BC Forage Council
BC Forage Council
300 - 640 Borland Street
Williams Lake, BC V2G 4T1
Email: bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com
Phone: 250-267-6522 (Fran Teitge)
Board of Directors & Contacts 2013
2013 Membership Form - Thank you for supporting forage research in BC.
Current Projects
1. Cariboo-Chilcotin Forage Variety Trials 2009-2012
2. Forage Export Project (Highway 16) 2013
- Project Description ... coming soon
Newsletter - July 2011
BCFC Position Statement on Invasive Weeds of BC
BCFC AGM Report 2012
The BC Forage Council Annual General Meeting was held March 28, 2012. Approximately 10 members were present including president Doug Hatfield, vice president Doug Summer, and Directors Bill Awmack, Dr. S. Bittman, Derek Hunt, Darrell Smith, Norm Dueck, Garth Healey, David Clarke.
All directors up for election were re-elected. One new director was elected: Dani Fischer from Cache Creek area.
- President: Doug Hatfield
- Vice President: Doug Summer
- Secretary: Darrell Smith
- Treasurer: Bill Awmack
The BC Forage Council typically meets (usually via conference call) 3-4 times per year. If you’re interested in serving a 2-year term and helping to guide the Forage Council, please contact us at 250-267-6522 or by email: bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com for more information.
Link to Variety Testing Results Page
Article: Extending Grazing and Reducing Stored Feed Needs
The BCFC Forage Council supports and encourages forage education throughout the province. As the provincial representative of forage producers, the BCFC will assist regional associations by providing assistance in obtaining funding and finding speakers for seminars, meetings, field days and tours which will directly promote education in the areas of forage selection and management. For more information please contact us at email: bcfc@bcforagecouncil.com or phone: 250-267-6522.
BRITISH COLUMBIA FORAGE COUNCIL
The BC Forage Council was established in 1988 to support the forage industry in the province and to provide a unified voice to speak for forage crop producers. Membership in the Council stands at about 250, the majority of whom are individual producers. The Council is guided by a 14-member board of directors composed of six producers along with representatives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries; the University of BC; the Canadian Seed Trade Association; and the Crop Protection Institute of Canada. Click here to view BCFC photos.
BC FORAGE COUNCIL MAJOR ACTIVITIES
- Funding support and coordination of the forage cultivar trials at strategic locations throughout BC. Yields taken from these trials provide a source of comparative performance data on the most widely grown forage species. Crops tested include alfalfa, cicer milkvetch, orchardgrass, tall and meadow fescues, smooth and meadow bromes, perennial ryegrass and timothy.
- Currently, BC Forage Council trials are located in 3 locations: Lower Fraser Valley, Creston and Highway 16.
- Funding of forage management research. For instance, the Council funded a trial comparing the performance of tall fescue and orchardgrass with and without alfalfa at 3 Interior sites.
- BCFC supports forage education. As the provincial representative of forage producers, the BCFC will assist regional associations by providing assistance in obtaining funding and finding speakers for meetings, field days and tours which will directly promote education in the areas of forage selection and management.
BC FORAGE FACTS
- BC producers harvest over 2 million tonnes of forage annually from 1 million acres.
- Forage is the backbone of the beef, dairy, bison horse and sheep industries. Farm receipts for the beef, bison, dairy and sheep sectors exceed $732 million (2007).
- Forages are grown on more than 95% of BC agricultural land.
- Almost 75% of forage produced in BC is fed to livestock on the same farm it is harvested.
WHY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?
The BC Forage Council is a non-profit society funded through individual and agri-business memberships. More than 90% of our members are individual producers.
The Council provides an opportunity for individuals to share their expertise and experience in the production and marketing of forage crops as well as providing an opportunity to develop a collective opinion on issues that are important to the forage sector. The support of individual producers is a key element in the maintenance of an active voice for forage-related issues in BC agriculture.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Membership in the Council is open to anyone with an interest in the forage and grassland industry in British Columbia. The annual fee includes a variety of benefits:
- BC Forage Council Newsletter.
- Results of forage variety trials conducted in the province.
- Discounts on Council-sponsored publications.
Individual membership - $20 per year.
Agribusiness membership - $75 per year.
Please make cheque payable to BC Forage Council. Include your name, address, and phone number and mail to:
BC Forage Council
c/o Nancy Portman
BC Ministry of Agriculture
2nd Floor, 441 Columbia Street
Kamloops, BC V2C 2T3
Email: nancy.portman@gov.bc.ca
