Make hay while the sun shines

Wally Bradley pitching hay

                             “Make hay while the sun shines”

Latin proverb

“As a third-generation farmer and largest hay producer on the Peninsula, I can tell you what real farming is. It means surviving in a global agriculture marketplace.” Bryce Rashleigh, farmer

      Farmers who make hay in the summer start thinking about making hay in the spring. The grass is growing after a winter’s sleep, and the hay in the barn is nearly all gone; if you’re lucky you might have a good reserve to sell your less lucky neighbour who ran out already. Equipment will be pulled out, greased up, tested and parts replaced. Maybe the farmer has been to a few early spring farm auctions to pick up a “nu-to-yu” tractor, mower, rake or baler. When the grass is ready to shoot ahead in growth, the farmer might spread some fertilizer on the fields to ensure a good yield. Perhaps a field or two may be completely renovated, which means tilling, rock picking, raking, planting, and irrigating.

the crew

      The farmer has an eye on the weather at this time, hoping for warm rains to help the grass grow, and warm stretches of dry sun just at the time of cutting, curing, raking and baling. Only comedy is more reliant on timing and perception than farming. Then again, maybe they are about the same in that respect. Because if you don’t hit it all just right, nobody is laughing. There is no rest or celebrating until the last bale is in the barn. Hopefully, none of it was rained on. Hopefully, none of the equipment broke down in the process. Once the hay is all in, the farmer should have enough hay to last six months. Part of having a sustainable farm is being able to produce and store your own feed for your own livestock so they can enjoy their own “100 mile diet” year round.

the whole family pitches in

      All of this takes a lot of work, and is a central activity of many farms. So how is it that in the past couple of years I have heard that producing hay is not really farming? What is a farm and what is farming? We all know it is a place where food, fibre and perhaps flowers are grown or raised or produced. Sometimes farms are subsistent and produce only for the residents of the farm. Sometimes farms are very productive, supplying food to many people who do not farm at all. Many types, sizes and definitions. So how is producing hay not really farming? Perhaps people who think this do not realize that hay is just one step removed from the beef or lamb on your plate.

      Bryce Rashleigh of Central Saanich makes a living producing hay on his own and other’s land. He keeps state of the art equipment, employs 7-10 people a year, and prides himself on being a very good farmer. He believes that hay farms are keeping the land in farming until the economics of farming improve. There is good demand for hay in these parts. Many small farmers do not have the land base or capital to grow their own hay, so they must buy it from someone who does, or have someone like Bryce cut their hay for them. Farmers will grow what they can sell. If you see land in hay and not “food” such as carrots or beans, think about what might be behind this. Bryce and many other farmers blame the global supermarket on the cheap food and labour that Canadian farmers have to compete against. In the west we have an overabundance of food from all over the world in our supermarkets. If the consumer bought local food, or requested the supermarket to source out and carry local produce, there would be the demand to encourage more local vegetables and fruits to be produced here. Otherwise, farmers will just keep growing what they can sell. With predictions that global food production will have to double by the year 2030 to meet the escalating demand for food, maybe rising food prices and higher transportation costs will drive up the price of imported food, making locally produced foods more competitive.

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Tired" - photo by Kelly Hofer, ex-Hutterite, and story on my visit to a Hutterite farm

Tired, a photo by An ex-Hutterite's Life . Kelly Hofer on Flickr.

