Farming in British Columbia

Burnout Claims a Veggie Farmer in Buffalo Creek

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0700

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.

A corporation is buying up this BC community's farmland

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:30:00 -0700

Today on the show, listener submissions about the permanent time change announcement, and then we head to the central interior, where residents of Dunster, a rural community in the Robson Valley along highway 16 south of McBride, have been grappling with a decline in population that some say is connected to a single corporation having bought up a substantial amount of the farmland there. You’ll hear from two residents of the region who are part of an organized effort to advocate for policy change that might help communities like Dunster grow rather than contract.

Info about the online forum on March 25 mentioned in the episode:

The Dunster Community Association is holding an online forum with communities across B.C. to discuss and understand how land speculation, non-farm development, corporate interests, and Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) policies are impacting agricultural and community development. If you’ve encountered similar issues or are making efforts to address farmland loss or corporate acquisition in your area, we invite you to share your perspectives so that we can gather to address these challenges. This online meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th 6:30 pm to 8 pm.

If you want to reach out to Dunster Community Association about this issue/project before the online meeting, please connect with Rashmi Narayan (Dunster Farmland Project Coordinator) at dunsterfarmland@gmail.com.

You Got a License for those Potatoes, Bud? Orderly Marketing Comes to Northern BC

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:30:00 -0700

For many years, the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s authority has only covered southern BC. But in 2024, the commission announced its intention to expand its regulatory authority over production in northern BC. The news was met with surprise and suspicion by some in that farming community who opposed the specifics of what the commission was envisioning. Eventually, this opposition came together to speak with a unified voice through the District C Farmers Institute, and the marketing commission listened, and subsequently engaged that community in a consultation process to determine what its expansion into the area of BC above the 53rd parallel would look like.

Two years on, BC’s Vegetable Marketing Commission has just published an updated version of its rules that includes an expansion of its authority to all of BC. On the surface, it appears the primary concerns expressed by the District C Farmers Institute have been addressed, but I was curious to know what farmers were opposed to in the first place, what the consultation process looked like, and whether the farmers originally opposed to northern expansion of the commission are now satisfied.

So I reached out to the District C Farmers Institute, and they connected me with two representatives who gave me an interview. Then, after that, I welcome BC Veggie Marketing Commission Senior Policy & Market Analyst Jerome Lengkeek back on the show to talk about these developments from the commission’s perspective.

Yanking out Cherries in Creston: Danny Turner

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:45:00 -0700

It’’s been a while since I’ve featured a long-form conversation with a BC farmer, but this episode I’ve got one to share with you. Danny Turner is one half of the ownership of Just A Mere Farm in BC’s Creston Valley. For year’s Danny’s main cash crop has been organic cherries, but the last time he turned a profit on the crop was before Covid. So Danny has gone all-in on organic blueberries, and he joined me to tell me why. We also talked about his earlier life as a management consultant, the value of good agrology, and why he thinks farmers should think in ten year cycles.

In the community segment this time, some stories about regrettable purchases for the farm.

Bonus: Werner Stump has concerns about aspects of BC's Reconciliation Policy

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0700

This bonus episode: you heard a couple of media clips of Werner Stump, BC rancher and current President of BC Cattlemans, in the episode with George Abbott released yesterday. In this bonus episode, Werner joins me to discuss his concerns about aspects of BC's approach to reconciliation and the potential impact to decisions like Cowichan. In our conversation he references the Provincial Agreement on Haida Aboriginal Title.

Then: a white landowner in Haida Gwaii shares her perspective about owning private title in the context of said agreement.

"Land Title is Under Threat!": Legit Concern? Moral Panic?

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:30:00 -0700

Today on the show I wade into the reconciliation discourse, because lately I’ve felt surrounded by it. Last August 7th the BC Supreme Court released its Cowichan Tribes decision, which recognized Cowichan Tribes' Aboriginal title to part of their traditional lands in Richmond. Some lands owned by the City of Richmond & the Federal government were declared invalid, and the decision also found that the granting of private property by the Crown on these lands unfairly infringed on the Cowichans' Aboriginal title, which was never extinguished.

The ruling said a lot more than that. It’s over 800 pages long. But the much shorter summaries that have typified most media coverage of the case have led to a lot of public anxiety that suddenly, private property might be under threat. This anxiety extends into pockets of the farming community.

My guest on this episode is George Abbott, who was an MLA for his Shuswap riding for seventeen years starting in 1996. He held multiple portfolios in Premier Gordon Campbell’s cabinet including Education, Health, Sustainable Resource Management, and Indigenous Relations. He went on to obtain a PhD in Political Studies, and he currently sits as the government-appointed commissioner at BC’s Treaty Commission.

