Policy development is in, program delivery is out as the BC Agriculture Council prepares to welcome a new executive director in August. Reg Ens announced June 9 that he would be stepping down as executive director July 31, allowing him to step into the newly created position of general manager of the Western Agriculture Labour …
Farms retain tax status
For the second year in a row, BC farmers won’t have to worry about proving their properties are eligible for farm class status. The province announced June 14 that all properties currently classed as farms with the BC Assessment Authority would continue to hold that status on the 2022 tax roll. The move extends a …
Semios growth advances
Vancouver-based pest control company SemiosBio Technologies Inc. has made its first acquisition, continuing its growth as one of the province’s most successful agritech startups. Semios announced June 8 that it had acquired Altrac, a California-based developer of cellular control technology for agricultural equipment, including wind machines, pumps, and valves. Terms of the transaction were not …
New milk board chair
A veteran of the Vancouver business world is the new chair of the BC Milk Marketing Board, succeeding outgoing chair Ben Janzen on July 31. Janice Comeau brings 30 years of experience in finance and strategic advisory roles to the position. She most recently spent three years as chair of the BC Land Titles and …
Pushback on plastics recycling
A provincial consultation on expanded producer responsibility for recycling has found scant support for including non-residential waste, including agricultural plastics, in the province’s recycling regulation. Instead, feedback on an intentions paper published last fall urged the province to leave management of agricultural plastics to Cleanfarms, a manufacturer-led stewardship organization based in Ontario. “Two respondents speaking …
Beef impact bumps up
Western Canada’s beef industry could ride an upward trend over the next decade, according to an economic impact report researchers at the University of Saskatchewan prepared for Canfax Research Services and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association this spring. The cattle sector currently has a net economic impact of $51.6 billion nationally, of which $38.8 billion occurs …