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Articles by Tom Walker
Cotton Patch Geese: Historic Weeder Geese – Mother Earth News
When I was a kid in southwestern Arkansas during the Great Depression of the 1930s, I became fascinated by the small autosexing geese that were everywhere. They were amazingly beautiful. Each was quite independent but was, at the same time, closely attached to the other geese of its gaggle, as a flock of geese is called. It was understood that a gander (a male goose) and a goose (a female goose) mated for life. The two worked as a team in perpetuating their kind.
Field days give farmers the dirt on soil management
GRAND FORKS – The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food sponsored a series of soil field days in conjunction with Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors group in early October. “Our purpose is to help you understand the basic techniques of soil sampling and why you would do it,” says soil carbon agrologist Ahmed Lasisi, who led off the October 8 session at Kettle River Farm in Grand Forks. Only when you know what’s in your soil will you know what you need to add, Lasisi explains.
Peach report bullish on future opportunities
KELOWNA – Fred Steele remembers the sound of peach trees cracking in the cold. “They were going off like a rifle shot,” the former BC Fruit Growers Association president recalls.
BCFGA holds pre-election rally
Gray skies reflected the mood May 28 but the rain held off as some 250 fruit growers gathered in Osoyoos to express their concerns and appeal for government support. The “I support BC Agriculture” rally, sponsored organized by the BC Fruit Growers Association in conjunction with the BC Grapegrowers Association, coincided with a government caucus meeting taking place in town.
Volunteers remain the backbone of successful fairs
PENTICTON – Some 40 delegates from across the province attended the BC Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions (BC Fairs) Learning Exchange in Penticton, April 14-16. “We changed the title from ‘conference’ to ‘learning exchange’ a couple of years ago because that is really the focus of our event,” says BC Fairs executive director Janine Saw. The presence of younger delegates is something that has changed over the past five years.
Land Act changes deferred
The BC government has deferred plans to amend the Land Act, which governs management of Crown lands in the province. “Our government has decided not to proceed with proposed amendments to the Land Act,” Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen announced February 21. “That’s the best news story we have heard all year,” says Brian Thomas, president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. Cullen attributes the decision to the feedback he’s received on the government’s plans.
Fruit growers discuss challenges
Bad news was the order of the day as orchardists gathered for the 135th annual convention of the BC Fruit Growers Association in Kelowna, February 20. “It has been a difficult time for all tree fruit growers,” BCFGA president Peter Simonsen noted in his report. While the 2023 apple crop rebounded from the effects of the 2021 heat dome, Simonsen says Washington growers also saw a large crop that resulted in lower prices in BC.
Grapegrowers discuss freeze event
About 150 grapegrowers from across the Okanagan gathered for two industry townhalls, February 2 and 6, to discuss mid-January’s freeze event. “Given the low temperatures and the length of the cold spell, we can assume that nearly all of the grape buds have been killed and there will be very little fruit this year,” says research scientist Ben Min Chang of the Summerland Research and Development Centre.
Metchosin farm transitions to new owners with high hopes
METCHOSIN – Long hours of hard work, years of experience and a ready local market will not guarantee success in vegetable farming on southern Vancouver island without stable, long-term land tenure. “I was tired of leasing land. I’d been doing it for years and it felt like it could all be torn away so quickly,” says veteran market gardener Robin Tunnicliffe.
Moon shines among BC grape growers
PENTICTON — The BC Grapegrowers Association‚Äôs fifth annual Viticulturist of the Year award has gone to an industry veteran from a commercial winery. ‚ÄúThe Viticulturist of the Year award recognizes those in our industry who strive to grow the very best grapes,‚ÄĚ BCGA president John Bayley says.