He's also the author of Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now. George joined me via video conference a few days ago to offer his insights about private property concerns, and to talk about 160+ years of settler-indigenous relations in our province.

***

To learn more about the Organic BC/SSMPA Grazing Workshop advertised at the head of this episode, click here or visit farminginbc.ca/grazing

Where are all of BC's Cooperative Grocers?

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:45:00 -0700

This episode, a conversation about the Kootenay Co-op, a Nelson based, co-operatively owned, 21000 square foot grocery store that turns 50 this year, and which spent four million dollars last year purchasing products from farmers and processors in the Kootenay region. My guest is Amanda Verigin, who joined me to tell me about the store’s beginnings as a bulk food buying club in 1975, and how the co-op impacts, and is impacted by, a food system dominated by a handful of giant, vertically integrated grocery behemoths.

To learn more about the Organic BC/SSMPA Grazing Workshop advertised at the head of this episode, click here or visit farminginbc.ca/grazing

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Year in Review pt. 4

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0700

In this final episode of the 2025 Farming in BC Yearbook Project, each farmer who participated joins me on the phone to compare the goals and anxieties they expressed at the head of the season to what actually happened.

If there's anything you want to share with the show, visit farminginbc.ca/submit.

Potential advertisers can visit farminginbc.ca/advertise for info on how to sponsor the show.

Year in Review pt. 3

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0700

This episode, I ask a few of the province's ag sector leaders to reflect on the year we just went through. You'll hear from:

Lana Popham, BC's Agriculture Minister

Peter Mitham, Editor & Writer at Country Life in BC

Julia Smith, ED of Small Scale Meat Producers Association

Casey Prium, Chair of BC Dairy

Theresa Burns, BC's Chief Veterinarian

To submit a voice memo to the show, visit farminginbc.ca/submit

To advertise on the show, visit farminginbc.ca/advertise

Bonus: Ag Minister Popham on Water, the ALR, & the role of Buy BC

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0700

This is a bonus episode featuring a segment of my recent interview with BC's Agriculture & Food Minister Lana Popham that won't be included in next week's episode featuring her reflection on the 2025 Farming Year.

Herein, I ask the Minister if Buy BC should get cheeky with our grocery sector oligopoly, whether her ministry plans to address the massive water license application backlog, and why Farm Status on ALR land is so easy to obtain.

In this segment, we reference the 2025 Premier's Task Force on Agriculture & Food Economy, which recently completed its work and released its recommendations.

Year in Review pt. 2

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 07:15:00 -0700

Early this year I recruited 14 farming professionals from around BC to send me updates all year, with the hopes of turning it to some sort of Farming in BC Yearbook. Here, you'll here part one of a multi-episode series to close out the year.

This time, you'll hear a summary of the 2025 farming season as a series of messages sent to me by project participants.

You can contribute your own farm summary, or a good 2025 farming anecdote, by visiting farminginbc.ca/submit

Year in Review pt 1

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:30:00 -0700

This time, you'll meet the project's participants and hear about their goals and their anxieties heading into the 2025 season.

You can contribute your own farm summary, or a good 2025 farming anecdote, by visiting farminginbc.ca/submit

The Essential Episode

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 07:30:00 -0700

This show: Saltspring Island Farmer & author Abey Scaglione joins me to discuss her new book, Radical Farm, which argues that animals are essential to ensure the health of our soil, ourselves, and our food system.

Then: did the BC Agriculture Council go to Victoria to ask that our Ag sector be deemed an essential service? Yes! Also, no! BCAC Executive Director Danielle Synotte joins me to explain.

BONUS: Grossing $250K on 1/2 acre...this guy did it

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 06:15:00 -0700

This is a rebroadcast of an episode of my original show, The Ruminant, from 2019 or so. New episodes coming soon!

Special thanks to Kirk Smith for recording this episode with me.

Ag's Mother Problem

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 06:15:00 -0700

This ep: My guest on the show today is Katie Sardinha, an orchardist who runs Kaleidoscope Fruit Ranch based in Summerland. Katie wrote an op-ed in the August issue of Country Life in BC focused on the grocery oligopoly in Canada and the problem this poses for farmers. Katie thinks it’s a big problem, actually. Or not even ‘a’ big problem, but ‘the’ mother problem. I wanted to ask her to expand on what she meant, so I asked her for an interview.

