42 Change for the better


We’ve already passed the gate, so to speak, on the first month of 2017 but my thoughts in February have been prompted by a couple of things happening in the farming sector of Powell River, the city I now call home. A slogan posted on Facebook first spurred


Wannabe Farmer LINDA WEGNER


these thoughts: “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right.” It’s a new year, after all, and each of us probably faces at least one new challenge. Excitement over possible good is always welcome.


A second comment, said to me by a friend and manager of the local Powell River Farmers’ Market organization, goes like this: “In order to move forward, we need to look to the future. We can’t live in the past.” Another great tidbit of wisdom and one worth contemplating. Now for a bit of background on the subject at hand. Looking back on the history of two farming-related organizations in our part of the world, those words are in the process of being implemented. Perhaps “tested” is also a good description of the steps being taken by the Powell River and District Agricultural Association (PRDDA) and the Powell River Farmers’ Institute (PRFI). PRDDA, launched in 1933 as the horticultural association, and the PRFI, founded in 1915, have been engaged in discussions over the past number of months. The groups now have agreed to amalgamate and later this month a meeting will be held to elect a board for the new organization. It’s my understanding that practicality and changing roles and responsibilities of the two groups have prompted the merger. I greatly admire the


spirit of moving forward and getting excited about positive results that could occur. Another annual, province-wide, local and well-established step in the right direction is Seedy Saturday. Somehow, I can’t imagine life without a backyard potato patch, raspberry bushes, beans and beets. Apart from the raspberry canes, I’ll need seed to replenish last year’s crop. I’ll also need seed for my caged tomatoes, and although that’s not what our local deer population had in mind, gardeners – like ranchers – have to exercise some measure of selfishness when it comes to protecting their assets and their efforts.


Then, there is the weather; the cold, specifically. Whether in the interior or near the ocean, dry or otherwise, it’s been brutally cold. Harking back to the exhortations regarding hope and facing challenges, it’s been both surprising and uplifting to see that in spite of the lack of degrees on the upward side of the thermometer, we still have some flowers blooming. A couple of primroses, heather bushes and house plants sitting in the unheated front porch valiantly display their blossoms. Reminds me a lot of farmers I’ve read about and even more compelling, farmers I know personally who have continued to carry on in spite of seemingly overwhelming odds. They might not like to be compared to flowers but they have the same effect: encouragement and hope that things will get better in the future. As if to reinforce the lesson, I just received notice that this is the time to start asparagus, leeks and onions. Another cause for optimism, if I could just stop shivering.


In closing, I’d like to remind us that the month of February hosts Valentine’s Day, a time to celebrate love. Be it love for your spouse or partner, your family, your community, your garden or your full-fledged farm or ranch, may this coming month be worthy of every step forward in the pursuit of what could go right.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • FEBRUARY 2017 BC welcomes new scientists by TOM WALKER


SUMMERLAND – Three new scientists have joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s West Coast research teams over the last six months. Soil scientist Aimé Messiga and entomologist Paul Abram have joined the Agassiz Research and Development Center, while research scientist Mehdi Sharifi will specialize in soil and nutrient management at the Summerland Research and Development Center. Messiga earned his doctorate from the University of Laval in Quebec and brings 15 years of study in soil and nutrient management. Most recently, he worked at Trent University’s School of the Environment in Peterborough, Ontario. Messiga’s research focuses on sustainable nutrient management for annual crops such as vegetables, forages and small fruits. Abram holds a doctorate from the University of Montreal and brings 11 years of experience to Agassiz. His expertise includes work in the behavioral ecology of insect parasitoids and its use in the control of invasive pests.


Abram will research


Consistant spreading. Quality forage.


biological control strategies for spotted wing drosophila, the brown marmorated stink bug and pests of greenhouse vegetables. He is also interested in a wide variety of organic and conventional crops, including berries, greenhouse and field vegetables, and tree fruits. Sharifi brings 15 years of expertise in soil and nutrient management to Summerland. A graduate of Isfahan University of Technology in Iran, his work focuses on sustainable nutrient management for perennial horticulture crops, including grapes, apples and cherries. He is interested in the use and management of cover crops and of soil amendments in horticultural crops.


Sharifi was recently the Canadian research chair in sustainable agriculture and an assistant professor at Trent University’s School of the Environment. He also served as the nutrient management research chair and an assistant professor in the


environmental sciences department of the Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie University (formerly the Nova Scotia Agricultural College).


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