Fred Steele
For well over a year farmers are looking to the future with a mixture of optimism and uncertainty. When an industry goes from shrinking to expansion that is to be expected. First let’s deal with the minor ripples of uncertainty. In the past few weeks we witnessed the firing of Richard Bullock from his position as Chair of the ALC. (Agricultural Land Commission)
Many farm groups do not like the two zone policy instituted by the Provincial Government. In zone one, the regulations are more stringent than in zone two. It should be noted there is a great deal of land in zone two that is very productive.
Both the BCFGA and the BC Agriculture Council made it clear we prefer one zone for the equal protection of farmland.
It is also true the government has made a decision to institute the policy.
At this time, no one knows what the future holds and what the criteria will really be for the protection of farmland, as increasing pressures for land use present themselves as competing interests.
The changes to the ALR come at a time when the Provincial Government has provided declining investment dollars in the industry as a whole.
The tree fruit replant program has been a welcome investment that was eight point four million dollars over seven years. Not only has it been successful in the first year, there is so much initial uptake the program is over subscribed in year one.
Despite the current apple prices being lower, farmers are optimistic that the future holds great promise for more profitable varieties and are adjusting to meet demand.
In fact there is the hope, that in addition to replant we can find ways to operate a companion program to infill the vacant lands where orchards were pulled out more than five or even ten years ago.
The proposed industry strategy is addressing those issues, along with finding funding for innovative new methods for production and storage of these new varieties.
The BCFGA is a catalyst for bringing the industry together. The farmers, Summerland Varieties Corporation, the BC Cherry Association, the Sterile Insect Release Program, and the co-operative and independent packinghouses are working together to be part of the strategy that lays out the goals and objectives of the overall industry and its many components. It has been developed over the past several months. This document will be the blueprint for speaking with government and financial interests to make the rejuvenation of the industry a reality.
There is a great deal of buzz around niche market exports opening new avenues for BC high quality products and value added processing.
One new product is the creation of BC Tree Fruits new line of Broken Ladder hard cider. This is not the sweet taste, it’s a dry cider. I personally like it a lot. This program will be of value to farmers.
There are many projects being considered and as we tailor our strategy to fit both our needs and those of the people we are doing business with. We recently participated in a discussion with the Asia Pacific Foundation to see what opportunities there are. We have monitored the Federal Governments new and pending free trade deals to see how we can take advantage of niche markets. There is talk of and opportunity to sell some grades of apples into India. That work is on going.
On the trade front, the US has lost its last appeal on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Now Canada can put punitive tariffs on cherries and apples, as soon as September, unless the US immediately retracts the COOL regulations that are hurting Canadian beef and hog producers.
We are on the cusp of some very exciting times in the tree fruit industry.
In the midst of optimism, there is uncertainty in areas of water and its allocations in times of possible drought, especially in a growing industry as the planting of acreage continues.
The current realignment of the foreign worker programs resulted in questions of ongoing dependable supply. The SAWP program (Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program) is different, in that it has more than one layer of oversight. The program does come with problems however. The cost of airfares is high due to a lack of competition. This is but one example of minor irritants that have to be improved on.
I tend to view it this way. Optimism is infectious, it brings out the positive problem solving skills of many. When you attempt to change anything for the better, it is fraught with uncertainty.
Uncertainty is really an asset, in that it becomes another level of oversight that allows all the participants to take a second look, to make sure the right things are being done.
It is no longer enough to say “We can do this” - it is time to do it. We are now embarking in the direction of change. The difference is, with an industry strategy we are doing it together.
Fred Steele, Kelowna orchardist and President of the BCFGA