Abra Brynne on Place-based Food Systems and Decolonizing Farmland

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 06:15:00 -0700

My guest today is Abra Brynne. Abra’s not a farmer, but she comes from farmers, and early in her career she turned her passion for place-based food systems into a career dedicated to advocating and agitating for changes that would strengthen those systems. I’ve sat on a board or two with Abra, and I’ve chatted with her at various farming-related events over the last couple of years, and she is an Interesting Person, and so I’ve known for a while I wanted to interview her for the show.

We talk about Abra's Ph.D research on decolonizing farmland. If you want to contact her about that, email Abra at abra.brynne@dal.ca

A Glimpse at the quota system; two takes on wine import exemptions

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 06:15:00 -0700

Today on the show, I bring you some tales from some farmers in the trenches of BC food and beverage regulation. First you’re going to hear from one of the recipients of new milk production quota under BC’s supply management system. After that, an Okanagan winemaker expresses concerns about the potential extension of the exemptions that allowed a battered wine sector to make BC wine from non-BC grapes in 2024.

Migrant Farmworker Julio Senties on Farming Seasonally in BC

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0700

This episode you’re going to hear my conversation with Julio Senties, a migrant farmworker from Mexico who has been coming to BC for seasonal work since 2017. In recent years Julio has been returning to Carcajou Fruit Company, a farm in Summerland that grows cherries, mainly for export. I interviewed one of Carcajou’s owners, Erin Carlson, for a couple stories for CBC radio a couple of years ago, and during my reporting she had connected me with Julio over email. Recently I invited Julio to sit down with me to share his perspective, and he accepted. So I went out to his farm in Summerland and recorded this interview.

Brewing in British Columbia

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0700

My guests on the show today are Rebecca Kneen and Bryan MacIsaac of Left Fields Organic Farm in Sorrento. Their ten acre farm is a diversified operation that includes hops, veggie gardens, poultry and sheep. Until very recently, Left Fields was not the only business running on the property, though. Bryan and Rebecca were the founders of Crannog Ales, an on-farm craft brewery they founded in January 2000, back when there were just a handful of craft breweries in the whole province. If you’ve ever enjoyed a pint of Crannog’s Backhand of God Stout or its Potato Ale you already know about the outstanding beer that was made at this little farm brewery for 25 years.

What you’re going to hear is a wide-ranging conversation with two people who have always farmed and brewed with a devotion to quality and equality and with a hell of a lot of integrity. And along the way you’ll hear some fun opinions.

Your Complaints About Complaints

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0700

This episode: updates from around the province, including a smattering of the kinds of complaints some of you have received while working in the ag sector.

We could be growing a lot of BC's food under solar panels

Wed, 28 May 2025 06:15:00 -0700

This episode: a conversation about agrivoltaics--the integration of solar power generation with food production--with guest Omri Haven, who believes agrivoltaics can and should play an important role in energy generation in BC in the coming years.

Reach out to Omri on Linkedin or email him.

Youtube explainer on agrivoltaics referenced in the episode: https://youtu.be/lgZBlD-TCFE?si=IQMdRs9NdUx8izOR

Wild Sheep Need Help From BC's Farmers

Wed, 14 May 2025 06:15:00 -0700

This episode, an interview with Helen Schwantje. Helen was the Wildlife Veterinarian for British Columbia from 1992 to 2021. To this day she continues as an emeritus and conducts contract work for government and NGOs on a variety of wildlife health issues. Helen has spent a lot of her career focused on the health of BC’s wild sheep herds, and she joined me to talk about the relationship between a specific virus, the domesticated sheep that carry it, and the wild sheep populations that are under threat because of it. And how she hopes to see more action by our governments and by farmers to do what’s necessary to contain this threat.

I’ll also be sharing some updates from our colleagues in the BC farming sector in the middle segment.

Links:

Transmission, the full length documentary about MOVI and its effect on wild sheep.

Wild Sheep Society of BC

A Helen Schwantje bio from the web

This recent interview with Helen provides a broader perspective on her career.

Off-farm Commitments & The Farmers Who Make Them

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:30:00 -0700

Tristan Banwell can't be the only farmer whose volunteer commitments clash with the needs of his farm. But he was the only one who **volunteered** to talk to me about this. This episode, Tristan explains why he can't seem to reign in his volunteer obligations and what that means for his farm. Then he gives some advice to future Tristan. Then I talk to future Tristan. Hijinks ensue.

Farm-to-Hospital & Other Support-Local Ideas

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 06:15:00 -0700

Herein: my conversation with Liz Blakeway, Executive Director of the Land To Table Network, an Okanagan-based society seeking a more properous and interconnected regional food economy.

