summer out in Winnipeg doing landscaping. Two
His management style these days?
Devan Toop, seen here with his dog Pedro, in his family’s dairy barn. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
years into his business degree, still unsure of what the future held for him, he came back to the farm during spring break.
“It all just clicked. You don’t really appreciate working with family until you get out and do something else, which I did.�
Once he was back on the farm, it became clear.
He returned to university and discovered he could
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incorporate his previous studies with the faculty of agriculture, and in 2005 graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agri-Business Management. The next step was
“I aim to create an environment where everyone enjoys being here — especially the cows.� Devan, 31, works with his dad, Richard, 58, and grandfather, Allan, 83, for Toop Farms. Continued on page 12
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The Agriculture Centre of Excellence supports hands-on learning opportunities and partnership with the agricultural industry. Learn how you and your business can be involved in the future of agriculture education in BC. For a customized presentation or an onsite tour, please contact Karina Chow at karina.chow@ufv.ca or 604-851-6329
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
Dairy farming ready for 2014 ...Striving for the highest standards of care
by: Jennifer Feinberg
involves feeding calves, cleaning bunkers and getting feed ready for the next day. “A healthy cow is happy cow,” Toop says simply. “The better the shape they’re in, the better it is. It sounds simple but it is a lot of work.” The fertile Fraser Valley has been good to them. This is true despite the fact that it is an exceedingly hard time to be a dairy farmer right now.
Devan Toop leads a herd of young cattle on his family’s dairy farm. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Continued from page 11
Grandpa works with the young stock, while dad takes care of the feeding the milking herd and field work. Devan is the herd manager, and in charge of human resources. If he isn’t called to aid in the delivery of calves in the morning, his day usually begins with
helping with the end of the morning milking before looking after the hospital cows. After the milking is finished, cows that have come into heat are gathered and artificially inseminated by either Devan or their main farmhand Ron. After that, there is young stock, dry cows and the maternity cows to feed. The afternoon usually
Dairy abuse allegations at one the largest dairy farms in Canada have rocked the very foundations of the tightly-knit community. Everyone is holding their breath awaiting Crown counsel’s decision about forthcoming cruelty charges.
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and strengthening the regulations. “I want the world to know that the overwhelming majority of dairy farmers were very disappointed by what happened. “We have a conscience. We care about what we do.” When he, and the rest of the farming community, watched the story break, and go viral in terms of its reach, many grew enraged. What he saw on the video was completely inexcusable and certainly not the norm.
withstand and move on from the many critics tarring all operations with one brush. “I’m not setting us up to be the gold standard. There are a lot of great dairy farms and great farmers. We need to get a message out about our industry. We want people to know we are hard-working members of the community and we take our jobs very seriously.” Every day they employ high standards of care with their animals, and don’t tolerate abuse.
It’s been a supremely emotionally charged debate.
“Take hock lesions for example. There’s been some suggestion that the infected, open sores seen on the video are normal with dairy cows. They’re not. We work hard to prevent them by properly bedding the stalls, and if necessary moving those cows to packs so their condition can improve”
“I hope that we can ultimately grow from this, with some improvements coming forth.”
They have fairly large sized dairy herd at Toop Farms in Chilliwack on Yale Road West and other sites.
As usual, everyone has an opinion.
Before the animal welfare group Mercy for Animals Canada released the video earlier this month, with scenes of horrific abuse against dairy cows, the industry, through groups like the B.C. Dairy Association, had been working steadfastly toward updating practices
“The loudest voice however, doesn’t always have the most correct information,” he says judiciously.
The industry has to
Continued on page 17
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Farmers’ market ready for 2014 To market, to market
by: Jennifer Feinberg
Farmers’ markets are red-hot and growing in popularity.
local pork producer with her husband Ard, at Verard Farms.
New ones are popping up all over the place.
The market philosophy is “make it, bake it, or grow it.”
In fact a new farmers’ market just opened last Saturday near Five Corners Park in Downtown Chilliwack.
People often love the romantic ideal of a market, but to make it worthwhile for the vendors, there has to be a solid show of support by the community as well, Hoogeveen says.
The first market on June 21 saw most of the vendors sold out of everything they brought with them, says Lisa Peach, manager of the Downtown Chilliwack Farmers’ Market.
Chilliwack BIA officials see the market as a very positive development.
“I think it’s going to get crazy busy,” she predicts. “Next week we’ll have even more vendors and more variety.” It’s early in the season but they expect up to a dozen vendors next week at downtown location where the old Empress Hotel used to be. “The feedback has all been so positive. People are glad it’s back and people are very happy to see it downtown,” says Peach. “It’s going to be fantastic for consumers and for the community bringing it together.” The new market joins existing local markets in Chilliwack
Verna Hoogeveen (left) is the president and Lisa Peach is the market manager of the Downtown Chilliwack Farmers’ Market. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
like the Eco Market on Wednesdays, and the Cultus Lake Market in the Park on Saturdays. Farmers and vendors started a market several years ago in the parking lot of Minter Country Garden store, says DT Chilliwack Farmers’ Market
president Verna Hoogeveen. “Unfortunately that did not turn out to be a good location for us to grow. Many of us were looking for an opportunity to change locations of the market.” Fast forward to the present.
