up front By Bryden Winsby


Nation needs a real farming strategy I


t’s a lament that has been heard for years, and perhaps with more frequency lately: governments just


don’t seem to care enough about the present state and future prospects of agriculture in this country. With fewer farmers in the general population, and the average age of those who remain rising closer to senior-citizenship in many sectors, something certainly isn’t right. In this province, the bitterness about perceived political indifference by the feds is often reflected in the comment that they don’t seem to think agriculture even exists west of the Rockies. Well, similar sentiments are expressed on the other side of those mountains, too.


Ask the politicians, of course, and they’ll tell you they certainly do care about farming and farmers. They’ll point to the millions of dollars that have been allocated for improving productivity and profitability, or the development of land-use policies aimed at ensuring that agriculture can co-exist with urban expansion. All well and good, but not enough. In fact, the issue is national in scope; it goes beyond provinces and commodity organizations operating in isolation. It is complex, and requires more than occasional R&D help or a promotional effort that has limited impact and short shelf-life. Protecting farmland is well nigh pointless if earning a decent living on is too much of a challenge. From a consumer standpoint there is plenty of proof that high-quality, locally- grown food is hugely popular. The time has come for


governments at all levels to heed the call for a national food strategy. This issue features several stories on the approaches growers can take to improv e their bottom lines — from devoting some energy not just to their own operations but to their industry and general, to


establishment of national councils that will work toward a more coordinated approach to tackling common problems.


Generations have abandoned the hardships of rural life, whether from drought, pestilence, servitude, pitiful financial return — even the bright lights of the city (as in the post-First


4 British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2011


World War ditty, ‘How Ya Gonna to Keep ’em Down on The Farm?’ about returning soldiers who are likely to forsake rake or plow “after they’ve seen Paree”).


A national strategy, if it is comprehensive


and ‘doable,’ should give the farmers of today and tomorrow many more good reasons to stay than to go. Accusing government of ignoring agriculture completely is absolutely unwarranted. Otherwise, there would be no such thing as the Pacific Agri- food Research Centre, whose Agassiz facility is marking its 125th anniversary this year. Its story is much the story of farming in the Fraser Valley, but goes well beyond that. From Canada’s largest collection of different tree species to work on other plants ranging from wheat and fruits, as well as livestock, the facility has a well-deserved international reputation.


One of the first five “experimental stations” established by the federal government, Agassiz, like many public and private operations, has had to endure ups, downs, renovations and


restructurings over years, as Associate Editor Judie Steeves relates in this issue, helped by the facility’s ‘historian,’ Victoria Brookes.


Elsewhere, the topic of pest management gets attention from invasive plant specialist Jeanne Hughes, who describes how bugs can help control weeds, and we offer an update on efforts to contain the spread of that most unwelcome bug, Spotted Wing Drosophila.


On the research side, there’s a story about a study being done to get an even better handle on the health benefits of blueberries. Specifically, what’s being looked at is the anti-inflammatory qualities that scientists believe can be helpful for people with heart disease, brain disease or even vision diseases. Finally, while water scarcity might be anything but top-of-mind, given our soggy spring and early summer, there is a need for legislation to ensure a safe, economical supply for farming. A committee set up by the B.C. Agriculture Council is working to make sure that happens.


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