2 SNOW havoc


freezing rain during the week- long storm. For the past few years, the BC Climate Action Initiative has been predicting more extreme weather events and this storm certainly qualifies. However, it is far from the record of 67 cm of snow that fell on Chilliwack November 16, 1996, or the 66 cm on February 14, 1923. Nor was the freezing rain a record. Nursery grower Gord Matthies recalls seeing two inches of ice on Cannor Nursery’s trees as a youth in the 1970s. “We lost all our trees that


year,” he recalled. The damage this year was


more sporadic. Matthies says Cannor lost many of its evergreens and a group of maples although other groups were unscathed. However, it is not his problem as the family sold the 380-acre wholesale and retail nursery in mid-December. “A number of caliper tree


growers (like Cannor) had damage from the freezing rain and melting snow,” reported BC Landscape and Nursery Association president Len Smit. Most nursery growers with dormant plants escaped damage, including Kato’s Nursery (where Smit is the production manager) and Bradner’s Growing Concern (where he is co-owner), but had to do a lot of work to keep up with snow removal. “The wind caused huge snowdrifts in west


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Abbotsford,” Smit said. “I had drifts to the top of my hoophouses (nine feet).” His brother was not so


lucky, losing about 600 square feet of his 20,000-square-foot glass floriculture greenhouse to the heavy snow. He was not alone, as one glasshouse in Chilliwack was lost completely. “Growers who didn’t have heat in their greenhouses had problems with the snowload,” Smit said. “I’ve heard of damaged vents and eaves in a number of glass houses.”


Dairy hit hard The dairy industry may


have suffered the most. Many milk pickups were delayed as tanker trucks could not get through. “We had two farms which had to dump some milk because their farms were not accessible,” reports BC Milk Marketing Board general manager Bob Ingratta. Although milk is to be picked up from each farm at least every other day, milk may stay on-farm for up to four days in exceptional circumstances (if there is sufficient storage capacity). There were also substantial


delays in getting milk from Okanagan farms to plants in the Fraser Valley as all three highways connecting the Lower Mainland to the BC interior were shut down on February 9. Ingratta said the impact on the dairy industry could have


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MARCH 2017


This Chilliwack greenhouse was one of dozens of Fraser Valley farm structures which collapsed or suffered other extensive damage as a result of a devastating snowstorm in early February. DAVID SCHMIDT PHOTO


been much worse if not for the effort of both transporters and producers. “Our compliments to


Vedder Transport for working around the clock and substantial extra efforts…they battled through a lot of poorly plowed driveways and roads and a lot of wind on Sumas Prairie,” he stated, adding “most producers did an excellent job working with the transporters to clear driveways and roads as needed.” Most of the milk got


through but not all of the buildings did. A dairy barn on Nicomen Island collapsed as


did a heifer barn in east Chilliwack. At least one farm lost part of its bunker silo while several others suffered some degree of damage. In the Nicomen Island case, the damage was not as severe as it could have been. The milk had been picked up just prior to the collapse and quick, concerted efforts by neighbouring farmers and the fire department were able to free most of the 80 cows trapped within the barn with few injuries. Poultry on two broiler


breeder farms were not as lucky. One broiler breeder barn in east Chilliwack


collapsed from the snow while another in east Abbotsford was lost due to fire a few days later. In that case, quick action by neighbours and the fire department kept the fire from spreading to other barns. Both the BC Egg Marketing


Board and BC Chicken Marketing Board reported no problems, noting there is some leeway as to when birds and eggs must be shipped. “Table eggs are normally


picked up once a week but can stay in an on-farm cooler for up to two weeks if necessary,” BCEMB executive director Katie Lowe said.


Snow hampers annual FCC event Sales Agronomist - Horticulture


Okanagan Fertilizer requires a Sales Agronomist to service our rapidly growing Lower Mainland horticulture client base. The successful applicant will be eager to increase sales and will excel within an incentive based compensation system. Post secondary education in agriculture or horticulture, business or a related field is preferred. Strong sales and communication skills are critical.


Job responsibilities include:


• Driving sales to new and existing clients by providing industry leading crop-input products and superior agronomic support.


• Meeting clients on-farm through daily travel within the Lower Mainland.


• Working with management in developing sales strategy and sales targets, including weekly reports of sales activity.


• Developing expertise in the areas of plant and soil fertility as well as weed, disease and insect management.


• Providing on-site soil sampling, plant tissue sampling, crop scouting and related agronomic services.


• Representing Okanagan Fertilizer at grower meetings, trade shows, industry events, etc.


Compensation will be based on sales performance and industry experience.


This position will be filled as soon as possible. Please send your resume to Ken Clancy by e-mail at ken@okfert.com


ABBOTSFORD – With many people still digging themselves out from under piles of snow and ice, both


the number of vendors and guests at the Farm Credit Canada business connection event in Abbotsford on


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February 9 was down from previous years. Although more than 20


vendors were scheduled to showcase their wares, about half a dozen of them were no-shows. Most vendors who cancelled were unable to get to the show because the weather had forced the closure of all three major highways linking the Fraser Valley with the BC interior and Okanagan.


One person who did not miss the event was FCC president and chief executive officer Michael Hoffort. Hoffort noted the host


Abbotsford office is not only one of the largest FCC offices in Canada but the one with the most diverse clientele. “We have other offices similar in size to Abbotsford but none match the diversity of its portfolio. The Niagara Peninsula also has a lot of diversity but it is spread over a much larger area. Nowhere else do we have such a diverse concentration of farms and agrifood processors,” Hoffort said as he wandered the floor meeting and greeting clients.


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