They discussed the idea with the Downtown Chilliwack BIA and found they were very supportive of the idea of moving it downtown, just south of Five Corners. “We hope this one will allow us to grow and expand from here,” says Hoogeveen, a
“We are excited about the farmers’ market,” said BIA executive director Kyle Williams. “There was an opportunity to partner with organizers to help bring it downtown, and the BIA is happy to be working with them. “We have a great location, with lots of room to grow and plenty of parking in the area.” The DT Chilliwack market runs every Saturday, from June 21 to October 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Across the province, there are over 125 farmers’ markets to choose from. In addition to Continued on page 15
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Farmers’ markets To market, to market Continued from page 3
by: Jennifer Feinberg overall the consumer is much more informed today.”
is pleased to salute the efforts of
locally grown food and agri-food products, the markets have activities like live music, children’s activities, and more.
They have cucumbers, strawberries, zucchini, carrots, beets, potatoes, and greens ready so far this summer, with more veggies coming soon.
Reps from Forstbauer’s Family Natural Food Farm are perennial attendees at several markets across the Lower Mainland, including the new Chilliwack one.
Forstbauer family members proudly represent the farm at a range of different farmers’ markets on a typical Saturday, Sunday or even during the week in some cases.
The incredible growth of the farmers’ market phenomena means a chance to tell their stories.
They’ve shifted from mainly wholesale and retail sales, to a little wholesale, zero or minimal retail, and most of their efforts going to sell at the various farmers’ markets.
Mary and her husband Hans are pioneers in B.C. organic farm world, using biodynamic principles on the farm for decades. A “biodynamic” approach is one where the farmers grow “in harmony” with nature, harnessing the sun with cold-frame greenhouses for example, and building up the soil rather than amending it later. “The farmers’ market experience gives us the opportunity to educate everyone about the difference between certified organic, no-spray and naturally grown produce,” says Forstbauer. It’s that crucial conversation between the consumer and the farmer that interests her. “Education is a big part of what we do. We still have a lot of customers who come to the market looking for bananas and oranges,” she says. “But
It helps if there are community activities to entertain and enthrall market customers, she says. That can be children’s activities, live music, food truck support or even a table for reading newspapers. Everyone from foodies and health enthusiasts to regular folk regularly seek out markets for in-season fruit and vegetables. “People come looking for fresh produce, picked just that morning if possible. That’s a big difference from buying from a store where it was picked a week ago.”
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
Agriculture ready for 2014 Issues and education Chilliwack’s Rural Issues Advisory Committee is currently hosting a series of open houses, hoping to hear from residents living outside the city’s more urban areas. The meetings are a chance to share information and concerns with committee members, who will then take them back to city council. June 24 was the first of four open houses. The remaining three include: • Yarrow Community – Thursday, June 26 – Yarrow Community Hall, 4670 Community Street. • Greendale Community – Tuesday, July 8 – Greendale Fire Hall, 6485 Sumas Prairie Road. • Rosedale Community – Thursday, July 10 – Camp River Community Hall, 50246 Camp River Road. All open houses start at 7 p.m. Dan Oostenbrink (left) co-owner of Local Harvest Market on Lickman Road shows kids and parents of the YMCA’s MEND program a flock of chickens during a tour of the farm and market last Saturday. MEND, which stands for Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it, is a free program giving children, and their families, the tools necessary to embrace a healthier lifestyle. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
For more information, email Jacqueline at morgan@chilliwack. com, or call 604.793.2934.
Safe tilling starts with you! If you have pipelines on or near your land, it’s important to contact the pipeline operator prior to conducting deep tilling or ground disturbance activities greater than 30cm in depth. Be safe. Verify the safe working depth and locations of nearby pipelines. BC One Call www.BCOneCall.bc.ca 1-800-474-6886
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Dairy farming ready for 2014 ...Standards of care
by: Jennifer Feinberg them. I want all my cows to be happy.”
Continued from page 12
They are milking about 270 cows (double the province average of 135) twice a day, once at 2 a.m. and then again at 2 p.m. There are about 570 head in total, including dry stock and calves on the 200 acres or so of land the family owns. But the whole debate about animal welfare is not easily tied to the size of the operation. “There are farms much larger than mine are run fantastically well, while in contrast there are much smaller ones that are not.” The most important factor, like almost every business, is the employees. “In the end it’s the people that make or break who we are, and we hold ourselves to a very high standard.” Their family farm is not a “factory farm” operation. But that may be a distinction some have trouble making. Devan has always been welcome to opening his farm to anyone who would like a tour. They raise their young stock, grow grass and corn that they feed their cows, and have pasture up the road from the main farm where they keep pregnant cows over the summer. “These are animals I have personally raised and I have a connection with
He knows that very loud noises can spook a 1,600-lb cow. “I’m very calm when I walk into my barn and when I am handling my cows, but not all people have the patience and control to work at a dairy farm. I have fired employees in the past who were loud and abusive to my cows. I don’t tolerate it.” It’s care and attention to the details. That means sticking to the very high standards of the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. Many in the industry are working with BC SPCA to get it into law.
