Advertise on podcast: Farming in British Columbia

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Belatedly. Herein: a hodge podge. It's fun. LISTEN TO IT.

This episode: my interview with Chris Bodnar, a University of the Fraser Valley professor and long time Abbotsford-based farmer. Chris is the primary author of a recently published report titled Farming at the Edge, commissioned by the BC Agriculture Council and BC Dairy. In it, Chris presents a financial analysis of our sector that tells a different story than the one that Statistics Canada has told in its most recent report on BC’s Farm Economy. This analysis led Chris to a bold set of policy recommendations for our sector that he shares in the report. Chris joined me on the phone in mid-September to talk about his findings. Here’s that conversation. Also featured: a visit to the Farming in BC tradeshow to learn about a conference Holistic Management Canada is hosting in Kamloops November 20-22.

Today on the show, a conversation with Richard Hebda about seed security and seed conservation. Richard is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Victoria and an expert in botany and paleontology, and a curator of botany and earth history at the Royal BC Museum. Richard has published research for decades on many topics, but what’s worth noting here is that much of his research has focused on the impacts of climate change on natural and human-influenced ecosystems. Richard joined me to talk about a project aimed at preserving and adapting heritage seeds in the context of a changing climate, although mostly we talk about what's going well, and what's lacking, in our collective efforts to slow down the loss of our seed diversity. You can learn more at heritagepotato.ca, although the URL will soon change to cropclimate.ca

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. I've already produced two episodes about this; in this one I'll share some listener feedback about this topic. ******* The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at [email protected]

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. This is part two of my coverage. Part one dropped Aug 17th, 2026. Herein: four more perspectives on the proposal. The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at [email protected]

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. I'm devoting two episodes to this topic. Herein: two perspectives about these proposed changes. The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at [email protected]

Today on the show, you’ll hear about a new opportunity for small-scale food and farm entrepreneurs in BC to access loans for capital and infrastructure. Learn more about the Fair Finance Fund here.

My guest this episode is Les Willms, one half of the ownership of LH Willms Incorporated, a 3000 acre grain farm in the Peace Country. If you’ve been a listener of the show for a while, you’ll already know Les, since he was a regular participant in last year’s Farming in BC Yearbook project. Mentioned in this episode: an interview I conducted in 2023 with Public Health Scientist Bruce Lanphear.

The show today has two segments, both concerning undesirable amounts of water. In segment one, Dave Russenberger wrestles with a public plan that carries serious implications for his dariy farm in the Sumas Prairie. In segment two, greater Vernon farmers talk about the impacts of a mandatory 70% reduction to their annual irrigation allocation. Some believe this sacrifice could and should have been avoided, but I'm not so sure. Links: Sumas River Watershed Flood Mitigation Plan The modern history of water planning in Greater Vernon

For this episode I wanted to explore the value of a good agricultural weather network, and to learn about an online resource for our sector called BC Agriweather. The person I invited to speak to this topic is Andy Nadler. Andy is an agricultural meteorologist with a company called Peak HydroMet Solutions who has worked closely with the BC government to improve and maintain a province-wide network of weather monitoring stations that provides vital data for and about BC’s farming sector. Andy’s work has supported the creation of a website called BC Agriweather, which was the main focus of our conversation.

This episode we explore Canada's Next Agricultural Policy Framework, and how farmers can have a say in the policies and programs our governments create for farms and farmers. In the episode we discuss some surveys BC farmers are being asked to fill out. Here are some links: Provincial Ministry of Ag Survey: Takes about 15 minutes to complete Deadline: Wednesday, June 10th Survey link: https://submit.digital.gov.bc.ca/app/form/submit?f=3fe4d6db-bc21-490e-a821-cb195e2fac20 Agriculture & Agrifood Canada Survey: Takes 10-20 minutes to complete Deadline: Tuesday, June 30th Survey Link: https://agr.survey-sondage.ca/f/s.aspx?s=981FEF92-6622-46FF-AD99-3E3E3637A0B9

I think the title for this episode does all of the necessary heavy lifting. Take a break this time, Show Notes. farminginbc.ca/submit to contact me.

This ep: my interview with the farmers of Cedar Isle Farm near Harrison Hot Springs, where Hannah, Diane, Jim, & Rosa told me about growing wheat, oats, barley and rye for their Grain CSA and for regional bakeries. We discuss their production & marketing, the stress of ensuring farm longevity & succession amidst a 500K tax bill, farmers-as-paragons, and ideas for strengthing farm communities. farminginbc.ca/submit to record your thoughts for the show!

Today on the show, my conversation with Butcher Matt Kemp, a week after he figuratively cut the ribbon at the Okanagan Butcher Hub, a new meat cutting facility located in Spallumcheen, just a hair north of Vernon. Built by the Smallscale Meat Producers Association with support from multiple levels of government, it’s hoped that this butcher hub will help address a capacity issue that has dogged the region for years. Matt joined me to talk about the year-long problem of insufficient slaughter and meat-cutting services in the Thompson-Okanagan, and really, around much of BC, and how this insufficiency has had knock-on effects on small-scale meat production. We’ve lost a lot of production, says Matt, and he hopes that butcher hubs like the one he’s now managing can slowly start to bring this production back online.

This time on the podcast: my conversation with Robin Hunt of Big Rock Ranch. Back in 2016, Robin moved from Squamish up to their grandparent’s property near 100 Mile House to start a market garden business and live the truly rural life they’d been craving for years. There was a steep learning curve for Robin and their business partner Johan, but in short order the two established themselves as a fixture at the local farmers market, and the business expanded quickly to include restaurant sales, a CSA program, and eventually, wholesaling. Robin joined me last week to talk about that trajectory and the burnout that followed, leading to a decision to pause farming operations for the foreseeable future.