NOVEMBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Fruit growers stepping up replant lobby Stakeholders hopeful new federal government will endorse national replant program


Story by RONDA PAYNE


KELOWNA – Years of work to establish a national replant program for the tree fruit industry could be set to pay off following a recent meeting with federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay. “This was the first time I’d


spoken to the minister about it. We had a very good meeting,” says Fred Steele, president of the BC Fruit Growers Association, who sat down with MacAulay during the federal Liberal caucus meeting in Kelowna on September 8. “I knew he had read the material. He was very interested in what we were doing. He’s very big on research and we’ve got a component on that.” BCFGA general manager


Glen Lucas notes there was significant interaction with the minister, adding it was primarily focused on budget practicalities, what was possible, potential sources of funding and other budgetary issues. “There was good discussion with that,” Lucas says. “As with any program like this, it’s a complex process but we feel it’s moving forward. That continues to be a focus for us to get it implemented.” Lucas feels the sources for funding have been narrowed down. “We’re going to get a chance to get before the finance committee,” Steele says. “They’re doing travelling


finance committee hearings in all regions of Canada and we’re going to go before them. They make decisions based on that.” The program would allow


growers to submit plans for bare land as well as land that had trees five or more years earlier. Loans would be interest-free for the first five years. This would allow growers to avoid interest payments until trees are at full production. “The government would


cover interest for the first five years. When you start making payments in the sixth year, the government will drop the interest payments [on those first five years], saving you thousands per acre,” Steele says. “It’s worth doing. It would be right across the six apple producing provinces. We have talked to members of parliament about it. There hasn’t been one person that doesn’t like this.” The program could potentially run to $870 million, according to Steele, with about 30% going to BC and the remainder to Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and MacAulay’s home province of PEI. “That’s a substantial pile of


money. Across the country, we want to expand the industry by 25%,” Steele says. “About 50% of apple consumption across the country is imports. We can displace the imports.” The Canadian Horticultural Council originally submitted a


2018 Tree Fruit Replant Program ANNOUNCEMENT:


Application forms and the updated requirements of the 2018 Tree Fruit Replant Program are now available on the BCFGA website, www.bcfga.com.


Project applications (along with the required Replant Plan) will be received between September 1, 2017 and November 15, 2017. Please avoid the last minute rush and get your application in early. An horticultural advisor is required to help prepare and sign individual applications for the 2018 Tree Fruit Replant Program. The following information will be provided to assist growers in completing applications.


a. A list of qualified advisors. b. Information on project grading. c. Program operational policies. d. A series of reports on replanting and variety performance and selection are available and should be referenced when preparing a Tree Fruit Replant Program Application.


The Tree Fruit Replant Program provides funding for quality projects. Applications will be rated by a committee of horticultural experts. The rating of individual applications will be based on meeting the program requirements and on the quality of the Replant Plan. Projects will be placed in order of rating for projects, and the top-rated projects will be approved until all funding is utilized.


The Tree Fruit Replant Program is a 7 year program, funded by the Province of BC.


FRED STEELE


proposal for a national replant program in 2005. The general election in January 2006 stalled its consideration, but the current government is once more open to the idea. Lucas says there hasn’t been much feedback in terms of changing the original parameters for the program, which assumed a base replanting cost of $12,000 an acre with the federal and


provincial governments of BC, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia contributing $4,000 an acre each. Growers would pay the remaining replant costs. The program would cover up to 25% of the planted orchard acreage in each province, as well as vineyards in Ontario. Government staff may suggest changes as the new proposal works its way through government processes, however.


It’s time “We’ve done every other


industry and now it’s time to work on this one because after 32 years, we’re growing again,” Steele says. “We can do the same thing with apples [as cherries], putting them in niche markets in Asia. The building blocks are there; they just have to be assembled.” The revived federal


proposal follows on the heels of another successful year for BC’s provincial replant program.


The current seven-year phase of the program began in 2014 and has been oversubscribed every year. Lucas says 170 applications have been received for the 2017-18 season. “It continues to be a very popular program,” he says. “We asked for additional funding and the government gave $300,000. We asked for a second $300,000 but have now backed off that to $140,000.” With $440,000 in additional


funding, there’s more available to support growers aiming to renovate their orchards with new, more profitable varieties. Changes to the program a year and a half ago have also helped it respond to grower circumstances. “Growers don’t always plant what they originally estimated,” Lucas says. “Government has learned that this is not an exact science. It’s horticulture.” With files from Peter Mitham


19


January 25th-27th, Celebrating 20 Years


2018


Showcasing state of the art equipment & technology for the agriculture Industry.


Over 300 exhibitors covering 200,000sqft.


BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION 1-800-619-9022 (ext 1) email: replant@bcfga.com www.bcfga.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44