ALC members appointed

The closing days of the old year heralded a host of appointments to the Agricultural Land Commission.

Commissioners Erin Carlson (Summerland), Jolleen Dick (Port Alberni), Wayne Harris (Creston) and Danna O’Donnell completed terms on December 19.

A ministerial order signed by agriculture minister Lana Popham on December 16 reappointed Carlson and Harris for three-year terms while O’Donnell was appointed for a two-year term.

Dick was replaced by fellow Vancouver Island farmer Jan Slomp (Courtenay), who was appointed for a two-year term ending December 19, 2026.

Commissioners Robert Haywood-Farmer (Savona) and Brenda Schoepp (Victoria) completed their terms on New Year’s Day, and a second ministerial order reappointed Schoepp for a two-year term ending January 1, 2027, while Haywood-Farmer will serve three years until January 1, 2028.

Keeping ahead of the curve, Popham extended the term of Andrew Adams (Prince George) through December 1, 2026, while Joseph Deuling (Lumby) was appointed for a three year-term ending December 31, 2027.

Sitting commissioner Holger Schwichtenberg (Agassiz), whose term was set to expire in March will now serve an additional four years through March 12, 2029.

Commissioner Karen McKean will serve an additional three years, being reappointed through April 30, 2028.

The latest appointments follow Popham’s order on November 25 rescinding the appointment of Lynn Lashuk (Lake Country). Lashuk, along with Chad Stump of the ?Esdilagh First Nation, were appointed to two-year terms with the commission beginning November 1 by Popham’s predecessor Pam Alexis.

November 1 also saw Jeff McCallum of Nanaimo take his seat as a commissioner for a two-year term following an August 1 order by Alexis.

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23 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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5 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.