Vancouver Island Health Authority has told a local Seedy Sunday event to go seedless this year. While the Coombs Farmers Institute has an approved COVID-19 management plan for the March 28 event, organizers have been told by the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s environmental health officer that seeds aren’t allowed at Seedy Sunday. While bedding plants …
Warm winter stalls icewine
Despite an early frost at the end of October, the winter’s warm weather has shrivelled the hopes of icewine makers. Just one winery of the 12 wineries that registered an intention with the BC Wine Authority to pick grapes for icewine this year has followed through. According to the BC Wine Institute, Bench 1775 picked …
CP Rail’s plans for extension cause concern
Pitt Meadows could lose more than 100 acres of farmland if CP Rail gets the greenlight 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. A public consultation on the project …
New executive director for Small-Scale Meat Producers
Three years after its formation, the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association has hired an executive director to coordinate advocacy on behalf of members. Ava Reeve, a veteran of small-scale agricultural organizations, has been hired for the role with the assistance of funding from the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Reeve also serves as executive director with …
New year, new openness
Growers in BC need to be willing to challenge conventional thinking and practices if they want to take farming to the next level. That’s the message Farm Credit Canada industry relations director Marty Seymour delivered at the Agriculture Excellence conference Farm Management Canada hosted December 8-10. Two of the easiest ways the sector can do this …
Farm women encouraged to make their stand
CALGARY – More than 75,000 farm operators in Canada are women – about a third of all farm operators in the country – but they’re seldom speakers at farm leadership conferences and relatively few attend such events. “It became apparent there was a strong need for women in every sector to hear and learn from …