     I was in Alberta for a sheep meeting a while back, and since we made a family visit/road trip out of it, it seemed a good time and place to look around for Border Collies. One of the ads we called said he had just the dog for me, so out we went.
     The farm was a huge grain and livestock operation on 6,000 acres, with several barns and buildings, and what looked like an apartment complex. There was no farm sign, no clear indication that this was anything but a big ubiquitous Alberta farm. The fellow with the dogs answered our questions, and then seemed quite pleased to grant our request for a short tour. We all went across the road to the main farm complex, and immediately it became apparent that this was a Hutterite farm. All the men were dressed in black, even the boys. No women were in sight. The children quickly swarmed around our vehicle, as curious about us as we were about them.
     Since it was winter, the tour started with their main workplace – the shop. They first showed us their woodworking shop. Then they showed us their pride and joy - a high tech computerized metal fabricating shop to make customized attachments for Bobcats. Many Hutterite colonies have diversified into manufacturing, some have developed value-added farm products, like pancake mixes or wool comforters. The needs to keep men working year round and contributing to the colony as they have adapted farming technologies that reduce labour requirements, and the need for capital to expand their operations, are the drivers behind the diversification into manufacturing.
     After the tour of the workshops, we got into a big farm truck to go feed the cattle. The cattle were sleek and healthy, and were fed a chopped mix of grain and forage. We noticed the absence of a radio in the truck. The influences of the outside world are minimized here, yet they still are on the fore front of any technologies that could enhance their farm.
     The colony also had a large layer operation. We entered the layer barn at the egg handling area. The eggs came in by conveyer belts, automatically picking up the eggs as they were laid and delivering them to be graded, sorted, washed, packed then put into a cooler. The packing area was tiled from floor to ceiling and very clean. We weren’t allowed into the layer barn, but could see inside where the chickens were. The colony also had pigs and meat chickens, and produced all of their own grain, hay and straw. They also had a large garden to produce vegetables for the colony.
     After I got home I researched Hutterites on the internet, and was particularly impressed by a Flickr site called the “Shutterite”, a young Hutterite’s photos of his colony and their work. Not long after I was looking at the photos, the site became closed to visitors or shut down, and I wondered what happened to the brilliant photographer. Then I opened my Western Producer last week and there were the unmistakable images of Kelly Hofer, laid out in full colour splendour in the center of the widely read farm paper. The article about him mentioned that although his photos have shown his colony in a good light, the religious leaders are not comfortable with the attention this has brought Kelly. Individualism is not encouraged in a Hutterite colony, where everyone works for the good of the group. I was further pleased to see one of Kelly Hofer’s photos on the front page of the National Post only a week after the Western Producer feature. The photo was of a Hutterite girl in traditional dress, sitting in the rim of an enormous tractor tire out in a big farm field. The article that went with it was about Kelly and his life as a Hutterite photographer, and the struggle the Hutterites face balancing adoption of modern technology and adherence to traditional communal values. The article went on to say that Kelly had decided to leave the colony, a personal decision to pursue his gift.
     Whatever people may say about the Hutterite culture, they are among the most successful, productive, innovative farmers in Canada and the US. Hutterites came to North America in the 1800's, encouraged by the promise of religious freedom and the opportunity to grow their pacifist communities. They have somehow managed to blend their old-style communal traditions and strong work ethic with state of the art farm technology, easily adopting cooperative agricultural management and economies of scale to achieve a level of success non-Hutterites sometimes resent. Their colonies are self-contained, with their own schools, churches, abattoirs and all the services a small community would need. They have a communal structure where all assets are shared, none are individually owned, and their traditions are deeply ingrained and rigid.

    Since 1949 when the first colony came to Saskatchewan, they expanded their land holdings to over 2% of all agricultural land in that province, over half a million acres, by 1993. In 2009, Hutterites owned over 40% of all hogs in Manitoba, and over a third of all hogs in Alberta, even though they represented less than 10% of the operations. In South Dakota, Hutterites raise 50-60% of the hogs, in Montana, 90%. Colonies in Montana also produce 98% of the eggs using state-of-the-art equipment. In BC, colonies are in the Peace River area, many raising sheep, cattle and grain.
    These aren’t what some would call family farms, but they are.

Hutterite Farms

      I was in Alberta for a sheep meeting a while back, and since we made a family visit/road trip out of it, it seemed a good time and place to look around for Border Collies. One of the ads we called said he had just the dog for me, so out we went.

