4 United we stand Whoever wins this month’s provincial election, the public’s trust of those sent


to Victoria isn’t likely to improve over the next four years. A recent survey by international public relations firm Edelman found that Canadians generally distrust the key pillars of society (including the media). It’s a shift from past years, when Canadians were among the world’s more trusting people. When it comes to food, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity reports that


Millennials, the generation that’s come of age since the year 2000 and has a world of information at their fingertips, are the least trusting. The generation’s leading concerns include food safety, animal welfare and domestic food security.


This is why the BC Agriculture Council wants to engage consumers in the months to come, making the kinds of connections that give shoppers a greater appreciation and trust in Canada’s globally respected food supply. The council’s recent acceptance of the BC Salmon Farmers Association into


the agriculture fold makes sense in that light. Salmon farmers not only raise livestock – albeit with fins instead of fur or feathers – they’ve experienced the kind of scrutiny land-based farmers are starting to face. There are many issues, including farm density, antibiotic use and waste management, where food producers can join forces to educate consumers. However, a partnership combines not only strengths but vulnerabilities. Many consumers have boycotted farmed salmon for years, boosting the


fortunes of wild-caught salmon producers. Many others opt for organic produce because they don’t trust conventional. Groups such as the Certified Organic Associations of BC aren’t participating in BCAC’s public trust initiative, arguing that the public already knows to trust


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MAY 2017


them. Many apple growers oppose Arctic apples because they feel genetic engineering betrays the public’s trust of their fruit. By welcoming salmon farmers, BCAC have found a natural ally, as well as one that highlights just how difficult it is to cultivate public trust in a nation of skeptics.


Time to haul manure, and get ready to vote Section 23 of BC’s Constitution Act requires a


provincial election be held every four years on the second Tuesday of May. Unlike times past when election dates were determined strictly by the political expediency of the governing party, we now know exactly when the barrage of rhetoric and bafflegab will start raining down on us. The spring timing means that the campaign


neatly coincides with manure spreading on many farms. Most farmers and


The Back Forty BOB COLLINS


ranchers will appreciate


the analogy. (Years ago, former Ontario Premier Mitchell Hepburn climbed onto the deck of a spreader on display at a fall fair to make an impromptu speech. Hepburn claimed that it was the first time he’d ever spoken from his opponent’s campaign platform. Someone called from the crowd: “Take her away, Mitch; she’ll never haul a bigger load.”) It is kind of a daunting task to sort meaningful


information out of it all, especially given the amount of mud flying back and forth. Sort of like trying to read ear tags while the calves are stampeding through the mud hole by the gate. Most farmers and ranchers will appreciate the analogy. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be much of substance relating to agriculture. Everyone says they’ll protect the ALR. The Greens are worried about food security and want to spend $70 million funding incentives, apprenticeship training, marketing and adaptation to climate change. The New Democrats are going to ask hospitals and care homes to buy local and bring back the Buy


BC program. The Liberals say that trade is their priority and say that the Greens are out-of-touch because they forgot to mention trade. At this point, the Greens are the only ones who


have advanced any specifics or a dollar figure but it seems unlikely that they will have to deliver on either. No one else is nailing down details or costs and that is probably because one or the other of them will have to deliver. In the absence of anything more substantive, we should probably resign ourselves to plenty of ALR flag waving and move on to ponder broader concerns. Unfortunately, political bickering and innuendo


provide poor fodder for determining who gets your vote. BC led the nation in job growth in 2016 claims one candidate, but many of those jobs were at minimum wage and will not support a family says another. Like having lots of hay that is so poor the calves are losing weight. Or vice versa – having excellent hay but not enough to keep the calves from losing weight. Most ranchers and farmers can appreciate the analogy. Despite a booming economy, no party is planning a balanced budget. This might be the most troubling aspect of all given the whale in the fishbowl that no one has an answer for: the provincial debt. According to the 2015/2016 Public Accounts and


Auditor General’s findings, BC is now packing an accumulated debt of $101 billion, roughly the same as Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario combined. 57% of Canada’s population come from the Prairies and Ontario; 13.1% are from BC. I’m betting most farmers and ranchers are sensing


a problem here. If the gate is open and the corral is empty, there’s no point in arguing who’s to blame or exactly how many head are missing, or who left the gate open the last time and how many went missing


Publisher Cathy Glover


604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com Editor Emeritus David Schmidt 604-793-9193 . davidschmidt@shaw.ca


The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol. 103 No 5 . MAY 2017


Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd.


Contributing Editors Peter Mitham . Tamara Leigh news@countrylifeinbc.com


Advertising Sales & Marketing Cathy Glover sales@countrylifeinbc.com


Production Ass’t: Naomi McGeachy . Time to vote, Peter! www.countrylifeinbc.com


then. Unfortunately, this analogy seems lost on all those mud-slingers who should care about it the most.


Twenty years (and counting!) On another note entirely, this issue marks 20 years


of The Back Forty. It began quite by chance in June of 1997. Long- time columnist (1975-1997) Martha Hett retired in May and publisher Malcolm Young said the paper’s thanks, bid her farewell, and asked if there was anyone in the readership who might take a stab at filling Martha’s shoes. I phoned Malcolm and explained I had penned a few short pieces for my wife’s share garden newsletter (circulation 17). He seemed dubious but too close to deadline to be choosy so agreed that I should send something and see how things turned out. I didn’t hear from him again until deadline for the July paper. He seemed vexed that I was late and told me to just keep sending one every month until I heard otherwise.


So far no one has told me to stop. And so stories in The Back Forty took over the space that had been graced by Martha’s stories for so many years. Eventually, it was shuffled to the back pages and for a brief while only appeared every second month. When John Wilcox retired his page 4 Barnside column, editor Peter Wilding proposed that The Back Forty move there and turn into what it is now. At the same time, he requested something to fill its old place. That’s where Woodshed Chronicles, which has kind of turned into Green Acres meets Coronation Street, sprang from. I’d like to thank all of the editors at Country Life in BC – Malcolm Young, Peter Wilding, and Cathy Glover – for providing the opportunity to do this every month and all of the readers who have put up with it over the years.


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