A key priority of the new provincial government when it comes to farmers and ranchers is water, and the Lower Mainland Horticultural Conference – organized by the province for the second year in a row this year – kicks off January 23 with an opening plenary dedicated to the topic. University of the Fraser Valley …
Growers Supply property sold
Shukin Orchards Ltd. of Creston is the successful bidder for the Growers Supply Co. property at 754 35th Avenue South in Erickson. Court documents filed December 30 by Alvarez & Marsal, the court-appointed monitor of proceedings related to the winding down of BC Tree Fruits Co-op, indicate Shukin bid $1.9 million for the property, which …
ALC members appointed
The closing days of the old year heralded a host of appointments to the Agricultural Land Commission. Commissioners Erin Carlson (Summerland), Jolleen Dick (Port Alberni), Wayne Harris (Creston) and Danna O’Donnell completed terms on December 19. A ministerial order signed by agriculture minister Lana Popham on December 16 reappointed Carlson and Harris for three-year terms …
Pickers’ piece rates increase
A new year brings new rates for produce pickers in B.C. While most workers who harvest crops by hand receive more than the minimum wage, the annual adjustment to rates establishes a baseline for workers and indicates the rate of upward pressure employers face when it comes to wages. On December 31, the province mandated …
BC Fruit Growers list test orchard
The historic test orchard launched by the BC Fruit Growers Association in 1981 has hit the market. The 87-acre property, listed with Marnie Perrier of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, includes 20 acres of orchard, 18 acres of fallow land planted to rye and seven acres of flat land suitable for development with a “world class …
BC potato crop down
BC’s potato crop lagged its five-year average in 2024, according to Statistics Canada, weighing in at 1,878,000 hundredweight (cwt). Yields were largely consistent with past years at 329.5 cwt per acre but lower acreage compared to historical levels contributed to a smaller harvest. BC growers seeded 5,900 acres this past spring, down from 6,500 in …