Friday - April 12, 2024 - The science of (bull) semen

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Good morning!

Back in January, when I was still on maternity leave and casually scrolling through the weekend Insider’s newsletter (become a member here!), I saw that Tyler was writing a story about bull semen.

I was conflicted. On the one hand, I was very excited that The Current was finally diving into the world of dairy cattle breeding. On the other, why couldn’t it have happened when I was working? Luckily for me, Tyler is a very considerate editor. He saved his semen story for my first week back at work, making sure I got a chance to edit the article before it went out to you all.

It’s an interesting look into a world few of us think about, and I hope you enjoy the research Tyler put into it. I sure did. (As a result of Tyler’s story, I’ll be profiling some of the hottest studs in BC’s dairy industry, so you can look forward to that soon.)

– Grace K.

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

NEWS

Science, semen, and the brave new world
for the dairy industry’s baby bulls

Pity the male dairy calf. But, maybe, pity them a little less these days.

With no hope they will ever produce a drop of milk, males calves have been seen as a disappointing burden for dairy farmers, rather than valuable assets.

But that’s changing, at least a little, thanks to advances in genetics and bull semen technology that have moved an age-old practice from dirty barns to shiny labs, and has left farms with fewer—but tastier—male calves.

• Today, Tyler writes about how genetics, technology and a different type of BS are influencing the milk you drink and the beef you eat.

Related

Need to Know

👉 12 municipal parties are under investigation for potential financing or advertising violations, including Eric Woodward’s contract with Langley [Vancouver Sun]

🚓 BC’s police watchdog is now investigating an Abbotsford man’s alleged suicide that took place in December 2023 [Fraser Valley Today]

🚒 A trailer near Chilliwack’s Island 22 went up in flames Thursday [Chilliwack Progress]

🍺 Abbotsford police are taking a proactive approach to gang crime by increasing their presence at local bars and restaurants [Global News]

💧 Almost 9 million litres of chemically treated water leaked from Matsqui Institution after an investigation said the problem was fixed [Abbotsford News]

🌷 The Abbotsford Tulip Festival is getting an early start thanks to a stretch of hotter-than-normal weather [CTV]

🚑 Chilliwack first responders were called out to their third vehicle crash in three days Wednesday night, when a car ended up in a ditch [Fraser Valley Today]

🐜 Ant pheromones could protect hikers from ticks, and SFU researchers are hoping to package it for real-world use [SFU]

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The Agenda

Bears prompt change to Chilliwack garbage rules

It might be smelly, but the City of Chilliwack is now officially asking its residents to keep their garbage inside the house.

In areas with what the city calls “wildlife issues,” garbage cans, compost bins, and recycling containers must be kept inside a garage or other enclosed structure until 5am on collection day, and brought back inside by 10pm that same day. The hope is to prevent bears and other animals from accessing refuse overnight and becoming acclimatized to human interaction. (You can read our story on how Lydia Koot is working to prevent that in Hope here.)

Chilliwack sent out notices to households in certain areas in 2023 asking them to bring their bins inside. The request has now been made official, with a newly updated Solid Waste Management bylaw. The bylaw includes a map of the wildlife issue areas, which cover most of the southern hillsides of Chilliwack, including Promontory, Ryder Lake, Eastern Hillsides, and Majuba Hill, as well as Chilliwack Mountain and Little Mountain.

An information session for residents of those areas will be held on Monday, April 15 at 6pm. Registration via email is required by Sunday, April 14.

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💾 Flashback Friday

BC Electric Railway started in the late 1890s as a collection of streetcars and interurban rail for Vancouver and New Westminster. Although the idea of connecting the Fraser Valley to the BCER system was floated at the time, it wasn’t until the New Westminster Bridge was completed in 1904 that a rail line to Chilliwack became a real possibility.

Construction began not long after the bridge was built, and was completed in 1910. Then-premier Richard McBride, a big supporter of BC’s railways, drove in the last spike for the line. The Chilliwack line went over the river from New Westminster, and then through Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford to arrive in downtown Chilliwack. The railway was built before Sumas Lake was drained, and the tracks skirted the lake on the south side. (You can see a video of that section of line here.)

The introduction of the BCER into the valley created major changes in the region. Passenger service to the city from Chilliwack began in October 1910, and at its height had four round-trips each day. The rail line also paved the way for the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Association, an organization that dominated the BC dairy industry until the 1990s when it merged with Alberta dairy pools.

Although BCER is no longer operating, the tracks it built are used by Southern Railway of British Columbia, which moves freight locally. Fraser Valley Heritage Rail in Cloverdale runs refurbished versions of the original cars on a portion of the line in Surrey during the summer.

🗓 Things to do

💃 Community dance: Bez Arts Hub in Langley is hosting its fifth community, all-ages dance party tonight at 7pm. Tickets are still available online.

🌱 Plant swap: Greendale Acres in Chilliwack is hosting its first annual plant swap on Saturday, April 13. Bring your surplus perennials, tubers, or seeds and leave with new additions. Details online.

🛶 Kayak race: The CCE Paddling Club hosts its annual Rich Weiss Memorial Race at Tamihi Rapids Sunday, April 14 at 10am. Racers of all experience levels welcome. Register online.

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Catch up

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