BC livestock producers are poised for record capital spending this year, according to Statistics Canada. Results of Statscan’s annual survey of capital expenditures, released February 25, indicate projected investments in construction and machinery this year of $303.7 million, up from $302.6 million in 2020. Spending on construction is anticipated to be the greatest since 2020 …
Greater interest in dairy
The BC Milk Marketing Board fielded interest from a greater number of candidates interested in entering the sector. BC Milk received 33 completed New Entrant Program (NEP) applications by the February 9 deadline, and five completed applications for the organic stream (NEPO). This compares to 29 NEP applications last year and seven NEPO applications. Ten candidates …
Poultry biosecurity notches down
Declining risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have prompted the BC Poultry Association to lower the industry’s biosecurity threat level from red to yellow. The decision, taken last week, is effective immediately. “While BC is no longer in an active outbreak that mandates a red-level response, risk remains elevated,” the association said in …
BCPVGA gets new general manager
BC potato growers have hired a new general manager. Jennifer Winning succeeded long-time general manager Leisa Yee in January and made initial contact with growers during the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford later in the month. Winning is no stranger to agriculture, however, having created the Food for Friends program, an initiative that connects local …
Snowpack declines – but winter’s not over
Drought isn’t top of mind for most people in the middle of winter, but staff at the province’s River Forecast Centre are keeping tabs on the snowpack, mindful of its importance to watersheds across the province. While the provincial snowpack was 107% of normal at the beginning of the year, a strong high-pressure ridge in …
Reclassification sparks farm definition debate
NANAIMO – A farm property should be taxed as a farm even if the farm operation includes value-added processing, according to a Nanaimo cidery facing a big boost to its property tax bill. Big Bang Cider sits on 17.5 acres at 1235 Nanaimo Lakes Road, a location chosen because it lies within the Agricultural Land …