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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • NOVEMBER 2018 Cannabis conference alongside PAS


A new growers’ conference aims to make the Fraser Valley a centre of excellence for cannabis production. CannaTech will run alongside the Pacific


Ag Briefs EDITED BY PETER MITHAM


Agriculture Show in Abbotsford on January 25, 2019. It will feature speakers from across Canada as well as California who will address key issues in the production of top-quality cannabis. Topics run from lighting, nutrient management and IPM to plant genetics and quality assurance. “We have secured a range of qualified speakers from across the country and down the West Coast to California,” coordinator Jim Shepard said in a press release announcing the show. Speakers include Kendra


Minkler, California sales manager with Colorado-


based equipment supplier urban-gro Inc.; Youbin Zheng, an associate professor in the environmental science school at the University of Guelph; and Alberta greenhouse consultant Mohyuddin Mirza.


Shepard


says the conference will give growers and


researchers a chance to connect, and develop the networks essential to the sector’s evolution and integration within mainstream agriculture. “As the industry grows, it will be paramount that connections are made between producers, government agencies and universities so that production practices, regulation and research are coordinated and evolve to assist each other,” Shepard says.


While several conferences


around the world operate under the CannaTech name, information about registering


or trade show booths at the Abbotsford event is available by e-mailing [info@ agricultureshow.net]. —Peter Mitham


First Nations farms funded First Nation farming


ventures are eligible for up to $15,000 in funding through a new program offered under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The BC Indigenous


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Agriculture Development Program will provide up to $5,000 to hire a consultant who can provide site-specific guidance on the types of crops or livestock that may do well in an applicant’s community. An additional $10,000 will support development of comprehensive financial and business plans to help ensure a successful agriculture business. The program was announced in conjunction with the third annual Indigenous Agriculture Forum in Kamloops on October 17. “This program … helps First Nations in BC plan and develop farming projects that will build food security and create local jobs,” said BC agriculture minister Lana Popham in announcing the program. “It is my hope this program will act as a catalyst for new agriculture operations in Indigenous communities throughout our province." Applications are being accepted from Indigenous communities, tribal councils and economic development corporations.


Program info was available


at the Kamloops forum, which is organized each year by the Community Futures Development Corporation of Central Interior First Nations. The program will run for the duration of the CAP, which ends March 31, 2023. —Peter Mitham


Cannabis grower breaks ground Lake Country cannabis


grower Flowr Corp. broke ground on a 50,000-square- foot research and development facility adjacent to its growing facility in mid October.


Set to open in 2019, the


facility is a partnership with Hawthorne Canada, a subsidiary of Scotts Miracle- Gro Co. of Ohio. It’s being hailed as the first purpose- built R&D facility in North America dedicated exclusively to innovations in the cannabis industry. It will support scientists from both organizations. US public companies like Scotts that want to conduct cannabis research aren’t allowed to do so in the US, where crop remains illegal. The facility will combine laboratories, indoor and greenhouse grow suites, training areas and genetics research in a single building. R&D will focus on nutrient formulations, lighting and environmental systems, irrigation, growing media, integrated cultivation systems and the development of cultivars for specific growing conditions and therapeutic purposes.


“We strongly believe it will … help us sustain our competitive advantage in cultivation and remain at the forefront of industry innovation,” says Steve Klein, chair and chief strategist for Flowr, regarding the partnership. In addition to the new


facility, Flowr also debuted on the TSX Venture Exchange. Shares began trading September 26 at $7. By mid October, the shares were trading at less than $5 apiece. —Myrna Stark Leader


Harvest conflict results in fewer plow match competitors After rain washed out this


spring’s Chilliwack Plowing Match, organizers decided to hold the 96th annual competition in conjunction with the 4th annual Rosedale Harvest Parade and Festival, October 6. As the field was just around the corner from the end of the parade route, the decision contributed to increased attendance at the match. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the number of competitors. The fall dates coincided with harvest season and many farmers were too busy with their harvests to participate this year. As a result the number of competitors in the various classes was in the single digits. Francis Sache, fresh off competing in the world championships in Germany in September, was an easy winner in the open reversible plow competition while his brother, Pierre, prevailed in the open single plow championship. Ray Ramey and Al Pearson tied for first in the antique plow competition.


—David Schmidt


Oops! We did it again


The photo that


accompanied Ronda Payne’s story, Pumpkin growers use crop to reach out to public, in the October edition of Country Life in BC was misidentified. The photo is of Loren and Corinne Taves of Taves Family Farm. We humbly apologize for the error.


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