      The farm was a huge grain and livestock operation on 6,000 acres, with several barns and buildings, and what looked like an apartment complex. There was no farm sign, no clear indication that this was anything but a big ubiquitous Alberta farm. The fellow with the dogs answered our questions, and then seemed quite pleased to grant our request for a short tour. We all went across the road to the main farm complex, and immediately it became apparent that this was a Hutterite farm. All the men were dressed in black, even the boys. No women were in sight. The children quickly swarmed around our vehicle, as curious about us as we were about them.

      Since it was winter, the tour started with their main workplace – the shop. They first showed us their woodworking shop. Then they showed us their pride and joy - a high tech computerized metal fabricating shop to make customized attachments for Bobcats. Many Hutterite colonies have diversified into manufacturing, some have developed value-added farm products, like pancake mixes or wool comforters. The needs to keep men working year round and contributing to the colony as they have adapted farming technologies that reduce labour requirements, and the need for capital to expand their operations, are the drivers behind the diversification into manufacturing.

      After the tour of the workshops, we got into a big farm truck to go feed the cattle. The cattle were sleek and healthy, and were fed a chopped mix of grain and forage. We noticed the absence of a radio in the truck. The influences of the outside world are minimized here, yet they still are on the fore front of any technologies that could enhance their farm.

      The colony also had a large layer operation. We entered the layer barn at the egg handling area. The eggs came in by conveyer belts, automatically picking up the eggs as they were laid and delivering them to be graded, sorted, washed, packed then put into a cooler. The packing area was tiled from floor to ceiling and very clean. We weren’t allowed into the layer barn, but could see inside where the chickens were. The colony also had pigs and meat chickens, and produced all of their own grain, hay and straw. They also had a large garden to produce vegetables for the colony.

Tired, a photo by Kelly Hofer on Flickr

      After I got home I researched Hutterites on the internet, and was particularly impressed by a Flickr site called the “Shutterite”, a young Hutterite’s photos of his colony and their work. Not long after I was looking at the photos, the site became closed to visitors or shut down, and I wondered what happened to the brilliant photographer. Then I opened my Western Producer last week and there were the unmistakable images of Kelly Hofer, laid out in full colour splendour in the center of the widely read farm paper. The article about him mentioned that although his photos have shown his colony in a good light, the religious leaders are not comfortable with the attention this has brought Kelly. Individualism is not encouraged in a Hutterite colony, where everyone works for the good of the group. I was further pleased to see one of Kelly Hofer’s photos on the front page of the National Post only a week after the Western Producer feature. The photo was of a Hutterite girl in traditional dress, sitting in the rim of an enormous tractor tire out in a big farm field. The article that went with it was about Kelly and his life as a Hutterite photographer, and the struggle the Hutterites face balancing adoption of modern technology and adherence to traditional communal values. The article went on to say that Kelly had decided to leave the colony, a personal decision to pursue his gift.

      Whatever people may say about the Hutterite culture, they are among the most successful, productive, innovative farmers in Canada and the US. Hutterites came to North America in the 1800's, encouraged by the promise of religious freedom and the opportunity to grow their pacifist communities. They have somehow managed to blend their old-style communal traditions and strong work ethic with state of the art farm technology, easily adopting cooperative agricultural management and economies of scale to achieve a level of success non-Hutterites sometimes resent. Their colonies are self-contained, with their own schools, churches, abattoirs and all the services a small community would need. They have a communal structure where all assets are shared, none are individually owned, and their traditions are deeply ingrained and rigid.

      Since 1949 when the first colony came to Saskatchewan, they expanded their land holdings to over 2% of all agricultural land in that province, over half a million acres, by 1993. In 2009, Hutterites owned over 40% of all hogs in Manitoba, and over a third of all hogs in Alberta, even though they represented less than 10% of the operations. In South Dakota, Hutterites raise 50-60% of the hogs, in Montana, 90%. Colonies in Montana also produce 98% of the eggs using state-of-the-art equipment. In BC, colonies are in the Peace River area, many raising sheep, cattle and grain.

     These aren’t what some would call family farms, but they are.

