32 ECOLOGY & FARMING
said Melnychuk. “There’s a spot upstream by the house where the bank erosion is much more severe.”
Something has to be done to prevent safety issues to the Simpsons, the animals and the creek. Erosion of the bank causes sediment and this creek is habitat not only for salmon but also other much more rare species according to Mike Pearson, biologist with Pearson Ecological.
“Ecologically, this is a very important property,” Pearson said. “The Nooksack Dace and Salish Sucker [both endangered] are at risk because there is only a small area they populate.”
Melnychuk notes there will be a combination of approaches used in this section of Bertrand Creek incorporating trees and other methods.
“We think of it [trees] as a low-tech solution,” he said. “That low-tech solution is better or complementary to the high-tech. We’ll start
where it’s more critical, then move on.”
Simpson is optimistic about the ESI program and how it can help deal with the issues faced on her property. “We were going to have to do something anyway,” she said. “So I think this is great. I’d like to see the program go across the province and across the country.”
In Simpson’s case, she will be paying for the majority of the repairs to the bank but the money from the program and the advice certainly help.
Funding
“Funding is of primary concern,” noted Zehnder. “Unfortunately, creeks and streams aren’t seen like a road or a sewer when those are built or repaired.”
He further explained that while this is simply a research and development phase of what will hopefully be a future program, the ultimate goal is a larger roll-out.
“Farms affect so much PUSHING THE LIMITS OF nfrom page 31
more than food production,” he said. “The human population is going through the roof and if we don’t get [preservation programs for rural landscapes] right, we’re really in trouble.”
The end goal of the three- year program is to pay farmers to take the steps necessary to preserve land, streams and other ecologically valuable areas. By working with ESI, farmers will have one point of contact to develop the farm plans and prevent the need for contacting multiple organizations for input and the funding.
Once the pilot program is complete, Zehnder and Melnychuk believe there will be a solid business case to present to potential funders to create a pool money from various sources.
Zehnder says it’s about preserving the things everyone loves: fishing, swimming and enjoying nature while respecting the job the farmer does.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2016 Better butter by PETER MITHAM
LANGLEY – “You are what you eat,” and in the case of Canada’s dairy products, you may be what the cow eats, too. A recent study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry by UBC-Okanagan biologist Sanjoy Ghosh identifies Canada’s butter as having the highest level of omega-6 fatty acids of any from 13 countries. Russia and Belarus had the least.
Omega-6 fatty acids are most commonly found in safflower, sunflower and corn oils, all of which are used for cooking, as well as nuts and seeds. Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends its consumption in moderation because it may lower beneficial forms of cholesterol. Other research has linked it to heart disease and certain cancers.
Ghosh and fellow researcher Amy Botta set out to examine the effect of incorporating of oilseeds rich in omega-6 fatty acids into the diet of dairy cattle. The pair expected butter from countries with more than 5% of their agricultural land dedicated to oilseed production would have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids in their butter. This turned out to be the case, impacting the quality – and potential health effects – of butter on the general population.
While milk consumption across Canada has fallen in the past decade, from approximately 83.6 litres per person in 2006 to less than 75 litres today (milk consumption in BC is typically 10 litres less than the national average), uptake of other forms of dairy – especially cheese and butter – have increased.
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“Canadians consume more dairy than they did previously but they do it differently. They don’t do it through fluid milk; they do it through other dairy products,” notes Trevor Hargreaves, BC Dairy’s director of producer relations and communications. Ghosh warns that while the difference in fat composition may be significant, most consumers in Canada don’t consume enough butter to increase the threat to their health. Still, the findings are an endorsement of the diets of those who consider grass-fed livestock a healthier choice for dairy and meat products. The findings also support efforts to improve forage resources for BC livestock, such as the trials the BC Forage Council has been undertaking near Vanderhoof and work in the Applied Sustainable Ranching program at Thompson Rivers University.
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