Liz and her colleagues have advocated for institutions like universities and health authorities to devote more, or in many cases, some, food-procurement dollars to purchasing regionally-produced food. I've been skeptical of this idea and asked Liz if I could express my doubts in an interview. She kindly accepted my invitation, and met me in the studio in late March.

I enjoyed our conversation. I hope you do too!

Extension & Data & Tariffs, Oh My

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 06:15:00 -0700

This episode started out as an effort to learn about a PhD thesis focused on how farmers feel about data-sharing, but discovered some sidebars that were also worth sharing with you.

First up: former British Columbian and perennial soil nerd Clare Sullivan on a circuitous path to an Ag-focused PhD in Greece by way of Oregon State University's extension program. Clare compares extension services in the states to what we have in here in BC, with some help from a special friend of the podcast.

You can help Clare with her PhD research on farmers' willingness to share their farm data by visiting farmingbc.ca/data. I've filled out the survey...it's relatively quick!

Also: in today's metaphorical middle, some BC farmers tell us what the were up to in late March, and talk a little about the impact of tariffs.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/submit if you'd like to contribute your thoughts for a future episode of the show. You're also welcome to send an audio recording to Jordan via text/whatsapp/signal Jordan at 250 767 6636 or via podcast@farminginbc.ca

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

H5N1: Assessing & Mitigating the Risks to Poultry (Bonus Episode)

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 06:30:00 -0700

This bonus episode was produced on behalf of the Small Scale Meat Producers Association with funding it received through the Farmed Animal Disease Program. The funding was delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation on behalf of the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

This episode, two conversations aimed at helping us understand the risks posed by highly pathogenic H5N1. This strain of Avian Influenza has been circulating widely among wild birds in North America and over the last couple of years has had serious impacts on poultry flocks across Canada and the US.

My first guest is Dr. Gigi Lin.

Gigi is the Animal Welfare & Extension Emergency Management Veterinarian in the Office of the Chief Veterinarian at the BC Ministry of Agriculture & Food. She joined me specifically to talk about the H1N1 virus: what it is, how it spreads, and risk mitigation practices for farmers with outdoor flocks in BC.

My other guest is Christian Alexandre of Alexandre Family Farm. Christian and his family operate a large organic dairy and pastured poultry operation in northern California. He joined me to talk about a major outbreak of avian influenza his farm experienced and how it impacted his business.

A couple more useful links:

BC Ministry of Agriculture webpage on Avian Influenza

BC Ministry of Agriculture webpage on Premises ID

Checking in on the BC Food Hub Network

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 08:45:00 -0700

In 2019 BC's Ministry of Agriculture & Food launched the BC Food Hub Network, a major component of which was significant funding for new food hubs in the province.

This episode, a couple of conversations with people for whom Life Is Food Hubs; the rest being Just Details.

Sarah-Patricia Breen is the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Rural Economic Development at Selkirk Innovates, the applied research department of Selkirk College.

Lindsay Harris and Kent Fawcett work for the Kamloops Food Policy Council; Lindsay is their Food Policy Implementation Lead and Kent Manages a food hub called The Stir.

With these guests, I'll explore how the BC Food Hub Network came to be and whether it's currently living up to its promises and potential.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

BONUS: Are you violating The Scheme? More on the orderly marketing of veggies in BC

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0700

Herein: part of my conversation with Jerome Lenkeek, Senior Policy & Market Analyst with the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission, who gave me an interview to fill in some gaps that Lillian Pusch and I didn't cover in our conversation in episode 28.

In this segment of our conversation, Jerome explains how exemptions work within BC's Vegetable Scheme, which is kind of cool name for the regulatory system that oversees the orderly marketing of veggies in BC.

I really wanted to include this segment because I was a small-scale veggie producer for around ten years and for most of that time was unaware that I was bumping up against regulated production limits for certain crops. Based on what Jerome told me, I probably should have applied for a license in a couple of cases! Maybe you should too!

A Tariff-Adjacent Conversation About BC's Veggie Marketing Commission

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Lillian Posch, General Manager of Okanagan Grown Produce Ltd., a veggie marketing agency located in Vernon. Marketing agencies like OGP play an important role in the orderly marketing of BC Vegetables. For those unfamiliar with the term, Orderly Marketing is the weaker yet earnest cousin of Supply Management. And in BC, it's the term we use to describe a legislated regulatory scheme that organizes the production of a whole bunch of vegetable crops. All of which is overseen by the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission.