In remembrance of John Wilcox

“Our imperative now lies not in how to grow this or how to market that. What’s critical is a rebirth of BC farm Leadership. In BC, only one half of one percent of the province still farms, and our provincial government spending on agriculture, by percentage of GDP, is the lowest in Canada. We need new mortgage systems to enable investment in farmland. Using the Agricultural Land Reserve to grow our own food will never happen without such enabled investment – and such investment requires leadership.”

John Wilcox, Salt Spring Island farmer, farm leader and farm writer

     

     The farm community lost a prominent voice, strong leader, good friend and mentor when John Wilcox passed away on June 15^th at age 72. John was a sixth- generation farmer/agronomist and agriculture school graduate who owned and operated Duck Creek Farm on Salt Spring Island with his life partner Sue Earle. Over the past twenty years, since moving the family farm from Ontario to BC, John was an active member and served on the boards of directors of several farm and conservation organizations.

      Active is perhaps an understatement. In a notice to all District "A" Farmers’ Institute members, Jenny McLeod, Secretary of District A said “He WAS District "A" Farmers’ Institute and our resident historian. He gave his all for farmers and farming and gave a voice to small scale farmers throughout BC. He was a founder of FARM Community Council and a real contributor to agriculture in BC.”

      John also had interests beyond our borders and was at the forefront of many initiatives. As a new graduate in 1961, he went to rural India as an agricultural volunteer and became a founding member of Canadian Volunteers Overseas, now Canadian University Students Overseas (CUSO). His current positions included membership in BC Farm Writers Association, Island Natural Growers and Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce. John was also a Conservation Partner with The Land Conservancy of BC. In 2007 John received a Life Time Achievement Award for Dedicated Service to Community Agriculture and District “A” Farmers Institute for his many years serving on boards for Islands Farmers Institute, Island Natural Growers, District "A" Farmers’ Institute, BC Federation of Agriculture, FARM Community Council, Investment Agriculture and the BC Agriculture Council.

      His crowning achievement was Duck Creek Farm, an organic market garden and biodiverse conservation area. He had to work hard, for many years, to earn the money to buy and develop the land into a viable, productive farm and home. His success as a farmer was recognized by the business community, as he was awarded the first ever Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce Home Based Business Award in 2006, and the Agricultural/Farm Business of the Year Award in 2011.

     For years John Wilcox wrote pearls of wisdom in his “Barn Side” column, prominently featured with his infectious smile on the editorial pages of the widely-read farm paper, Country Life in BC. His columns dissected government policies and actions, presented opinions and ideas, in essence not just thinking out loud but talking (or shouting) out loud to anyone who would listen. His style was all his own. The farmer-activist, who used his pen as his weapon, or tool, was vital in communicating to policy makers, other farmers and the public. His personal frustrations with the ever-growing counterproductive bureaucracies became the catalyst for his activism and his actions. His early working life included government positions in both Ontario and BC in the golden years of extension services for farmers, so he had a good idea of what farmers needed, and what government could provide.

       John was also known as “Johnny Canuck”, for his anti-Free Trade mission in 1988 highlighted by a cross-Canada round trip in a 1941 maple leaf-painted Chevy. It is so appropriate that his life will be celebrated on Canada Day, July 1^st, at Fulford Hall, starting at 3 pm.

      John is survived by his brother, Jim Wilcox, daughter Lisa Wilcox, first wife Judith Stuart, daughters Samantha Wilcox and Emma Rubatscher (Jon), second wife Lynda Wilcox, stepson Dan Brooke (Erica), granddaughter Megan Brooke, partner Sue Earle, stepson Eland Bronstein and daughter Ella Bronstein.

Tent Caterpillars invade Gulf Islands

      Tent caterpillars are upon us again this year, with a vengeance. We watched the tents forming on our apple trees and the surrounding alders and hawthorns, and with a few warm days we saw an explosion of caterpillars. They love the heat. Even though the damage to individual trees can be severe, they usually grow back foliage by the summer and rarely are trees killed, so there is no need for panic and drastic measures, like cutting your trees down.

      Still, it is hard to stand idly by and watch the drastic defoliation that occurs in a tent caterpillar outbreak.

