BC Tree Fruits Co-operative found a new executive team, and soon it will have a new home. The co-op announced this week that it expects to close on the purchase of 85 acres in the Ellison area of Kelowna by the end of May. The transaction will occur in tandem with the sale of its …
Abattoir operators await provincial action
Ten years after its creation, the BC Association of Abattoirs is waiting for the province to take action on two reports intended to enhance meat processing capacity in the province. The legislature received a report last fall from the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food, which was resurrected to examine and make recommendations …
The (summer) heat is on
With temperatures set to approach 30 degrees Celsius in BC’s southern Interior this week, the province’s update on its wildfire action plan hasn’t come a moment too soon. Released last week, the update outlines actions taken on to implement 108 recommendations made in the independent report the province commissioned following the devastating 2017 wildfire season. …
Grape specialist honoured for dedication
KELOWNA – With more than 50 years’ of service to BC’s grape industry, John Vielvoye was critical in helping the BC grape industry navigate key changes while playing a critical role in the development of BC’s modern wine industry as the province’s grape specialist. Now retired, Vielvoye was honoured in April with the first lifetime …
Grapegrowers share sustainability objectives
PENTICTON – It was an all-wine grapes meeting when the two groups that represent the sector met together for the first time in Penticton in early April. Kathy Malone, winemaker at Hillside Winery in Naramata and chair of the BC Wine Grape Council (BCWGC) tipped her glass to the BC Grapegrowers’ Association (BCGA) for hosting …
Protest sends warning signal
The invasion of an Abbotsford hog farm by protestors shortly after dawn on April 28 was the culmination of days of rumours that such an incident was in the works. Fraser Valley livestock producers were on alert, and police in Abbotsford were aware of the rumours, but there was no solid evidence until protestors arrived …