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The Lurking Menace of Weeds - Farmers' enemy No. 1
Today more than a billion people in the world are hungry, the result of flawed policies mainly, but also of wars and revolutions and of natural hazards like floods, droughts, pests and diseases compounded, nowadays, by climate change.
But one huge hunger-maker lurks largely unnoticed ...
"Maybe it's because weeds are not very spectacular," says weed expert Ricardo Labrada-Romero. "Droughts, insects and diseases like Swine Flu are attention-grabbers because their effects are dramatic. Weeds are different. They play havoc quietly all year round, year after year."
Consider, he says, the damage caused by one weed alone, Broomrape (Orobanche spp), an aggressive root weed which attacks legumes and vegetables and can not only lead to complete crop failure but also make fields infertile for many years.
Figures clearly show that weeds should be regarded as farmers' natural enemy No. 1. According to a leading environmental research organization, Land Care of New Zealand, they cause some $95 billion a year in lost food production at global level, compared with $85 billion for pathogens, $46 billion for insects and $2.4 billion for vertebrates (excluding humans).
At today's prices, $95 billion translates into some 380 million tonnes of wheat, or more than half of world production expected in 2009. And of those $95 billion, $70 billion are estimated to be lost in poor countries.
Economic losses may be even greater considering that more than half of the time farmers spend in the fields is devoted to weed control, says Labrada-Romero. It follows that if farms are to increase their productivity one of the first things they must do is improve weed management.
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Rangeland Management School 2010. Locations: Quesnel, Houston, Tower Lake. This interactive, full-day workshop is intended to improve range managers' understanding of plant growth, grazing rotation, and sound rangeland management practices in an effort to improve ranch profitability. Download pdf brochure.
COOMBS Farm Animal and Poultry Swap - First Sunday of the month.
You have a great product, a valuable service or a timely agri-business idea. Now, what do the paying customers want and how do you let them know what you have to offer? The Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC), the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets and BC AgriTourism Alliance will help farmers answer that question. The first step is to identify what potential customers are looking for. Once that is completed, then they need to communicate with those customers.
The Marketing Caravan one-day workshop, on March 13, 2010 Penticton Ramada Inn, will provide all the resources necessary to identify a target market and reach customers, as well as an opportunity for participants to network and share the successes and challenges of agri-business.
Goji berries growing on Quadra Island, Feb. 2010
We are experimenting with Goji berries in a greenhouse, several varieties of sea buckthorn and 15 hazelnut trees with perigord truffles on one acre of fine sandy ground facing SE on Quadra Island. We tried a couple hundred Goji outside, but they all perished as the weather was too wet for too long. All plants in the greenhouse are doing well. This winter has not been very cold - only a few days below freezing. Frank Boas, Heriot Bay, Quadra Island.
The Government of Canada is investing in British Columbia’s organics industry so that farmers can take advantage of new research and growing market opportunities. Member of Parliament Ed Fast (Abbotsford) announced an investment of up to $900,000 to help the Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC) implement a new and comprehensive market development strategy for the organics industry.
The Organic Sector Development Program Strategic Initiative will support five goals: increasing sector capacity, building confidence in certified organic systems and products, promoting environmental stewardship, advancing organic research and innovation, and strengthening organics infrastructure. This will involve, for example, creating a resource directory for growers, developing research proposals, designing an environmental assessment instrument to be used in the certification process, and educational materials and workshops to encourage farmers to transition to organics.
Cover-All Buildings BC Ltd. is an authorized dealer of the world's leading steel-framed, fabric buildings for the British Columbia Interior and Fraser Valley.
Cariboo Forage Trials located at 4 sites: Williams Lake, Miocene, Soda Creek, Redstone.
Highway 16 Trials - Data from the 6th year of the alfalfa and grass trials in Fort Fraser are now posted.
Please support the BC Forage Council. Membership is only $20 per year, and shows producer support for forage research and education within BC. A strong membership helps the BCFC when making funding applications for forage research projects. BCFC 2010 Membership Form
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A number of species of Orchard Mason Bees are native to North America. They occur in different climatic environments but are particularly well adapted in the northern ranges of blooming fruit trees. The common Blue Orchard Mason Bee, Osmia lignaria is found in the B.C.’s southern Interior and coastal areas. It goes under various names including Blue Orchard Bee, Orchard Mason Bee, Orchard Bee, and Osmia Bee. Orchard Mason bees occur in woodlands and forest edges. They appear in early spring when the first bushes and trees bloom. Cherry, Pear and Apple are particularly attractive but other nectar and pollen sources include Quince, Laburnum spp and blueberry. Osmia bees are fast flyers and display a high bloom visitation rate. Its high activity, even under poor weather conditions, make this insect pollinator particularly attractive for early blooming crops. |
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We will be touring several small farms on southern Vancouver Island and looking at different businesses and marketing opportunities. People will be coming from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and British Columbia. The tour will be based in Victoria and includes two and a half days of bus tours of various farms. This is your chance to see other businesses and network with other sellers and growers – exchange ideas, find out what works and what doesn't work, and locate new vendors.