You should listen to this because a lot of our conversation is relevant to the trade war we now find ourselves in. And because Lillian is a delight to listen to.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

Setting the Peace on Fire on Purpose

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:30:00 -0700

Today on the show, a tip from a listener takes me up to Northern BC, where some farmers and their co-conspirators are playing with fire! My guest is rangeland agrologist Nadia Mori, the coordinator of the Peace River Forage Association. She joined me to talk about her role as the coordinator of the Peace River Forage Association and a couple of its current projects. One explores the potential benefits of prescribed burning of pasture lands; the other gives farmers the tools and knowledge to fight wildfires on the farm.

Nadia's media production company is called Fairfield Productions

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

Farmers Appraise their Farmers Markets

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:45:00 -0700

Today on the podcast, a return to a topic that, if download numbers are any indication, many of you are interested in. Way back in episode six of the show I released an episode I titled The Current State of BC’s Farmers Markets. It featured an interview with the board chair of the BC Association of Farmers Markets. And Wylie and I did talk about the state of BC’s Farmer’s Markets in that episode, but given its popularity in my podcast feed, I decided I’d like to take another crack at this subject, only ideally, this time around I’d talk about farmers markets with the farmers who attend them. I wanted to ask them how it’s going, what the vibe at their market is like, and whether they’re committed to their farmers’ market for the long haul. Over the last week, I spoke with six farmers from around the province, and you’re about to hear from all of them.

A Minister's Mandate (Or: Lana's Letter)

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0700

Today on the show, BC’s recently re-elected premier David Eby finally issued mandate letters for his new cabinet, so I asked a politically-minded farmer to join me to talk about what’s contained in the one for our brand new but also returning Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lana Popham.

We reference the BC Ag Council's Strategic Priorities released during the last BC election. Here's that document.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

BONUS: GAP Certification: A Barrier & an Opportunity

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0700

Hey everyone! This is Jordan with some bonus listening for you. As you may know, I’m the producer and host of The Organic BC Podcast, and over there, I’ve been busy producing a miniseries about whether GAP certification is a viable option for small-scale farmers who want to gain, preserve, or expand access to wholesale marketing channels. You’re about to hear episode one of that series, exactly as it dropped on The Organic BC podcast feed. If you like it, you can go find the organic BC podcast and listen to episode two right now, and episodes three through five will drop over the next few weeks.

One quick additional note is that I produced this series about GAP certification under a paid contract, but I was not paid to cross-post what you’re about to hear on my other two podcasts, Farming in British Columbia and The Ruminant. I’m posting episode one of the series here because I think it’s good and because the topic is relevant to a lot of my listeners.

The Queen Bee (Breeder) of Spallumcheen

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0700

This episode, Emily Huxter of Wild Antho (and also episode one of this podcast) is back. The first time around, I had too much good tape to work with so I omitted this chunk of our conversation, which is about the practice and business of breeding & selling queen bees. I learned a lot about bee love-making, and now you will, too.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

Emergent Ag Pests and How We Repond

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 06:45:00 -0700

In this episode, I hope to give you a sense of how our agricultural community responds to emergent agricultural pests, with a focus on the activities of BC’s Ministry of agriculture.

Later on in the episode, you’re going to hear a conversation I just recorded with Susanna Acheompong, an extension entomologist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture based in Kelowna. Susanna spends a lot of her time focused on the detection, monitoring, impact, and management of emergent agricultural pests in the southern interior, and she joined me to give us an update about two pests in particular: the western yellow striped armyworm and the western corn rootworm.

My interest in this topic began when I found an emergent pest on my farm in Armstrong. I had recently read a bulletin about the detection of the western corn rootworm in the North Okanagan, and lo and behold, I found a couple of specimens in my own corn crop that October. I reported my discovery to BC Ministry of Ag Extension Agrologist Susanna Acheampong (Susanna.Acheampong@gov.bc.ca), and that led to sitting down for a couple of interviews with her, a year apart.

BC Ministry of Ag Bulletin on Western Yellowstriped Armyworm

BC Ministry of Ag Bulletin on Western Corn Rootworm

An Argument For Cleaning While You Cook

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 06:00:00 -0700

This episode features a score called Italian Opera by Steve Oxen with an open source license.

Why don't BC's farmers cooperate more?

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 06:15:00 -0700

This episode: when my guest was an urban farmer in Vancouver in the 2010s, she co-founded a marketing co-operative with her colleagues to streamline her produce sales. Intrigued by the problem-solving potential of cooperative business structures, she went on to obtain her Masters degree--and then her PhD--studying farming cooperatives in Japan. Emi Do currently works for Young Agrarians as its co-op coordinator. She joined me for a conversation about growing produce in Vancouver backyards, her studies of Japan's food system, and why co-ops are much less common in BC's food system.

