WorkSafeBC announced preliminary premiums for 2027 on July 13, with most agriculture sectors seeing a decline in their rates. The two exceptions were the orchard and dairy sectors, which saw their rates increase 4% and 3%, respectively. Orchardists will see their premium rise to $1.84 per $1,000 of payroll, while dairy farms will pay $1.43 …
Ottawa commits $20M to flood mitigation
Ottawa has committed $20 million towards cost-shared planning and initial project management work to address flood mitigation in BC. The commitment was announced July 2 as part of the Canada-BC Cooperative Prosperity Agreement signed by BC Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney in Vancouver. The federal announcement said the funding will “advance priority …
Okanagan 4-H holds stock show
The annual Okanagan 4-H Stock Show takes place July 7-11, with 26 steers available to buyers when projects are sold by auction at the IPE grounds in Armstrong on Saturday. While project costs were up this year due to higher prices for cattle, organizers expect the auction to reward 4-H members for their care in …
BCAC plans farmland trust
A farmland trust will be established this fall to help BC farmers transition land at affordable rates to a new generation of farmers, the BC Agriculture Council announced at the inaugural BC Agriculture Forum in Penticton, June 24-25. “We are building it ourselves and we are inviting government to come alongside us,” BCAC president Jennifer …
Drought forces Salmon River farmers to act
WESTWOLD – Hay producer Clay Abel knows it isn’t a matter of if, but when, the province will shut off his aquifer this summer. It happens often, usually in mid-August, with the province arguing the water levels are too low in the Salmon River. “I really suspect we’re going to have the same issue this …
Table grape growers eye opportunities
LANGLEY – Gorgi Petkov still remembers the big, juicy table grapes grown in his home country of Macedonia – and he’s on a mission to create similar varieties in BC. Petkov, vineyard manager of Fairmeade Estate in Langley, is trialling three new table grape varieties – Ivory, Timpson and Strawberry Grape – for the Lower …