Sustainable & Profitable Ranching with Steve Kenyon (Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors) | Jan 9 – 10: Cranbrook and Greenwood BC
Top 10 Farm Financial Mistakes & How to Avoid Them | Jan 26: Quesnel BC
Young Agrarians: Williams Lake Mixer | Feb 9 – 10: Williams Lake BC
Grazing Management Webinar (Beef Cattle Research Council) | Feb 12
Cover Crops (Beef Cattle Research Council) | Mar 26
Annual Cover Crops Field Day | Apr 17: Agassiz BC
BC Cattlemen’s Association AGM and Convention | May 23 – 25: Williams Lake BC
BCFC 2019 Annual General Meeting and Provincial Field Day | Aug 9: Vernon BC
Train the Trainers, Raising the Next Generation Field Day | Aug 29: Beaver Valley BC
BC Forage Council Pasture Walk | Sep 18: Quesnel BC
Pasture Rejuvenation with Nicole Masters: 2-day Workshop | Sep 26 – 27: Greenwood BC
First Annual On-Farm Research Forum with TRU Applied Sustainable Ranching | Oct 29: Williams Lake BC
Canadian Forage and Grassland Association 2019 Conference | Nov 12 – 15: Broncton NB
MFGA AGM & Regenerative Ag Days | Nov 19 – 20: Brandon MB
BC Forage Council On-Farm Research Workshop | Dec 19: Williams Lake BC
Sustainable & Profitable Ranching with Steve Kenyon (Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors)
When: January 9th and 10th, 2019
Where: Cranbrook and Greenwood, BC, respectively
What: Steve Kenyon is well respected in the agriculture community for his business management and innovative ideas and is also a regular contributor to Canadian Cattlemen Magazine. Steve runs a custom grazing business in Alberta under the name of Greener Pastures Ranching, where they run just over 1200 head of livestock on 3000 acres of leased land. Steve uses a combination of intensive cell grazing, dormant season grazing, swath grazing, crop residue grazing and bale grazing to pasture cattle year round. Steve’s presentation will cover soil building, water management, grazing plans, bale grazing and economic viability. For more information this FREE event, visit https://www.kbfa.ca/events.
Top 10 Farm Financial Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
When: January 26th 2019 (9a.m.-3p.m.)
Where: Quesnel & District Seniors’ Centre, Quesnel, BC
What: The goals of this workshop are to 1) share experience and overview about what solid farm financial management looks like, 2) using interactive audience participation and professional farm accounting expertise, they will discuss some common pitfalls, strategies to stay on track, and existing resources available to help you and your agriculture business thrive, 3) leave participants with a better understanding of their individual farm finances and/or next step for improvement (each participant leaves with top 3 action items for implementation!) and 4) raise awareness of the BC Ministry of Agriculture Business Risk Management Programs peer support and importance of maintaining regional industry associations.
RSVP to Marisa.Nightingale@gov.bc.ca by January 16th.
Young Agrarians: Williams Lake Mixer
When: February 9th to 10th, 2019
Where: Thompson Rivers University, Williams Lake Campus
What: The first YA event in the Cariboo, this year’s Williams Lake Mixer will include two full days of workshops and sessions that will sharpen your farm and business skills, and build connections with other new farmers. There will be two streams of content that will kick start new farmers, and that will deepen the knowledge and success of those with a few seasons in their pocket. There will be a potluck Saturday night, and share your stories at the Farmers Slideshow! Cost is a sliding scale $50-100. Please pay what you can, but no body will be turned away due to lack of funds—volunteer work trades are available. More information, including schedule outline, at: http://youngagrarians.org/williamslakemixer2019/
Grazing Management Webinar (Beef Cattle Research Council)
When: February 12th, 2019
Where: Online!
What: During this webinar you will hear from grazing experts on different grazing management techniques that can help your pastures to become more productive and profitable. Speakers TBA. To learn more, and to register, visit: http://www.beefresearch.ca/resources/webinars.cfm
Cover Crops (Beef Cattle Research Council)
When: March 26th, 2019
Where: Online!
What: Join Jillian Bainard, PhD, Research Scientist at Agriculture Agri-Food Canada in Swift Current, SK, to discuss cover crops. Cover crops can have many benefits including improving soil health and prolonging the grazing season. To learn more, and to register, visit: http://www.beefresearch.ca/resources/webinars.cfm
Annual Cover Crops Field Day
When: April 17th, 1-3p.m.
Where: Agassiz Research and Development Centre (6947 Highway 7, Aggasiz BC)
More info: contact Gary Telford at gary.telford@canada.ca, 604-796-6101
BC Cattlemen’s Association AGM and Convention
When: May 23-25th
Where: Williams Lake BC.
More info:https://www.cattlemen.bc.ca/agmsite.htm
BCFC 2019 Annual General Meeting and Provincial Field Day
We are heading to the Okanagan this year for our AGM and Provincial Field Day. The AGM is free to the public to attend; Bar WT Farms is hosting the Field Day, which is $10 to attend, though members get to attend the Field Day for FREE.
Annual General Meeting
When: Friday, August 9, 2019. 12:30-5p.m.