Accessing Farmland When It's Too Damned Expensive

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 06:15:00 -0700

This episode, a couple of conversations inspired by an invitation I received to moderate a panel on Farmland Accessibility at the Columbia Basin Food & Buyers Expo in Nakusp later this week. In this episode, you’re going to hear from two of the three panelists who’ll be joining me in Nakusp to talk about innovative strategies for accessing farmland. Much of BC’s farmland is the most expensive in Canada by a longshot, and thus the outright purchase of land for farming is prohibitive for many people with aspirations to start a farm or expand the one they already have.

Guest #1: Colin Dring, Researcher, Royal Rhodes University

Guest #2: Darcy Smith, BC Program Manager with Young AgrariansI

If you’re going to be at the Columbia Basin Food and Buyers Summit October 24-26th and plan to attend this panel discussion, there will be a lengthy Q&A, so please bring any questions with you that the interviews you’re about to hear might inspire.

The Green Party's Vision for Ag in BC

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 06:15:00 -0700

This ep: FARMERS VOTE 2024! I invited the three major parties to provide a 2024 BC Election candidate to talk to me about agricultural policy; herein, a conversation with the BC Green Party's candidate for Courtenay-Comox, Arzeena Hamir, about the party's vision for Agriculture in BC. Teaser: they'd manage water differently and consider a Basic Income Guarantee for qualified farmers.

After that, a quick rebuttal from the conservatives and ndp.

Sisters-in-Laudable Farming Careers: Dairy & Veggies in Mara

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0700

This ep: A long-ranging coversation with four owners of two farms that sit side-by-side in Mara: Louise Bruns and her husband, Hermann, own Wild Flight Veggie Farm. Across the road is Hamberlin Holsteins, owned by Daniela Bruns and her husband, Quentin.

Daniela, Louise, Quentin and Hermann sat down with me to talk about how each operation came to be, how their upbringings influenced the farms they would eventually run, intergenerational conflict over competing farming philosophies, and a lot more.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

BONUS: BCTF situation was dire for many years, argues my guest

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0700

In this bonus episode of the podcast, farmer, co-op expert and newly minted University of the Fraser Valley faculty member Chris Bodnar describes a BC Tree Fruits Cooperative that was beset with internal problems in the years leading up to BCTF's recent, sudden closure in late July.

Chris published a piece on Linkedin that delves deeper than we do. It's good. Read it here.

How's Your Season Going?

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:15:00 -0700

In which I cold-call a bunch of farmers to learn how everyone's doing this year.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

BONUS: The Apple Sector Leading up to BCTF Closure

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0700

As promised last episodes, here are snippets of a few interviews I conducted a couple of years ago that provide some extra insight into the BC Tree Fruits Closure that has just thrown a wrenth into the gears of this year's apple harvest.

BCTF Closure...it's rough

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 06:30:00 -0700

The BC Tree Fruits Co-Op announced it's immediate closure on July 25th. This shocked the apple sector, and hit the co-op's 300+ members pretty hard. Herein: a summary of the story so far, and an interview with a co-op member who's super pissed about this. She explains why the closure is such a big deal in terms of the impact it will have on apple growers for this year's harvest.

Other links:

farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.

The Burkholders Bros: Sweet Corn in Chase

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:00:00 -0700

This time on the podcast, a conversation with Vincent and Lewis Burkholder, a pair of brothers who worked summers for the local sweet corn baron as teenagers and ended up taking over his operation, sort of. I'm referring, of course, to The Burkholder Bros Corn Farm, a business that thwarted my effort to nab the URL I wanted in order to promote a new sport I invented where contestants race to try to catch an ear of corn dangled on a stick mounted to a 2009 Honda Fit.

I was interested to talk to Vincent and Lewis because of their reputation for innovative approaches to the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of sweet corn. We talk about that, how they were forced to pivot from a tried and true sales model in their first year of production because of a crown-shaped virus, why they’re okay with a grizzly bear taking up residence in the corn patch, and a bunch more.

Other links:

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BONUS: Another perspective on the agrologist regulation

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:00:00 -0700

In episode 13, which focused on how agrologists are regulated in BC, I teased the possibility of sharing an interview with someone who has been affected by the regulation that grants exclusivity over the practice of agrology in BC to registered agrologists. Here's that interiew, but you'll get a lot more out of it by first listening to episode 13.

My guest for this episode is Leanne Smith of Fencefast.