The linguistic qualities of Utah English have a unique legacy
BYU linguist David Ellingson Eddington's quest to identify "Utah English" (The Tribune, Aug. 27) suffers, I think, from its focus on particular pronunciation characteristics. Certainly, we Utahns have an idiosyncratic pronunciation or two, but the linguistic qualities of Utah English have a unique legacy that, I think, is interesting enough to deserve a bit further explication. When the New World was being settled, groups of ethnicities clustered together geographically.
Westwold producers challenge curtailment
Westwold producers rallied September 2 to challenge an August 15 provincial ban on irrigation for forage production in the lower Salmon River watershed east of Westwold. The order signed by BC Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston, was issued under Section 88 of the Water Sustainability Act with a view to protecting the anticipated fall Chinook salmon run in the river. The order runs through September 30 but could be revoked if streamflows increase before then.
Ranchers’ markets, practices praised
Vernon was the venue for the BC Cattlemen’s Association’s 95th annual general meeting and convention, May 25-27. Hosted by the North Okanagan Livestock Association, the event attracted about 400 registrants, according to NOLA president Lani French. “I believe that is on par with the Canadian Cattle Association national that was held in Penticton last August,” French says.
Province looks beyond timber
The province announced $25 million on February 15 to support the creation of eight additional Forest Landscape Planning tables (FLPs). “This is a positive step towards improved consideration of non-timber forest values,” says Werner Stump, vice-president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association.
Frustration over “timber-centric” range bill
VERNON – Frustration filled Werner Stump’s voice as he addressed the North Okanagan Livestock Association on November 15 regarding the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA), which the province wants to amend. “You have heard me talk about this for quite a while and unfortunately I don’t have good news,” he says.
People Who Tell the Truth on Peace & Justice, Wednesday July 28, at 9am
This Wednesday our guest will be Robert Shetterly, the artist behind American Who Tell the Truth. Robert creates portraits of citizens who courageously address issues of social, environmental, and economic fairness.
Ep 115 - Beaten To Death By Your Own Skeleton with Demi Lardner and Tom Walker | Free to A Good Home
6/21/2021 Ep. 141: Talk To Your Partner with Jon Gabrus This week, we are joined by an absolute legend of the game. Jon Gabrus (High and Mighty, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Gino Lombardo Show) joins us to go through the best and worst things to talk about, including a man who won't stop eating ants, a fight in a barn, and a question about a taboo internet account. Go follow Jon on social media @gabrus please keep the classifieds coming in.
Grower takes issue with groundwater limits
OLIVER – When Hans Buchler and his wife bought the land for their 18 acres of vineyard almost 40 years ago, one of the attractions was the water. “There is a good well on the property, which was important,” he says. “When I talked to the district of Oliver, they told me it would be difficult and expensive to pump water up here, and there still isn’t a purveyor connection up to this bench.” The bench sits north of Oliver in the shadow of McIntyre Bluff.
Province funds tissue disposal
File photo September 2, 2020 byTom Walker The province is providing $500,000 to help BC abattoirs deal with waste animal tissue following slaughter. “This is great news,” says Nova Woodbury, executive director of the BC Association of Abattoirs, one of a number of industry representatives who advised the province on the funding.
Under one roof
VICTORIA – The BC Ministry of Agriculture is taking over meat inspection in the province on December 1, consolidating oversight of the sector. “Effective December 1, 2020, all slaughter activity licensed under the Meat Inspection Regulation for class A, B, D, and E meat slaughter licenses will now be regulated under the Ministry of Agriculture,” the province announced August 19. “It’s about time,” says Nova Woodbury, executive director of the BC Association of Abattoirs. “It’s good news.
Province expands slaughter licences
PORT ALBERNI – The BC Ministry of Agriculture has announced the opening of three new regions for class D on-farm slaughter licences. Farmers within the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot, as well as electoral area D in Central Kootenay and electoral area H in Fraser-Fort George Regional District, will now be eligible to apply for class D licenses.
