SUMMERLAND – Water management is in the spotlight following unprecedented irrigation restrictions and aggressive wildfires across the southern Interior Summerland grabbed international headlines as the Bald Range wildfire raced from the hamlet of Faulder to the edge of town within hours of ignition on August 7, destroying homes, farms and disrupting power and water treatment …
Peace agriculture faces threat from hydro project
The province is considering building a brand new 750 megawatt dam on the Peace River, and some in BC’s agricultural sector are starting to weigh in. Site E would be built at the confluence of the Peace and Alces rivers, close to the Alberta border, making it the fourth dam on the Peace. It is …
Succession sales in spotlight
Ontario’s Northlight Wine Collective has purchased Meyer Family Vineyards and Mayhem Wines of Okanagan Falls. The two wineries represent the first purchase by the Ontario company, founded in 2024 by wine industry executive José Salgado in anticipation of a generational transition in winery ownership. “The transaction marks Northlight’s first winery acquisition and advances its strategy to acquire, …
Abbotsford funds organic blueberry initiative
Organic BC is using funding from the Abbotsford Community Foundation to build domestic markets for organic blueberries. With trade uncertainties continuing to loom large over BC’s agriculture sector, blueberry growers have been taking steps to diversify markets. Plans to diversify sales away from the US, the province’s single largest export market, were discussed at the …
Young Leader heads to Winnipeg
Vanderhoof rancher Sarah MacDonald is in Winnipeg this week, one of 23 semi-finalists vying for a spot among this year’s Canadian Cattle Young Leaders. MacDonald, whose family operates Braemoor Ranch, has served as program coordinator with the BC Cattlemen’s Association and represented the province at the Canadian Cattle Youth Council. She’s also been an active …
ALR processing rules changing
The province is set to announce changes to rules governing food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve in response to strong demand for locally produced food. “Processing and farming have never been strangers,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce’s annual agriculture bus tour on June 5. “The question before us …