You should care about how BC defines 'agrology'

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0700

This episode: Jane Kerner, interim CEO of the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists, joins me to discuss recent updates to how professional agrologists are regulated in BC, the definition of agrology contained in that regulation, and what the exclusivity granted to agrologists in BC to offer agricultural advice means for farmers and other farming professionals who want to provide advice without a professional agrologist designation.

My contention is that the definition of agrology in the regulation is too broad. Jane disagrees! And we had a fulsome debate I think you'll enjoy.

If you want to understand the regulations governing agrology in BC, this PDF from the BCIA website goes into much more detail than Jane and I do.

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Andrew Vogler: Farming with Bookends in Chilliwack

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 05:15:00 -0700

This episode: Andrew Vogler on fifteen years as a mixed veggie grower in the Fraser Valley, and why he and his business partner decided to wind down a farm operation that was succeeding.

Other links:

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A Familial Farmer Feud About The Weather Forecast

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0700

This episode: you'll hear from two brothers who farm next door to one another who fight about which weather forecast is better: Environment Canada or The Weather Network.

Then: a meteorlogist from each agency joins me to explain how and why forecasts from different agencies come to different conclusions about whether it's going to rain on while you're haying.

Thanks to Quentin Bruns for inspiring this episode; to Herman Bruns for hosting me for an interview; to Doug Gillham from The Weather Network and Armel Castellan from Environment Canada; and to my wife, Vanessa, who made the intro/outro music for the podcast.

Other links:

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Former ALC Chair Richard Bullock on the ALR & Sixty Years in Farming

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0700

This episode, my conversation with Richard Bullock, a past Chair of the Agricultural Land Commission. Richard joined me to talk about a life in farming and why chairing the ALC was the hardest job he took on in sixty five years as a farmer.

The ALC's Annual Report is a good way to learn the fundamentals about the ALC/ALR if you're into that sort of thing.

Other links:

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Heritage Pig Breeding Around BC

Wed, 29 May 2024 05:15:00 -0700

This episode we’re taking a look at small scale pork production in BC, and specifically, a few farrowing operations around the province.

Other links:

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West Enderby Farm: Carrots in the North Okanagan

Thu, 16 May 2024 07:00:00 -0700

This episode, a conversation with farmer Paddy Doherty of West Enderby Farm. Paddy and his partner Elaine retired last year, but for close to fifteen years they grew organic carrots and a couple other crops in the North Okanagan. Paddy and Elaine's reputation as solid farmers would have been enough to fill a whole interview, but there was a lot more I wanted to ask him about. He's a bit of a legend in BC's organic farming community, having played a pivotal role in some key moments of evolution of the organic farming sector. And before he and Elaine bought West Enderby Farm late in their careers, Paddy spent a few decades living and working on a couple of cooperative farms around Quesnel. He's also a wizard with old tractors, which have benefitted some of his colleagues as he's thinned out his fleet in retirement.

A longer version of this conversation has been published before, over at The Organic BC Podcast. Go browse that catalog! There's lots there.

How BC Drought Managers Make Tough Water Allocation Decisions

Wed, 01 May 2024 09:00:00 -0700

This episode returns to the subject of drought and how the government manages water scarcity. This time: an interview with Nicole Pyett, a hydrogeologist and Water Resources Section Head, Authorizations for the Thompson Okanagan region with BC's Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. Scroll down to find a bunch of resources NIcole mentions in our conversation.

I asked Nicole to join me to talk about some of the science and date behind how she and her colleagues make decisions about how to allocate water during drought.

Last year, water levels in the Salmon River and some of its tributaries dropped so low that officials from BC's Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship were required by law to take actions to protect spawning fish populations there. What began as a request for voluntary irrigation reductions quickly escalated to outright irrigation curtailment orders for some of the area's forage producers. These farmers were, and are, frustrated by what happened. They've argued that the connection between the deep aquifers they tap and surface water levels is very weak, or non-existent. In other words, if you force them to stop irrigating it's not going help the fish.

Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship hydrogeologists disagree. And at a community meeting they hosted in Westwold on February 27th, they told the farmers in attendance that they had the data on hand to demonstrate the curtailments improved the situation for spawning fish. Only they never got to share their data, because the conversation in the room kept going in various directions. That's why I invited NIcole to talk to me: so that I could ask her to explain the connection between surface water and ground water.

After our conversation, Nicole sent me a very helpful summary of some of the resources she talked about. Here it is:

Water Science Series reports released by the Province of British Columbia

Determining the Likelihood of Hydraulic Connection - Guidance for Determining the Effect of Diversion of Groundwater on Specific Streams

Screening Tool for Guiding Short-Term Groundwater Curtailment during Water Scarcity

United States Geological Survey (USGS) report

Streamflow Depletion by Wells - Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow

Links to numerous other materials and documents including the British Columbia Drought and Water Scarcity Response Plan are available through the Provincial drought webpage.