Where: Coldstream Women’s Institute Hall (10 minutes outside of Vernon)
Guest Speakers: In addition to updates on BCFC’s new projects focused on carbon sequestration and pasture rejuvenation, we also have Norm Dueck (A&L Labs) talking about soil health, sampling and analysis, and Dr. Lauchlan Fraser (Thompson Rivers University) talking about Climate Change and Range Management in the Interior of BC.
Provincial Field Day
When: Saturday, August 10, 2019. 10a.m. -3p.m.
Where: Bar WT Farms
Cost: $10 (or FREE for members)
Structure: A Trade Show will run throughout the entire event. After an introduction, there will be four rotating Stations:
- FAIP Research Project: Alternative Cropping Methods For Corn, with Mike Witt (Bar WT Farms)
- Soil Sampling and Analysis Using In-field Sample Results, with Norm Dueck (A&L Labs)
- Cover Crops: 12+ Annual Forage Cover Crop Demonstration
- Invasive Plants: Plant ID and Management
Train the Trainers, Raising the Next Generation Field Day
When: August 29th, 2019 11:30am – 4:00pm Where: D&S Zirnhelt Ranch, Beaver Valley
Last fall, four producers (the “Trainers”) and TRU students (the “Next Generation”) took a one-day module to learn how to use the On Farm Demonstration Research Guide, led by Dr. Catherine Tarasoff. They each designed and implemented a demonstration research project summer 2019.
The Field Day was a FREE event to showcase one of the research plots installed this year. It was a great opportunity to see a research plot in person, ask the producer questions, and see some preliminary results. There were speakers talking about Seed Selection in forage establishment, and a tour of a recent Silvopasture experiment on the property.
BC Forage Council Pasture Walk
When & Where: Wednesday September 18, 2019 @ Australian Ranch
The BC Forage Council is excited to invite you to a Pasture Walk on Wednesday, September 18th, 2019, at the Australian Ranch (6666 Yorston Rd, which is 34km south of Quesnel – look for Cariboo Corn Maze, Haunted Maze and House!). Australian Ranch is one of four research sites for our “Demonstration of Innovative Pasture Rejuvenation Practices in Central and Northern Interior of BC,” a project that is part of the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program, and is also funded in part by the BC Forage Council, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, and the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
The research plot at the Australian Ranch compared two types of no-till seed drills (a Disc Drill compared to a Tine Drill), with two different crop mixes, under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Farm-partners Bob and Holley Yorston will be on site to provide an overview of their objective with their trial and impressions from year one, and will also provide an in-formal our of other experiments they have on the ranch this year, including grazing turnips in a relay blend, and July inter-cropping of turnips into a harvested alfalfa stand.
The Pasture Walk will run from 5:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. (feel free to arrive anytime after 5p.m., to ensure that you don’t miss the walk!). Registration is FREE, just send us an email (bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com) to let us know you are coming. Home-made desserts will be a wonderful bonus to the event!
Pasture Rejuvenation with Nicole Masters: 2-day Workshop
When & Where: September 26th-27th @ Greenwood, B.C.
Join Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils, New Zealand, for a two-day intensive workshop on soil health and regenerative agriculture.Topics include soil management, enhancing soil biology to increase productivity, water management, grazing and compost systems. Workshop is relevant to anyone who works with soil and land management! For more info: https://www.kbfa.ca/events
First Annual On-Farm Research Forum with TRU Applied Sustainable Ranching
When & Where: Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 6:00-9:00pm @Laughing Loon Pub, Williams Lake
TRU Ranching students and local producers will be showcasing their on-farm demonstration research projects for 2019. Everyone is welcome, come on out and enjoy great food, drink, and an evening of fun and networking and see what the students are up to.
Canadian Forage and Grassland Association 2019 Conference
For more information or to register visit https://canadianfga.wixsite.com/conference2019
MFGA AGM & Regenerative Ag Days
When & Where: November 19-20, 2019 @ Brandon, MB
Our Regen Ag Days committee has put together a very exciting program and would like to extend an invitation to register for this event!
Nov 19 evening: AGM & Producer Panel
MFGA hosts our AGM followed by a small panel of experts talking regenerative ag, research and innovation.
Nov 20 full day: Workshop & Tradeshow
Learn more about healthy soil, water management, livestock and grain producer prosperity and other important topucs by leading industry experts!
For more info: denice@mfga.net or go here: https://www.mfga.net/regen-ag-days#regen-ag-days-sponsorship Register early as it’s expected to be a jam-packed event!
BC Forage Council On-Farm Research Workshop
Williams Lake, Pioneer Complex (351 Hodgson Rd ) Thursday, December 19th 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The BC Forage Council is looking for producers that are interested in learning how to conduct their own on-farm research. This FREE one-day workshop will walk you through the Guide to On-Farm Demonstration Research with one-on-one support so that you can develop your own research project! No previous research experience necessary—the Guide is designed to make it easy for anyone to organize a trial and get meaningful results.
Due to the hands-on nature of the workshop, space is limited. To register contact Michelle Miller at bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com or call 250-564-4115 loc260 Lunch will be provided.
B.C. Forage Council 