Agricultural excellence was celebrated at this year’s BC Agriculture Council gala on January 28, with 400 households tuning in after a day of seminars as part of the Lower Mainland Horticultural Improvement Association short course alongside the Pacific Agriculture Show. Bev Whitta, Gary Funk and Carmen Wakeling were honoured for their contributions to BC agriculture …
No extension for groundwater
Owners of existing non-domestic wells shouldn’t count on any further extensions of the province’s deadline for registering their wells and applying for a groundwater licence free of charge. “It is unlikely to change at this point,” said Maria Nguyen, a senior authorizations technician with FrontCounter BC, in a presentation at the Pacific Agriculture Show on …
Growers scramble for flights
New international travel restrictions have farm employers scrambling to arrange charter flights for workers, making it a numbers game that hinges on having enough workers for flights to be viable. Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Air Transat announced January 29 a voluntary suspension of all service to the Caribbean and Mexico from January 31 until …
Genomics lab expands service to local growers
SURREY – The expansion of a life sciences lab at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey this spring will deliver a boost to cutting-edge agricultural research in the Fraser Valley. KPU’s existing Applied Genomics Centre offers 750 square feet of space for various research projects focused on genetics, including a hops development program. “One thing we …
CPR on ALR track
PITT MEADOWS – Pitt Meadows could lose more than 100 acres of protected farmland if CP Rail wins approval to expand its operations in the community. Plans for the CP Logistics Park [cplogisticspark.ca] were unveiled in December following consultations with the municipality, Katzie First Nation and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority last summer. An initial public …
Egg producer questions support for local eggs
DUNCAN – A Vancouver Island egg producer/grader wants the corporate egg business to give consumers more transparency and choice. A blog post on the Farmer Ben’s Eggs website in early December questioned the branding of some eggs sold on the island as being island-produced when, in fact, many of the eggs originate off-island and perhaps …