Biosolids project halted following harassment
KAMLOOPS – A project to transform a logging site into productive pasture using biosolids from the city of Kamloops has been sidelined after the rancher was the target of harassment. Conrad Schiebel of Turtle Valley Bison Ranch near Chase faced a road blockade, a social media smear campaign, defacement of his property and death threats throughout last year. “People accused us of being environmental terrorists,” says Schiebel.
Grand Forks ducks flood
[Regional District of Kootenay Boundary photo] June 3, 2020 byTom Walker The flood watch is not completely over for farmers and residents in Grand Forks, but there is good news. Heavy rains over the weekend raised the Granby and Kettle rivers to flood stage May 31 and by end of the day on June 1, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Emergency Operations Centre had issued evacuation orders to 189 properties.
Biosolids project halted following harassment
KAMLOOPS – A project to transform a logging site into productive pasture using biosolids from the city of Kamloops has been sidelined after the rancher was the target of harassment. Conrad Schiebel of Turtle Valley Bison Ranch near Chase faced a road blockade, a social media smear campaign, defacement of his property and death threats throughout last year. “People accused us of being environmental terrorists,” says Schiebel.
Flood buyout bypasses farmers
Kettle River flooding near Manly Meadows, May 2018. Photo: Regional District of Kootenay Boundary [Floodlist.com] May 13, 2020 byTom Walker May is the month when Grand Forks residents watch the Granby and Kettle rivers for signs of flooding. This year, local snowpacks were 119% of normal May 1, above the provincial average of 106% but well below the levels that triggered extensive flooding in 2018.
Island farmers renew request for local abattoir
The closure of Plecas Meats in Nanaimo means one less abattoir option among already too few for Vancouver Island farmers. Rod Plecas, left, with Susan Toth and butcher Brad Lester, retired at the end of March, closing the doors on the plant his dad started back in 1962. The last slaughter day was March 16.
Ranchers voice ALR concerns at public meetings
CRANBROOK – The province seems to be acting first and asking forgiveness later when making changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve, and that’s not working for ranchers in the East Kootenays and Kamloops region. Close to 60 farmers and landowners met in Cranbrook on November 5 for the seventh in a series of eight public meetings the BC Ministry of Agriculture hosted this fall to hear how it could better support farming in the ALR.
Officials Shoot Bear in Area Where Man Was Possibly Mauled
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) with three cubs Tom Walker ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Officials shot and killed a bear that may have mauled a man on Wednesday. That man is still in critical condition. Just after 9 p.m. police received a call from a person saying a male had come out of the woods near Edinburgh and Selkirk Drive. The person said it looked like the victim had been stabbed many times.
There is no question of Rahul Gandhi attending RSS event: Kharge - Times of India
MUMBAI: Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said "there is no question" of Rahul Gandhi or anybody from the party attending an RSS event "Let the letter (of invitation) come first.
Govt issues advisory against deadly ‘Momo’ challenge game - Times of India
NEW DELHI: The government has issued an advisory against the Momo challenge – an online game similar to the infamous Blue Whale episode – that pushes children, teenagers, and relatively younger people towards suicide.The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), comes in the wake of reports of suicide by some youngsters in certain parts of the country.“It is reported in the media that there is a new online challenge game called ‘The Momo Challenge’ which started on...
Markets snap winning run, Sensex sheds 173 points - Times of India
NEW DELHI: Equity markets witnessed sharp dip in the last hour of trading as Sensex and Nifty finished with losses to the tune of half a per cent each.30-share BSE Sensex lost 173.70 points to close at 38,722.93 while the broader 50-share NSE Nifty closed under the 11,700-mark, losing 46 points. The markets had opened flat with Sensex hitting an all-time high of 38,989.65 in early trade.
Fake cops who robbed people behind bars - Times of India
LUDHIANA: Two men, who allegedly robbed several people while impersonating as cops, finally landed in the police net on Tuesday.The Salem Tabri police recovered two scooters, two motorcycles and 10 mobile phones from the duo, identified as Tarun Kumar , 25, of New Kartar Nagar and Pankaj Kumar, 24, of New Laxmi Puri.ADCP (city-I) Gurpreet Singh Sikand said the accused used to pose as police officials and stop commuters in the name of checking near villages.
