prunings T


he average value of farmland in British Columbia rose slightly during the second half of


2012, but the increase was far behind the national average of 10 percent, according to the latest numbers compiled by FarmCredit Canada (FCC). In its recently-released farmland


values report, FCC says a strong agricultural economy fuelled by low interest rates, growing world food demand and resulting higher commodity prices, continue to underpin a national increase that has continued for the past decade. Values in B.C. increased an average of 0.4 percent, following a decrease of 0.3 percent during the first half of the year. There was also little change inNew Brunswick andNewfoundland- Labrador.Quebec experienced the highest average increase at 19.4 percent. In the rural Lower Mainland, including the Fraser Valley, sale volumes and prices were stable. Demand for farmland between July and December 2012 came from field crop and dairy farmers.While demand for rural acreage properties is relatively steady, agriculture producers comprise the bulk of the farmland market. Vancouver Island had a limited


number of farmproperty sales, reflecting the overall real estatemarket in the region. The SouthOkanagan continued to see a significant number of listings with stable to softening prices. Being in a premiumlocation and having agricultural potentialmade individual propertiesmoremarketable. TheKootenay region saw a slow market with significant listing volumes in some areas. Lower demand from out-of-province buyers also limited sales. In the Cariboo region, the farmlandmarket remained relatively stable. Increased demand fromout-of- province buyers resulted in the sale of a number of larger ranches that had lengthy listing periods. The Northwest region, including the Bulkley Valley, experienced low demand and stable prices... For the past 2 1/2 years, Vancouver


Island's Coastal Black Estate Winery has been using local blackberries and honey to produce award-winning wines andmeads.With $16,300 in funding fromthe B.C. government's Buy Local Program, the winery will now try to achieve greater consumer awareness of their


Comox Valley MLA Don McRae samples wine at Coastal Black Estate Winery with owner Abel O'Brennan. The family-owned winery will use Buy Local funding to promote its award-winning products across Vancouver Island.


products. The 263-hectare (650-acre) fruit winery is based in the Comox Valley. All the fruit used is produced on the farmand bees are kept for pollinating the vineyard. Since the winery opened,most of its products have been bought by Vancouver Island residents. To take advantage of this, winery ownerAbelO'Brennan said they intend to refocus their advertising by putting an emphasis on buying locally. They will update their web site, run radio ads, produce a newsletter and improve their point-of-sale materials to help increase sales. The Buy Local programoffers successful applicantsmatching funds up to $100,000 to launch or expand local foodmarketing campaigns... Berries are a growingmarket in


Germany. That country's AgriculturalMarket Information Society says the cultivation area of berries has expanded by 15 percent to 6,730 hectares during the last seven


years,much of it in blueberries. Almost half the berry area in Germany is in Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg. In 2012, about 27,000 tonnes of berries were harvested, according to figures fromthe German Bureau of Statistics. At the same time, importation of berries also increased. It amounted to about 38,200 tonnes in 2012, almost eight percentmore than 10 years ago,mainly raspberries and blueberries… Continuing its consumption


campaign 'I Love 5 to 10 Servings a Day,' theQuebec ProduceMarketing Association has produced its eighth food guide for consumers, and this time Quebec-grown


cranberries are featured. TheQuebec CranberryGrowers Association assisted with development of the guide, which promotes the nutritional value of the fruit as well as inventive ways to incorporate it intomeals. Author and nutrition consultant Julie DesGroseilliers discusses how to prepare and store cranberries. The guide also includes recipes fromchef Hugo Joannette of theManoir du lacWilliamresort in central Quebec. Monique Thomas, executive director of the cranberry growers association, says the guide not only provides nutritional and cooking tips, it also includes information about the important role cranberries have in Quebec’s agricultural industry. It can be downloaded fromthe campaign website at www.jaime5a10.ca/en/tool, but you'll have to understand French in order to read it…


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E-mail: growersubs@omedia.ca Snail Mail: Suite 309, 151-32500 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC, Canada V2T 4W1


British Columbia Berry Grower • Summer 2013 19


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