CAWSTON – Aaron Godard won’t lie – it’s so tough being a farmer in BC that he sometimes thinks about quitting. Natural disasters, coupled with the cost, time and daily struggles of running a farm, are constant stressors for the co-owner of family-run Snowy Mountain Farm. This year alone, 70% of Godard’s orchards were affected …
Interior melons find a Costco market
CACHE CREEK – For Marc Shane, nothing beats a good watermelon – and he’s found a way to share the love – and his product – with more people in BC. The co-owner of Horsting’s Farm Market, a hop, skip and a jump from Cache Creek, is now selling its red watermelons, cantaloupe and canary …
BC farmland values drop
BC was the sole province in Canada to see farmland values decline in the first half of this year, according to a Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report released October 7. The mid-year survey of farmland values across the country indicates a 1.9% drop in the first six months of this year, furthering the 1.7% drop …
BC growers see rising input costs
Quarterly data on farm input costs released by Statistics Canada on October 8 indicates surging costs over the past year. The index of input costs for BC producers hit 175.1 at the end of June, the fourth consecutive quarterly increase since June 2025, when the index stood at 159.6, roughly where it was at the …
Premier called out over ALR pledge
Premier David Eby is under fire for prejudicing the outcome of the province’s consultation on relaxing the rules around processing activities within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Addressing the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on October 13, Eby promised to change the rules requiring food processors located within the ALR to source 50% of their …
Country Life in BC contributors’ excellence recognized
Contributors to Country Life in BC once again made a strong showing at the Canadian Farm Writers Federation awards, presented during its annual conference in London, Ontario, on September 19. They won gold awards in both print and photography categories, led by repeat winner Anna Helmer for her column, “Slips twixt the cup and the …