Woman, paramour get life sentence for murder - Times of India
KURUKSHETRA: A court here on Tuesday held a woman and her lover guilty of killing her husband. The court sentenced Malkeet Kaur and her lover Lakhbir Singh to life sentence for killing her husband Hardev Singh (32), a resident of Nalwi village of the district, in March 2016.Deputy district attorney Gopal Kumar said on March 27, 2016, Kartar Singh, a resident of Nalvi, had filed a complaint with the Shahbad Markanda police that his nephew Hardev had gone missing a day earlier.
Former Army jawan held for raping 3-year-old - Times of India
AMBALA: A three-and-a-half-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by a 55-year-old retired soldier.The mother of the survivor told cops that the accused lured her daughter with sweets when she was not at home. The survivor's mother said she learnt about the crime when her daughter informed her about the pain in her abdomen."After the minor told her mother about the incident, her parents took the matter to the village panchayat.
Masaba Gupta rubbishes reports of Madhu Mantena’s infidelity being the reason for their trial separation - Times of India
Attaching a message sent to Madhu by a journalist who sought confirmation on the reports of his infidelity, Masaba wrote on Twitter that she felt the
Watch: Mouni Roy gets mobbed by a group of fans wanting a selfie with the actress - Times of India
Actors getting mobbed by their fans have sadly become a frequent phenomenon. The latest one to feel the heat of the same is none other than 'Gold' sta
AP: CM's brother-in-law and NTR's son Nandamuri Harikrishna dies in road mishap - Times of India
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu 's brother-in-law and N T Rama Rao's son Nandamuri Harikrishna died in a road mishap near Nalgonda in Telangana on Wednesday morning.According to Nalgonda superintendent of police A V Ranganath, the film actor, politician N Harikrishna was declared dead at the Kamineni hospital in Narkeptally after he was taken there in a critical condition.Police believe that deceased Harikrishna was driving the car when the mishap occurredPolice...
Godhra carnage convict’s son has saffron leanings - Times of India
Vadodara: His father Farooq Bhana has been labelled as one of the main conspirators of the Sabarmati Express carnage at Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, and convicted in the case. But the son Wasim Bhana has pictures with BJP leaders and scarves on his social media profiles.Farooq Bhana was a councillor with the Godhra municipality and had been on the run after he was named as an accused in the carnage case.
Swachh Survekshan 2019 brings in new challenges for NMC - Times of India
Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation is likely slip from the current ranking of 55 in Swachh Survekshan 2019 . Reason, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has not only increased the total marks by 1,000 from existing 4,000 but also gave more thrust on ratings on service level progress on segregation of waste, door-to-door collection, plastic free city.Presently, the NMC is doing 20-25% segregation of dry and wet waste being collected from city limits.
Dharun Ayyasamy’s district does not have even a 400m track - Times of India
Tirupur: Raw talent and dedication might have pushed Dharun Ayyasamy, who won silver medal in 400m hurdles in Asian Games, in his career but Tirupur, his own district, does not have even a 400m track to support athletes like him.The sports development authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) authorities were forced to utilize mud truck of a private school, that too only for twice a week, to provide training to junior athletes.Dharun has luckily got support from two private schools, where he did his...
Leander Paes dropped from Davis Cup World Group tie against Serbia - Times of India
NEW DELHI: Veteran Leander Paes was on Tuesday dropped from the Indian Davis Cup squad for the World Group away tie against Serbia scheduled from September 14 to 16.The reigning Asian Games champion pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan will be playing the doubles while three singles players will be Yuki Bhambri Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran Rohan Bopanna is currently ranked 37 in the ATP doubles list while Divij is a notch below at 38.The members of the selection committee,...
