Berry bushes could soon grow on boulevards in heritage Victoria neighbourhood

Apr 25, 2019

VICTORIA - Residents of one Victoria neighbourhood believe a boulevard beautification plan could bear fruit — literally.

Members of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association are mulling plans to plant berry bushes along public boulevards in Victoria's oldest residential area, in the shadow of the B.C. legislature.

Association president Marg Gardiner says two sites are specified in a proposal that will be presented to city council later this week.

The types of berry bushes haven't been decided and Gardiner says it will be up to volunteers to plant, maintain and harvest.

The association's boulevard gardening project is aimed at supporting gardeners and improving food security in the heritage neighbourhood.

Dwarf apple and fig trees have already been planted, and a community herb garden has also been created.

Gardiner says one possible location for a berry boulevard is close to the Inner Harbour, near a former hotel which is currently being converted to condos.

"So there will be a lot of people living in there permanently, and actually the operators of that were quite keen on what we're doing too, because they realize there will be a lot of residents nearby that might like this," Gardiner says.

The city promotes a boulevard gardening program, complete with guidelines that support its goals of "creating healthy and diverse ecosystems, vibrant and attractive streets and improving local food security." (CFAX)

Source : FCC

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.