prunings A
ttendance at the 18th annual Pacific Agricultural Show this year set a record. Show
manager Jim Shepherd says more than 18,000 people crowded into the Tradex Centre at the Abbotsford Airport over three days in late January. The show featured more large exhibits than ever before and drew rave reviews from visitors. It’s obvious the show has outgrown the space. Plans to enlarge the Tradex Centre were shelved by the City of Abbotsford. Shepherd will again have to use his magical shoehorn if he hopes to improve upon this year’s success in 2017...
If your local government has done good things for agriculture, and deserves some time in the limelight, make sure it knows about the inaugural Leadership and Innovation in Agriculture Award, to be presented this September. The award is a partnership between the provincial government, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the B.C. Agriculture Council to recognize the role local governments play in helping to develop a diverse economy as well as local options for fresh, healthy and great-tasting meals. The winner will be recognized as a leader in establishing policies or programs that support farming and food production, and that have made agriculture a top planning priority in their community. It will have done such things as:
• Develop an exceptional agricultural area plan and agricultural economic development strategy.
• Include farmers and ranchers in its planning process.
• Increase the demand for local products.
• Attract youth into agriculture. • Support the sharing of surplus local foods with food banks and shelters. A full list of qualifying criteria is available at
www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/convention/A wards/15021/community-excellence-
awards-application.html... Agriculture Canada says farm incomes reached record levels in 2015 and are expected to remain well above average again this year. Income in 2015 totalled about $15 billion, an estimated six percent increase over 2014. The average net operating income in 2016 is forecast to reach $77,287. The average net worth per farm is expected to reach
$2.7 million this year... Meanwhile, according to Farm Credit Canada's latest annual survey, the average value of Canadian farmland increased 10.1 per cent during 2015, following gains of 14.3 per cent in 2014 and 22.1 per cent in 2013. "Overall, the average national values have continued to rise since 1993," FCC reports, noting that in all provinces, farmland values increased. Manitoba experienced the highest average rise at 12.4 per cent, followed by Alberta at 11.6 per cent, Quebec at 9.6 per cent and Saskatchewan at 9.4 per cent. The average value of British Columbia farmland increased 6.5 per cent last year, following a gain of 4.2 per cent in 2014. Values in the province have continued to climb since 2011. FCC says Vancouver Island experienced increased demand in 2015, with fewer properties being on the market for extended periods of time. The Lower Mainland, including the Fraser Valley, experienced increased market activity, which caused farmland values to move up slightly. Large parcels of land continued to be in high demand as there are generally few of these available at any given time. The south Okanagan saw a strong market driving a modest increase in values in some sectors, including an increase for properties growing high-demand cherry varieties. Similar to the previous year, the Kootenay area saw an increase in market activity, which translated to an increase in land values. One of the reasons for increased activity was the growing interest shown by producers from other higher priced marketplaces. Conversely, the Cariboo region of central B.C. and the northwest region,
including the Bulkley Valley, experienced limited market activity with minimal changes in land values. The Peace River region saw average sale prices for the year, despite a limited inventory of good quality farmland and properties being on the market for a shorter period. These parcels of land often sell privately to local producers... This year's Global Berry Congress, which had about 350 delegates in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, threw light not only on the strength of the berry sector but on the rapid rise of certain segments, chief among them blueberries. Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in Oregon, traced the nearly-forgotten origins of the blueberry, whose commercial production owes its existence to Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville. In the early 20th century, people didn’t think blueberries could be domesticated, but White, the daughter of a New Jersey farmer, was determined to grow a flourishing industry for cultivated blueberries. In 1911, she teamed up with Coville, a US Department of Agriculture botanist, to identify wild plants with the most desirable properties, crossbreed the bushes and create vibrant new blueberry varieties. Coville and White harvested and sold the first commercial crop of blueberries out of Whitesbog, NJ, in 1916. Brazelton warned of the effect continued growth rates in blueberry production will have, recommending a significant slowdown globally, while stressing the importance of affordability. “We have to make good, healthy fruits and vegetables affordable,” he stated, “and blueberries should be a leader in this...”
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22 British Columbia Berry Grower • Summer 2016
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