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Country Life in BC 36 Dale Road Enderby, BC V0E 1V4


Vol. 103 No.10


CANADA POST


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Water Dairy


Well registration continues to lag expectations Robots help solve dairy staffing issues


Community PNE auction proceeds benefit education, 4-H programs


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19 41


COVER CROP TIME COMING!


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Ranchers land $20 million in wildfire


relief Cash will help ranchers restart


Stories by PETER MITHAM


KAMLOOPS – Three weeks of discussions between the federal and provincial governments yielded a $20 million relief package for ranchers and rural


communities on September 5. BC agriculture minister


Lana Popham and her federal counterpart Lawrence MacAulay initially discussed relief funding on August 15, and those discussions eventually saw nine ministers involved in the arrangements. The funding, comprising


See FUNDING on next page o Growing more with less water Wineries hold breath after fires by PETER MITHAM IRRIGA TION L TD


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KELOWNA – Grape growers at vineyards across the BC Interior began harvesting grapes the last week of August, and by early September the harvest was in full swing from Kamloops to Cawston. A late, wet spring saw


growers in many areas wrestle with powdery mildew during bloom, but the real concern as grapes hit the crushpad is whether or not they’ll yield wines redolent of the summer’s wildfires.


Some of the greatest concern is in the emerging viticultural area around Kamloops, which recorded some of the worst air quality on record this summer. Smoke funnelling into the Thompson River valley from the million-acre Plateau wildfire meant many local wineries saw reduced visitor traffic this summer. Visitors who did come didn’t stay long, quickly departing for locales with clearer air. Privato Vineyard north of


the city was regularly socked in with smoke through July


but co-owner Debbie Woodward doesn’t believe its estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit will be affected much. Similarly, Erik Fisher, general manager of Monte Creek Ranch Winery east of the city, says initial lab testing of the grapes his winery began harvesting September 1 indicate no measureable impact. Many of the compounds only manifest during fermentation, however. “It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out for everyone this year,” he says.


The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 OCTOBER 2017 | Vol. 103 No. 10


HOT POTATO! Hana Campbell, 3½, can hardly contain her excitement as she shows off a freshly dug spud at the annual Day at the Farm event at Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta, September 9. [See story on page 43.] RONDA PAYNE PHOTO


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