More information and registration forms are available on line at www.bccanadadirectfarmmarketing.org or contact Bonnie or Hamish Crawford at bonnieandhamish@shaw.ca
The Pacific Field Corn Association's corn silage hybrid evaluation results are now available. Grown at 3 locations (Abbotsford, Agassiz, and Armstrong), the data shows CHU, relative yield, dry matter, grain & lodging data for 2009 and the long term average.
The federal Income Tax Act allows farmers who sell part of their breeding herd due to drought conditions in designated regions to defer a portion of sale proceeds to the following year.
On March 5th, 2009 the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced that an amendment will be made to the income tax act. These income tax amendments will extend the existing rules that apply to producers in prescribed drought regions to include excess moisture and flood-induced sales of breeding livestock. This new measure will apply to the 2008 and subsequent taxation years. It will permit producers, who dispose of such breeding livestock in a taxation year because of flood or excessive moisture, to exclude a portion of the sale proceeds from their incomes until the following taxation year. As a result, the full amount of the proceeds eligible for the deferral will be available to replenish their herds in the following taxation year.
The Government of Canada has made two Livestock Tax Deferral announcements for 2009, and are currently in the process of collecting information and consulting with various groups for the third and most likely final assessment. For information on the criteria for inclusion and the areas already recommended for Livestock Tax Deferral please refer to the following site: http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/taxdef_e.htm
The following webpage provides economic values of animal manures as fertilizers, based on fertilizer prices in 2008. Note the assumptions. Although some assumptions may not be completely valid for conditions in South Coastal British Columbia (e.g. soil test levels refer to Ontario standards), values can be interpreted as rough estimates. A take-away message is that manures can provide fertilizer value for years after an application (because some manure nitrogen and phosphorus is ‘slowly released’), if the nutrients applied are required by the crop. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-041.htm
December 24, 2009 - The Government of Canada announced today that more livestock producers affected by drought in British Columbia will be eligible for a federal tax deferral.
The tax deferral allows eligible producers in designated areas to defer income tax on the sale of breeding livestock for one year to help replenish breeding stock in the following year. In the case of consecutive years of drought designation, producers may defer sales income to the first year in which the area is no longer designated.
Producers who reduced their breeding herds by at least 15 per cent are eligible. Thirty per cent of income from net sales can be deferred if the herd has been reduced by at least 15 per cent, but less than 30 per cent. Where the herd has been reduced by 30 per cent or more, 90 per cent of income from net sales can be deferred.
Eligible producers will be able to request this deferral when filing their 2009 income tax returns. Livestock producers are advised to contact their local Canada Revenue Agency Tax Services Office for details on the income tax provisions.
The central interior region of British Columbia has experienced very dry conditions since last summer. Fall precipitation was not adequate to recharge soil moisture and combined with an extremely low snow accumulation this past winter, spring soil moisture conditions were poor. Continued dry conditions throughout the spring have resulted in very poor pasture and forage development.
For more information on the drought programs and a list of eligible regions, see the AAFC Drought Watch site at www.agr.gc.ca/drought
In the August 25th 2009 Speech from the Throne, the Government of British Columbia committed to consult British Columbians on "new statutory protections to further safeguard the environment from cosmetic chemical pesticides."
The Ministry of Environment has prepared background information and identified consultation issues for discussion to build understanding about the subject and provide a structure for comments and feedback.
The ministry has posted a Public Consultation Paper on our Cosmetic Use of Pesticides Consultation Forum website http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/ipmp/regs/cosmetic-pesticides/consultation.htm
The website, and links to additional information and related legislation, can also be accessed by clicking on the Cosmetic Use of Pesticide Consultation button on the. Ministry of Environment home page (www.gov.bc.ca/env/).
The Consultation Forum website includes a response form (in on-line and downloadable formats) to seek comments from British Columbians interested in this topic. Comments should be submitted by February 15th 2010.
This project was undertaken to assess the use of corn for late fall – early winter grazing in the East Kootenay. Determining production, nutrient content, ability to withstand snow loads and the economics of grazing corn were questions to be answered by this project.
Guide To Best Management Practices In British Columbia for Cereals, canola, field corn, field peas, grasses and legumes for forage and seed production. The 2008/09 edition of the Field Crop Protection Guide is now available for B.C. producers. Contact your nearest B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands office to obtain a copy. Contents of the Guide are also available off the BCMAL website in PDF* format. Contents:
Introduction