Questions and comments regarding water management in the Thompson Okanagan Region can be sent to local staff through WaterResources@gov.bc.ca.

Other links:

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The Current State of Farmers Markets in BC

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Wylie Bystedt, a farmer based in Quesnel and the current board chair of the British Columbia Association of Farmers Markets. Wylie joined me on the phone to trumpet a recent study conducted at the University of Northern British Columbia that confirms what Wylie already knew: that farmers markets in BC are growing in popularity and economic impact. We'll talk about that study, as well as the current state of farmers markets in BC, and Wylie will tell you what she thinks farmers markets need in order to be even better.

Wylie's ranch is called Coyote Acres and is based in Quesnel.

Other links:

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Bolen Livestock: Farm-to-Table Beef in Jaffray

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 04:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Brody Bolen. He's 28 years old and a third generation rancher and butcher based in Jaffrey, in the southeast corner of BC. Brody's grandparents established the ranch in 1957 as a commercial cattle operation. Brody and his wife Kashtyn now live there and operate a farm-to-table business model in which they're directly involved in every step of producing their beef, including delivering it themselves to households around the southern interior.

Brody's nothing if not a cowboy and a cattleman. But he has another passion you may not have guessed: goats! Press play to hear about it!

Water Scarcity in Westwold and Around the Province

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 09:00:00 -0700

This episode I speak with Tom Walker of Country Life Magazine and BC Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen.

Much of BC has experienced various stages of drought in the last few years, with each successive year of drought compounding the issue of water scarcity in numerous parts of the province. In some areas, water scarcity in 2023 led to tensions among different water users. One example is Westwold, a small town in the Thompson Okanagan region dominated by large ranches and forage operations. Many of those operations source their irrigation water from deep aquifers in the Salmon River watershed. Last summer, water levels in the Salmon River got so low that the ability of salmon to spawn became a concern. Because of this concern, farmers in the region were abruptly told by BC government officials to curtail their irrigation, at a really crucial time of the production season. This created a lot of anger in the community. Some farmers demanded to see the science that proves that drawing water from 200 feet underground meaningfully affects water levels in the river, because they don't believe there's a connection.

Things will probably get worse. We're headed into the 2024 farming season with a pretty low snowpack in many parts of BC, and meanwhile, mid-march brought warm weather that shattered a lot of temperature records. So I invited Tom Walker to talk to me, since in his gig as a writer for Country Life Magazine, he's been covering the issue of water scarcity for a few years now. I also reached out to the BC Ministries of Agriculture and also Water, Land and Resource Stewardship for comment. Specifically, I asked if I could speak to a hydrologist who could explain the relationship between drawing irrigation water from deep wells in Westwold, and water levels in the salmon river. They told me, maybe, and so far, no dice, but they did allow me to interview Minister Cullen for 10 minutes. You'll hear from him after my conversation with Tom Walker.

Dominion: Cider in Summerland

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0700

This episode: a conversation with apple grower and cider maker Mike Harris of Dominion Cider Company in Summerland.

You'll learn how a guy went from an oil & gas job and no farming experience to managing an apple orchard and producing good cider in just a few years, why the snobs who say you can't make good cider with dessert apples are totally right and totally wrong, and how one of the best recent investments Mike made in the business made him less efficient at what he does.

Email the show: podcast@farminginbc.ca

Zak Vescera on his reporting about BC's migrant farm workers

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0700

Zak Vescera just wrapped up a stint at The Tyee as its labour reporter, and last August he launched a series focused on the housing and working conditions of BC's migrant farm workers. Here's a link to the first article in the series.

The series was deeply reported, and went beyond specific allegations to look at the value of seasonal farm worker programs to BC's ag sector, their structure, and their oversight and enforcement.

Zak joined me on the podcast to talk about his findings.

Zak has just started a new gig at the Investigative Journalism Foundation.

Wild Antho: Beekeeping in Armstrong

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0700

Welcome to a new podcast about farming in BC! This first episode, a conversation with Emily Huxter, a beekeeper based in Armstrong.

In our conversation, Emily contrasts honey production on the prairies and the Okanagan, why the economics of beekeeping is probably not what you have assumed, and why 50% of a jar of 100% Canadian Honey may actually be from Singapore.

Visit Wild Antho's website

Email the show! podcast@farminginbc.ca