prunings B
ritish Columbia families will learn more about the province’s farmers and food producers as a
result of $75,000 the Ministry of Agriculture is providing to the B.C. Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions. The funding is to help promote agriculture and supports implementation of the association’s five-year strategic plan. It is a non- profit organization with 48 member fairs and exhibitions. About 1.6 million people have visited B.C. fairs in 2011. “The strongest impact that fairs provide is the wonderful lasting memories for all their guests, including families and young generations as they experience the touch, smell and full connection to B.C. agriculture in their lives,” said association president Leah North Hryko...
The federal-provincial Growing Forward program has allocated $14,000 to the blueberry council for continued work on assessing the threat posed by Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) and Cherry Fruitworm. The money was included in more than $1 million dispensed by Growing Forward to nearly two dozen B.C. agricultural organizations during the first quarter of fiscal 2011-12. The B.C. Fruit Growers' Association is getting $16,500 for its SWD assessment work, and the B.C. Cranberry Marketing Business Development Unit receives $3,500 for management short-course speakers...
In a move to increase its presence in the berry categories, Dole Food Co. Inc. has acquired SunnyRidge Farm Inc., based in Winter Haven, Florida. SunnyRidge has growers and company-owned acreage throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Mexico. The company also works with growers in various other regions in
North and South America, including B.C., to provide blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries year-round. In a news release, Dole officials said the acquisition would provide a “strategic complement to our existing fresh and frozen berry operations, both of which have previously focused on strawberries...”
Matthew Holmes, executive director of the Canada Organic Trade Association, is the first Canadian elected to the board of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. COTA represents the organic sector for North America as an affiliate of the Organic Trade Association. “Through my work at COTA, I have worked to bridge the organic sectors in North America through cooperation and trade equivalency,” Holmes said. “I now hope to bring that experience to the world stage and ensure that we continue to speak as one on the issues facing organic farmers, businesses and consumers around the world.” IFOAM members elected Holmes to a three- year term Oct. 4 at its World Congress in South Korea. Ten board members were selected from a group of 20 candidates and will represent Africa, North America, Oceania, Asia, South America and Europe... Per capita blueberry consumption in the United States reached 33.7 ounces — including 17.8 ounces of fresh — in 2011, according to the North American Blueberry Council. The 33.7 ounces was up from 32.1 the previous year, and fresh consumption had more than doubled, from 7.3 ounces in 2005-06 to last year’s 17.8, according to the council. Canadian consumption of blueberries averaged about 25 ounces per capita in
Moving?
If you’ve got a new address, make sure we know about it, so delivery of your BC Berry Grower will continue uninterrupted.
Name _______________________________________ Old Address: __________________________________ _____________________________________________ New Address: _________________________________ _____________________________________________
Mail to Suite Suite 309, 151-32500 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 4W1 Phone:778-755-4355 or E-mail
growersubs@omedia.ca
22 British Columbia Berry Grower • Winter 2011-12
2008, according to Statistics Canada... Funding reductions have caused a cutbacks in the frequency of fruit and vegetable crop estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Board said funding reductions in fiscal year 2011 — and the prospect of additional restrictions in fiscal year 2012 — forced it to eliminate or reduce reports. The agency said its potato stocks report is scheduled to change from monthly report to quarterly. Fruit and vegetable in-season forecasts and estimates are being reduced from monthly and quarterly to an annual report. The USDA also said it will reduce the frequency of commodity coverage in agency’s chemical use reports, and will eliminate reports on nursery production, bees and honey, and hops production, among others... A new Canadian farm safety awareness program for young workers is now available online. Passport to Farm Safety is a web- based test aimed at young and new workers who are working or planning to work on farms or in other agricultural settings. It was created to help Canada address the more than 110 farm fatalities and other serious, life- altering injuries that occur each year, according to Safe Communities Canada, the group that launched the tool. "Reaction to Passport to Farm Safety has been overwhelmingly positive," Sarah Goodhope, the program’s manager. "We look forward to releasing this exciting new product to a wider audience." The program covers workplace safety basics, general WHMIS concepts and workplace rights and responsibilities. In particular, the test focuses on farm-specific hazards such as tractors, heavy machinery and working with animals. "We feel that farm safety is a really important area that needs a more focused approach," said Goodhope. "We took our very successful general workplace safety test, the Passport to Safety Challenge for Teens, and adapted it for the agriculture industry."
Passport to Farm Safety was developed with and reviewed by farm safety experts from across Canada. Throughout September, it was piloted in communities across the country. More information about the program can be found at:
ww.passporttofarmsafety.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24