Planting the seeds for a sustainable future - City of Kamloops

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Ranchers in Kamloops depend on Crown rangeland. Crown range is typically usedfrom May to October with private lands supplying the forage requirements for theremainder of the year.Rangeland is often damaged by unmanaged activities. Plants are typically injuredor killed by severe trampling; overuse by both wildlife and livestock; andunauthorized use by all-terrain vehicles, pedal bikes, and off-road vehicles. Theresulting damage severely limits the range from performing important ecologicalfunctions such as holding the soil and water in place. Human disturbance alsoprovides an ideal site for weed invasion. Weeds such as toadflax, leafy spurge,knapweed, houndstongue, orange-flowered hawkweed, and Canada thistle are alla serious menace to the health of BC rangelands.With good range management, cattle grazing is compatible with many of theseother uses and, in some cases, can improve the range for other uses. Wildlifepredation on cattle can create significant economic impact on ranchers. Otherchallenges facing ranchers are mostly related to the costs of inputs and the effectof issues such as international trade, the relative value of the Canadian dollar, andthe demand for beef, all of which affect the prices they receive for their animals.Ranching fits nicely with the land base, topography and climate in the Kamloopsarea. Consumers have become accustomed to grain-fed beef, meaning beef thathas been raised eating grass and finished on grain. BC ranchers can viablyproduce calves and raise them to a certain weight on grass forage. After that,they need a mix of grain and forage or other roughage. For the finishing process, cows are sent to Alberta, to large feedlots,which tend to have access to cheaper feed grain. There is growing evidence that grass-fed beef contains higher levels ofconjugated linoleic acids that may have apparent health benefits. This is an opportunity on which some ranchers in theSouthern Interior have begun to capitalize.Ranching extends far beyond the political boundaries for the City of Kamloops indicatingland interdependence between the City of Kamloops and the extensive agricultural landbase within the TNRD.Dairy farms can operate in theKamloops area, Blackwell Dairybeing a case in point. There aresome dairy farms relocating to theThompson Nicola area. Some ofthese are moving all operationsbut others are starting up branchfarms to raise replacement cows.Silage corn grows very well in theKamloops area but few beefproducers grow corn due to thespecialized inputs required. Cornis often used to feed cows, so ifdairy operations increase in theregion, corn production will likelyfollow suit.CITY OF KAMLOOPS 20
Growing Season (length indays)ENVIRONMENTClimate and Growing SeasonAlthough Kamloops is situated only 258 km from the Pacific Ocean, the climate is dry, or semi-arid, and bordering on desert.As a result, availability of regular irrigation will continue to be a defining factor in determining the area's agricultural potential.Maps 6 through 8 illustrate growing degree days and mean daily temperatures, respectively, throughout BC.In the mountainous Interior of Southern BC, topography exerts a major effect on climate and, in general, the surroundinghighlands receive much more precipitation than the valley’s bottom.Table 3Climatic Criteria: City of KamloopsMinimum temperature 5° C 2,308.6Maximum temperature >30° C (days) 29.3 Hours of bright sunshine 2,074.6Maximum temperature >0° C (days) 326.2 Measurable bright sunshine (days) 316.2Days of rainfall 127.72 Sunshine during daylight hours 43.1%Days of snowfall 36.03 Average relative humidity (1,500 LST) 48.8%Degree days >10° C 1,283.7 Last Frost Spring May 1First Frost Fall Oct 5Growing SeasonBC Cities250200150100500221 216 200177 171 159 159 156 156 15691 84Figure 2 – Length of Growing Season inSelected BC CommunitiesCITY OF KAMLOOPS 21
Page 1 and 2: CITY OF KAMLOOPSPlanting the seeds
Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis report was pre
Page 7 and 8: WHY DO WE NEED AN AGRICULTURE AREA
Page 9 and 10: EXPECTED OUTCOMESThe overarching ex
Page 11: (l) an activity, other than grazing
Page 14 and 15: Due to topography, existing growth,
Page 16 and 17: At one time, there were 16 dairies
Page 18 and 19: Urban agriculture connects urban dw
Page 20 and 21: There are two general types of cons
Page 24 and 25: Plant Hardiness ZonesThe Plant Hard
Page 26 and 27: The Importance of Ranch and RangeKa
Page 28 and 29: AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITYFigure 3 - C
Page 30 and 31: Table 5 - Owned and Rented (Owned v
Page 32 and 33: Livestock Use (by parcels) 74% (150
Page 34 and 35: Change in Farm EnterprisesThe local
Page 36 and 37: Gross Margin ($ per farm)Gross Marg
Page 38 and 39: Table 8 - Value of Farm Capital and
Page 40 and 41: cooling activities would increase t
Page 42 and 43: MarketingMarketing is both a hindra
Page 44 and 45: PROVINCIAL AGRICULTURAL TRENDSThe 1
Page 46 and 47: Canadian Food Inspection AgencyThe
Page 48 and 49: Farm Practices Protection ActThe Fa
Page 50 and 51: The Land Conservancy of BCThe Land
Page 52 and 53: Zoning By-law No. 5-1-2001A section
Page 54 and 55: Dam inspection obligations;Environm
Page 56 and 57: SUPPORTING INDUSTRY DIVERSIFICATION
Page 58 and 59: Trespassing; andClimate change.Due
Page 60 and 61: 20. Agricultural or Multi-Purpose E
Page 62 and 63: CITY OF KAMLOOPS 60
Page 68 and 69: processed-product producers in the
Page 70 and 71: Support Services andProducts for Fo
Page 72 and 73:
MAPSMap 1 - Food Producer Map - Cit
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