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014 The Chilliwack Progress
Farm gate foods Earning national acclaim
“On this farm, we’re the experts.”
Debra Amrein-Boyes has earned plenty of awards over the years for the artisan cheeses she’s created at Farm House Natural Cheeses. And most local cheese lovers would drool at the mere thought of a herb and garlic encrusted fromage frais, a smooth goat brie, or a perfectly crumbly feta.
Sean Gorrill – FCC Customer
Now the Agassiz cheese maker has done it again, winning two awards at the 2014 Canadian Cheese Awards. More of Canada’s farm experts choose to do business with FCC
But it was not an overly exotic type of cheese that won the hearts of the judges at the 2014 Canadian Cheese Awards.
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Instead, it was something that many people use every day — cheddar cheese. Amrein-Boyes’ clothbound cheddar won for Best Aged Cheddar category (national), and Best British Columbia Cheese. The awards were conducted by industry professionals, and were the first of what’s expected to be a biennial event. It’s a huge honour, she said, and “confirmation that the way we make cheese and the way we raise milk is good.” Almost every cheese producer makes a cheddar, meaning Farm House’s offering was competing against a large pool of contenders. But the cheddar they produce is far from what you’ll find in a big box supermarket. Farm
by: Jessica Peters
House prides itself on creating entirely handmade cheeses, going so far as to raise the goats and cows directly on their own farm. “Over handling degrades the milk quality,” she said, breaking down the cheese and losing quality (and taste) every step of the way. Instead of leaving the delicate job to machines, Amrein-Boyes and her staff use gentle handling techniques to preserve the quality of the cheese. And while processed cheeses are aged in vacuum-sealed bags, their cheddar is bandaged with cheesecloth, sealed with lard, and aged for a minimum of 20 months. It’s that combination of tenderness, skill and knowledge that have earned Amrein-Boyes accolades throughout her 11 years at the helm of Farm House Natural Cheese. But there is something else to the magic of good cheese — the environment. “People like quality, and the quality of the grass, the earth and the air all come into play,” to create that distinctive Agassiz taste. To learn more about the Canadian Cheese Awards, visit www. cheeseawards.ca. To learn more about Farm House Natural Cheese, visit their shop at 5634 McCallum Road in Agassiz.
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Farm gate foods It’s berry season in Chilliwack Roadside berry stands have already begun to spring up around Chilliwack. They are a sure sign of summer, and a great way to sample the bounty growing right in our backyard. Strawberries and raspberries have already arrived, and the blueberry season is right around the corner.
Blueberry Turkey Burgers
With that in mind, the BC Blueberry Council is sharing some new summer recipes to help bring families together in the kitchen and backyard. Ingredients
If you’re looking for a healthy and delicious grilling option, get the kids together in the kitchen to help mix up these Blueberry Turkey Burgers (recipe below) - they’re full of fresh herbs and the blueberries help keep them moist at high heat. Or toast Canada Day with a refreshing Blueberry Margarita or Blueberry Pink Lemonade for the kids. These easy recipes and more are available at www.bcblueberry.com. Fans of the little blue antioxidant powerhouses can visit the BC Blueberries Facebook page to be kept updated with news, recipes and more. Directions
- 1 lb Lean ground turkey Pre-heat a heavy bottom pan or barbecue to 350°F/175°C. In a - ¾ cup B.C. blueberries, fresh or frozen, bowl, mix all the burger ingredients roughly chopped and form four ¾” thick patties. - ¼ cup Green onion, chopped Keep refrigerated until ready to - 1 Large egg cook. Grease the grill with an - 1 tbsp whole grain mustard oiled paper towel, or heat the oil - 1 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped or 2 tsp dry in the pan. Place patties on the - 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dry pre-heated grill (or in pan), and - 1 tsp garlic, finely minced or dry sear on medium-high heat, cooking - 1 tsp paprika, mild or hot for approximately 5-7 minutes until - 1 tsp salt browned. Flip over, reduce the heat - ½ tsp black pepper to medium-low and finish cooking for another 5-7 minutes until internal - 2 tsp vegetable oil temperature reaches 165°F/75°C. - 3 tbsp barbecue sauce Brush with barbecue sauce and - 4 Whole grain burger buns serve on buns with condiments as desired.
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ENTRY DEADLINE: JUNE 27, 2014 Abbotsford 604-852-3646 200 – 2955 Gladwin Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5T4 Chilliwack 604-792-1376 P.O. Box 390, 9259 Main St, Chilliwack, BC V2P 6K2
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