MARCH 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Enderby milk producer recognized


for farm leadership Sold-out gala honoured farm leaders and advocates


by DAVID SCHMIDT


ABBOTSFORD – Lorne Hunter of Enderby has received the 2017 BC Agriculture Council Award for Excellence in Agriculture Leadership.


Doug Grimson of Hub


International Insurance presented Hunter with the award at the sold-out BC Ag Gala in Abbotsford, January 25. Billed as a Celebration of Champions of Agriculture, the evening also included awards for John and Janet Penner of Sorrento, Karla Stroet of Abbotsford and Joe and Andy Bachmann of Pitt Meadows. Hunter, with his wife Charlotte, purchased his uncle’s 200-acre dairy farm in 1984 and spent may years as an extremely active volunteer. A member of the Kamloops


Okanagan Dairy Association, he was a director of the BC Dairy Association for 12 years, serving as its vice-president and finance committee chair. He also represented dairy on the BCAC board of directors from 2013 to 2016. His biggest contribution to BC agriculture has arguably been chairing the BCAC Water Committee since 2010. “Without the countless


hours Lorne put in attending meetings, participating in conference calls and being a guinea pig testing the licensing processes, I can’t imagine how tough it would be to get a groundwater license today,” BCAC chair Stan Vander Waal said, noting that Hunter continues to lend his experience to the water committee despite retiring last year. Calling him a steadfast


advocate of advancing standards, sustainability and strong governmental policy to assure a healthy industry for the future, Vander Waal said Hunter’s insight, ethics and knowledge “will be missed.” The Penners received the new Scotiabank Champion of Agriculture – Succession Planning Award from Scotiabank national head of agriculture Janice Holzscherer. Scotiabank created the new


award to recognize the critical importance of succession planning as many of today’s farmers approach and enter retirement. “When we look at the


overall health of an operation, we put significant emphasis


on intergenerational transfers,” notes Scotiabank senior client relationship manager Kim Ross.


A second- and third- generation poultry farming family, the Penner Poultry Group has expanded from its beginnings in Abbotsford to include egg-laying operations in Sorrento, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. “The Penners have


impressed us immensely with their proactive approach to succession,” Holzscherer said. “They have taken the necessary steps to ensure the longevity and success of their farming operations by including their four children as shareholders and partners in the business.”


Outstanding teacher


Stroet was the recipient of the 2016 Outstanding Teacher Award from the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC).


A teacher at Terry Fox Elementary in Abbotsford, Stroet is involved in such BCAITC programs as Spuds in Tubs, Planting a Promise, the Pencil Patch, the Harvest Bin Project and the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program. “Karla has been an ambassador of agriculture education not only with her students but with her colleagues as well. She leads by example in agriculture education and motivates other colleagues around her to do the same.” The Bachmann brothers


received the #AgSafetyChamp of the year from AgSafe executive director Wendy Bennett.


Bennett lauded the second- generation dairy farmers for putting workplace safety first, noting they regularly review work environments and safety protocols. Some of their improvements include putting barriers around their manure pit and hayloft and ensuring PTO guards are in place on all equipment. They even take time to have a safety meeting with every custom worker and contactor that comes on site. The award concluded a


year-long #AgSafetyChamp safety awareness campaign. That sought to increase awareness about workplace safety in BC’s agriculture sector and to get the community talking and


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BCAC chair Stan Vander Waal, left, and Doug Grimson of Hub Insurance, right, presented the BC Agriculture Council Award for Excellence in Agriculture Leadership to dairyman Lorne Hunter and wife Charlotte at the BC Agriculture Gala in late January. CATHYGLOVER PHOTO


sharing information about best practices. “We received over 100


good safety tips from all sectors and people of all ages who had different responsibilities in their workplace,” Bennett said. She notes that with the help of AgSafe’s training and education programs, BC afarmers and ranchers have reduced the number of farm fatalities by 50% and accident claims by 27% over the past


10 years. Although this was a one-


year campaign, AgSafe plans to follow it up with monthly profiles of ag safety leaders on its website.


While the gala saluted champions of agriculture, BC Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick championed agriculture itself, noting BC agriculture has grown by 4% a year since 2011, achieving a record $440 million in net cash income last year.


BC agriculture and seafood


exports reached $3.5 billion in 2016. Since $2.5 billion goes to the US, the export total could drop, said Letnick, admitting “the future is uncertain when it comes to the US market.”


He noted this was his


fourth time addressing the gala as agriculture minister, adding in a clear reference to the coming election, “I hope to address you for a fifth time next year.”


“ It’s important for us to connect with those who aren’t involved in ag and explain what agriculture today really looks like.”


Pamela Ganske, Agvocate Ag Retailer


Be somebody who does something. Be an agvocate.


Learn more at AgMoreThanEver.ca.


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