I thought last year was pretty bad, and asked Judith Myers, Saturna resident and UBC researcher, some questions about tent caterpillars. Judith has studied western tent caterpillars and their biological controls for several years, and has several study areas, including Saturna, Westham, Galiano and Mandarte Islands and the Cyress Mountain area.

      According to Dr. Myers, the severity of outbreaks varies with a cycle of approximately eight to ten years, and different regions are not all in the same part of the cycle at the same time. Last year Saturna was experiencing a peak year with a lot of disease, whereas Galiano was quite healthy and will probably be on their way to peaking.

      The caterpillars hatch into moths, which lay many eggs so have the potential to increase. When they get very dense they get a viral disease that is specific to them. That kills many of them. As parasites build up in the tent caterpillars, and they defoliate the trees, their numbers begin to decline. They are a native insect and their natural targets are the deciduous trees, especially red alders, and the hawthorns and wild roses. Their preferred hosts are alder, apple, ash, birch, cherry, cottonwood, willow, fruit trees, and roses. During heavy infestations, the tent caterpillars will migrate and feed on many other plants.

      Dr. Myers says that the tent caterpillars are probably doing particularly well because humans create disturbances which increase the number of red alder trees and fruit trees that they can feed on. If they are just left alone, they will naturally decline and continue their cycle, but most people want to prevent or treat the outbreaks on their fruit trees. With a few trees, hand picking and cutting off nests, in the evenings when the caterpillars return to their nests, can help to reduce damage. The cut-off nests are burned or put into bags and sealed for disposal. Some orchards use Btk spray (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki ) which is good for hard to reach areas. The microbial sprays based on this bacterium work only after a caterpillar eats a piece of leaf with Btk crystal proteins and spores on it. The proteins dissolve in the highly alkaline conditions found in a caterpillar gut and this paralyses their digestive tract. This causes the caterpillar to stop feeding and eventually to starve. Btk is non-toxic to humans, other mammals, birds, snakes, fish, earthworms and most other insects. It is an excellent choice for caterpillar control because it does not harm the beneficial insects and other animals that keep caterpillar numbers low. Btk must be eaten by caterpillars to have an effect, therefore it should only be used when caterpillars are actively feeding. It does not work on eggs, pupae or adult stages. For best results, spray in the evening, when no rain is expected. Use a fine spray and ensure that both sides of leaves are thoroughly covered. However, if only the apple trees are protected, caterpillars can move on to them later in the season from other host plants nearby.

Removing eggs and small tents, spraying, and continual vigilance can reduce the problem and protect the trees. The BT sprays have been widely used for years, are safe, and don't kill off the natural enemies of the moths.

      Tent caterpillars have many native enemies including birds, yellow jackets and other predatory wasps, parasitic flies, tiny parasitic wasps and predatory bugs as well as viruses, bacteria and fungus diseases. Encouraging these native enemies is the most environmentally sound (and often the simplest and least expensive) method of suppressing tent caterpillars.

Law of the Lands - Farm, Energy and Enviro Law: Is clearing of trees a normal farm practice?

Law of the Lands - Farm, Energy and Enviro Law: Is clearing of trees a normal farm practice?: The Supreme Court of British Columbia is going to be dealing with the question of whether a farmer can be restrained from clearing trees on ...

Government amendments to Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act reduces SPCA power, improves transparency and fairness

     The BC government has announced an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act that will establish the Farm Industry Review Board as the organization to hear appeals from citizens regarding animal welfare issues where the BC SPCA has seized an animal. Previous to this, the SPCA had powers to seize and the only way British Columbians could appeal was to take the matter to court. Another amendment requires the Society to provide the Minister of Agriculture with information related to the enforcement of the Act. The Act was also amended to allow the minister to draft bylaws outlining enforcement procedures and to appoint others to enforce the Act. The intended outcome is to improve transparency and fairness to animal welfare enforcement actions.

