SURREY – BC greenhouse vegetable growers have begun consultations with members on a new marketing commission for the sector. Currently regulated by the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission, the greenhouse sector has unique needs that BC Greenhouse Growers Association (BCGGA) president Armand Vander Meulen says don’t fit well with potatoes and other storage crops regulated by …
Farming Karma scales up on-farm processing
KELOWNA – The worst cherry crop in the Gill family’s 30 years of farming in the Okanagan hasn’t dampened their drive, with a new 100,000-square-foot processing facility for their Farming Karma line of fruit sodas and other drinks set to open this month. Built in their orchard in Kelowna’s Lower Mission neighbourhood, the facility will …
BC Tree Fruits shuts down
Provincial efforts to stabilize the tree fruit sector have been up-ended by BC Tree Fruits Co-operative’s decision to wind up operations. The co-op announced the decision “with profound sadness” on July 26, a day after a board meeting that identified low crop volumes and challenging market conditions as insurmountable challenges. It ceased accepting fruit immediately. …
Dairy NEP picks announced
This week marks the deadline for the four finalists in this year’s dairy New Entrant Program to confirm acceptance of the opportunity to begin production in 2025. The four finalists, all from the Lower Mainland, include Lindsey Dirks, Clinton and Dionne Quesnel, Jared Romeyn, and Jonathan Wouda. The four were selected following interviews the BC …
Feed available but stocks low
The outlook for feed is good this season, a year after the BC Cattlemen’s Association launched its Access to Feed program with provincial support. BC Cattlemen’s Association general manager Kevin Boon says BC is close to an average hay crop this year. “We are seeing [more] consistent crops throughout the province,” says BC Cattlemen’s Association …
Islands Trust turns 50
SALT SPRING ISLAND – When the Islands Trust governing council met on Salt Spring Island on June 18-20, it took a moment to acknowledge its 50th anniversary as a special-purpose government stewarding more than 450 islands and the waters of what’s now known as the Salish Sea. Created on June 5, 1974, the Islands Trust …