4 Trust is an active verb


Farmers regularly rank among Canada’s most respected professionals. A national survey released in June by polling firm Insights West once again found that 53% of Canadians have a “very positive” opinion of farmers, ranking second only to nurses. In BC, the percentage of people with a generally positive opinion of farmers was 93%, one point behind nurses at 94%. But maintaining the public’s high opinion and implicit trust of farmers is an


emerging priority. The federal government has identified public trust initiatives as a pillar of the next agricultural policy framework, while the BC Agriculture Council would like to see the province support initiatives that communicate what the sector does and highlight its commitment to continuous improvement. Continuous improvement isn't always the case, however. Yet another video from the activist group Mercy for Animals shows that


industry efforts to adopt strict animal welfare standards have fallen short, undermined by a lack of checks on the ground. While each new incident sparks changes, the improvements are reactive rather than preventative. Similarly, fire departments in the Fraser Valley indicate that lax adherence to biosecurity protocols may be a factor in several fires at local poultry barns. Auditors with the various poultry groups reported to industry last fall that rats were gaining access to barns. One consequence may well have been the fires that have killed thousands of birds in recent months. People have also become casualties. A letter in this month’s issue highlights the legal requirement to buckle up on all tractors equipped with roll-over protection systems. This is another area where we can all become a little lax. It’s all fine, we think – until somebody winds up hurt, or dead. Building trust requires more than dollars; it requires action. Good intentions,


we’re told, pave the road to hell. Trust is the result of following through on what you’ve said you’re going to do. Trouble rides a fast horse, after all – and forgiveness, especially the public’s, rides a mule. Direct marketers often talk of how consumers are searching for authentic,


transparent relationships. Good news is often forgotten when scandal hits. Delivering what we’ve pledged to do – whether that’s something we’ve promised as individuals or as an industry – will do more to win the public’s trust than any amount of outreach.


Time to celebrate our home and rural land


The big day has come! Right smack in the middle of a year-long celebration is July 1, the very day Canada turns 150 years of age. To be accurate, it is the 150th anniversary of our political weaning from Britannia’s teat. In the broad stroke of human history, however, 150 years is a drop in the bucket. There are


The Back Forty BOB COLLINS


many from BC’s 198 First


Nations


wondering what all the fuss is about. There are trees in the coastal forests that are (or recently were) 1,700 years old when Canada was born and the ancestors of our indigenous peoples pre-dated those trees by several millennia. Two things about Canada are certain: as short a time span as 150 years is, it has seen more change than the thousand years that preceded it, and it is now home to an amazingly diverse population. That diversity might well be our defining characteristic. Given our ethnic, cultural, linguistic, geographic, political, gender and economic variety and our divergent hopes, dreams and expectations, our differences could be the one thing we can – and should – celebrate about ourselves. Alternatively, we can fall back on the tried-and-


true Canadian tradition of buying “stuff.” Officially licensed Canada 150 stuff at that! If you have $134.95 burning a hole in your


pocket you might consider the “crème de la crème” of collector’s coin editions from the Royal Canadian Mint. Each set has a face value of nearly $5 and features “examples of allegorical figures that represent a powerful personification of a country’s character.” There is a long explanation of the baffling but nevertheless powerful allegory on the mint’s website. Each set comes with a 30-day- money-back guarantee and a payment plan option. If $135 worth of allegory isn’t your cup of tea,


you could shoot for a Canada 150 Unisex Tote Bag, just $9.97 from Walmart. “No matter where your journey takes you, take a piece of Canada with you.” Just what journey the Canada 150 Unisex Tote Bag made to get here is unclear.


Pride and passion


Regardless of what form it takes, the Canada 150 celebrations for most farmers and ranchers will be woven into the daily routine of their calling. Nearly all of them have a particular pride and passion for the land that provides their place and sustenance. While most Canadians feel a strong connection to the national landscape and its iconic highlights, it is farm and ranch families who hold a particularly intimate understanding of their land and their


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. 7 . JULY 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 . Bonne fête du Canada, Peter! www.countrylifeinbc.com


relationship to it. It is an affection and understanding born of time and proximity: of life experiences unfolding and shared on familiar ground. It comes from being rooted as deeply and as firmly as any of the crops or trees. It comes from detailed familiarity and memory. When visitors admire the view, they usually state the obvious with no idea of how much richer, more vibrant and complex it is through the eyes of those who belong to it. I think I’ll pass on the crème de la crème of


collector coin sets and I’m going to give that unisex tote bag a miss as well. On Canada Day, Ann and I will go for a walk with our granddaughters and the border collies to see the Coho fry in the creek beside the top field. We’ll check out the cows in the bottom field and walk all the way back beside the river. We will nurture our affection for all of this in another generation and give thanks for those who have shared this with us and before us. And I will think of the wise words passed along from a reader some months ago: “Living on a farm provides us and all farmers with


an excellent opportunity to live peaceful, productive and, in many respects, relatively simple lives, and to be thankful for the bounty the Lord has blessed us with.”


Amen to that, and happy birthday, Canada. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical


error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error which advertises goods or services at a wrong price, such goods or services need not be sold at the advertised price. Advertising is an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. All advertising is accepted subject to publisher’s approval. All of Country Life in British Columbia’s content is covered by Canadian copyright law.


Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Country Life in British Columbia. Letters are welcome, though they may be edited in the interest of brevity before publication.


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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2017


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