      What was the trigger to this? The amendment began as a result of public outcry over heavy-handed enforcement by the BC SPCA, and the Province's desire for increased transparency. Last fall, nearly 100 rare breed Berkshire pigs were seized from a Cowichan Valley farm by the SPCA, triggering a reaction from the community that raised questions about the way the SPCA operates and the power that the organization has. It seemed that the SPCA thought it would be a textbook case of going in to take abused animals out of a poor situation, but it proved to be more complicated than that. The event coincided with a fall campaign to raise money for the SPCA by raising awareness about farm animals and the SPCA certified program, which provides a third party audit to farms that want to use the SPCA certified label on their farm products.

      The event also coincided with the fall meetings and AGMs that farmers have. The seizure of the pigs was an emotional topic of discussion at the BC Sheep Federation AGM held in Duncan; many participants knew the farmer who owned the Berkshires, a rare breed that were sold as weaners to other farmers. There were people there who bought pigs from Bill and found them to be in good health. They spoke of how much Bill loved his pigs. Was it necessary to take away all of his pigs in such a manner, which would probably result in boarding costs that eventually exceed the value of the pigs? There were many people who would have helped Bill out by taking some of the excess pigs, if they had known. A group of volunteers quickly organized and contacted the SPCA and Bill with offers to find homes for the pigs and help any way they could. Many letters from farmers and non-farmers were written to local papers, supporting Bill. Based on this incident and others throughout BC, a resolution was passed at the BCSF AGM to write a letter to the Minister of Agriculture about this situation and others regarding the SPCA seizing livestock.

      But it isn't a simple case of an overzealous SPCA conducting their mandate, although there have been indications that the SPCA did exert a lot of muscle by using the RCMP. It was fortunate that the SPCA brought in the BC Farm Animal Care Council, a new producer organization that's role is to work with producers regarding animal welfare. The BCFACC suggested bringing in a retired and well respected pig producer, who was instrumental in buying Bill some time with another two weeks to improve the housing. The pigs were overall in better condition that the authorities expected because they are hardy Berkshires, but there was concern over the mud and housing. Bill was known to be overwhelmed with the work involved in feeding and caring for his growing breeding herd, and he struggled with the challenges of keeping several boars for the rare breed. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, and Bill slipped between the cracks as a small farmer who is on his own with little support. Notwithstanding that, he worked hard to improve the housing in the two weeks, which was recognized by the industry experts but the SPCA decided to seize the pigs anyways because not enough progress had been made.

      The veterinarian and former pig producer were asked to leave by the SPCA prior to the seizure, so they did not witness the loading or new location for the pigs. There were reports that the boars were put together and ended up fighting and injuring each other, resulting in some being put down. The housing they were moved to was an open barn, not a pig barn with separate pens, so the more vulnerable pigs were at risk - while under the SPCA's care.

One suggestion to come out of this was to have the BCFACC set up a peer network so that if there are SPCA complaints regarding livestock, there are producer associations and farmers institutes available to advise SPCA and help the farmers who are trying to comply but lack the resources and support to do so. The rapid and organized response to Bill's situation by various farm groups and individuals in the Cowichan Valley and beyond indicate that this approach may greatly improve the efforts of the SPCA to achieve their mandate in a more sensible way.

     The new changes to the Act will encourage the SPCA to adopt such changes in their procedures to ensure that knowledgeable people enforce the Act in a fair way. The involvement of the FIRB, an established and experienced tribunal, is a logical choice given that the FIRB is already empowered to hear appeals under the Natural Products Marketing Act, The Administrative Tribunals Act and the Farm Practices Protection Act. The board reports to the Minister of Agriculture in matters of administration, but is independent of government in decision-making. The board may require the animal be returned to its owner, allow the SPCA determine the fate of an animal, or confirm or vary the costs for which the animal owner is liable to the BC SPCA while the animal was in its care. The BC FIRB will only hear appeals after attempts to resolve through the BC SPCA’s own 28-day internal review process, but knowing that the BCFIRB could become involved, the BC SPCA should respond with greater fairness and transparency than they have in the past.

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