‘None of the 4 co-passengers in coach tried to stop the mugger’ - Times of India
THANE: The family of the Friday train mugging victim has now expressed displeasure over the fact that none of the four co-passengers in the coach attempted to stop the mugger or alert the authorities of the incident.Nearly three days after the incident that could have claimed her life, the visibly shaken victim has told her family how no fellow passenger objected when the mugger entered the coach.
Two letters by Maoists on plans to assassinate Modi, Shah, Rajnath led to police action: Officials - Times of India
NEW DELHI: Two letters, purportedly exchanged by Maoist leaders , indicated plans to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and home minister Rajnath Singh , leading to police action against prominent Left-wing activists in several states and arrest of five of them for suspected links with the red ultras, security officials said.While the 2016 letter suggested that there were deliberations among the Naxals to kill Modi, Shah and Singh, the 2017 letter referred to a...
Social Democrats promise Swedes extra holiday as election nears
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Sweden 's ruling Social Democrats released their election manifesto on Tuesday promising an extra week of holiday for parents as the party seeks to avoid its worst showing ever in a national vote.Polls show the Social Democrats remain Sweden's biggest party, but their support has slumped since 2014 when they took power in a minority coalition with the Greens.Swedes already enjoy a statutory five weeks of vacation a year for full-time employees as well as long parental...
PM Modi expected to visit Egypt, meet President el-Sisi: Envoy - Times of India
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Egypt and meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi , the country's envoy to India said on Tuesday, and asserted the warmth in ties as expressed by both the leaders exhibits there are avenues for greater bilateral cooperation."The Indian Prime Minister has in-principle accepted the invite sent to him by our President and confirmed that he will visit.
Ludhiana: Govt revokes ban on bullock cart race, horse show and equine trade fair - Times of India
LUDHIANA: The ban on any kind of Bullock cart race, horse show, and equine trade fair has been revoked by the Animal Husbandry Commission of the Government of India. This decision has been taken after the Union government has been successful in controlling glanders disease from the state, New Delhi and other adjoining states As per the Gazette notification of the Union government, the Animal Husbandry Department of Punjab Government has also decided to revoke this ban.
Alphons makes strong pitch to increase inflow of Chinese tourists to India - Times of India
BEIJING: Tourism Minister KJ Alphons on Tuesday made a strong pitch to increase the inflow of Chinese tourists to India as he highlighted India's diversity and assured the best possible security to visitors.The minister also invited the Chinese businessmen to invest in India's burgeoning tourism sector.Alphons is currently visiting Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai along with about 20 leading Indian travel agents in a bid to galvanise efforts to increase the number of Chinese tourists to India...
Telangana CM to Gadkari: Refer water row to tribunal - Times of India
HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday demanded that all water disputes pertaining to Krishna water be referred to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT), asserting that justice would be not be rendered to the rightful claims of Telangana as per provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014."It is necessary that the matter be referred to the tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes (IRWD) Act of 1956," he said during a meeting with Union water resources...
Hindu group Sanatan Sanstha says word 'secular' must be removed from Constitution, Union minister says 'no way' - Times of India
NEW DELHI: Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu group, on Monday demanded that the Indian Constitution be amended to exclude the word ‘secular’ from it, a demand that was opposed by Union minister Ramdas Athawale later in the day.The right-wing group reasoned that the word ‘secular’ in the Constitution’s preamble puts Hindus at a disadvantage under “the garb” of being secular.“Ours is a very constitutional demand.
Amol Kale, aide knew about murders of four Karnataka, Maharashtra activists: Probe - Times of India
BENGALURU: Investigations into the murders of thinkers Narendra Dabholkar Govind Pansare , MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh indicated Amol Kale and Amit Degvekar, arrested by the Karnataka Special Investigation Team in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, played a vital role in all the four killings.Kale and Degvekar are remanded in judicial custody and lodged at Central Prison, Bengaluru.
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