A challenge of the province’s shutdown of the BC mink sector has failed. A decision dated May 7 in BC Supreme Court dismissed challenges five of the province’s mink farms filed in 2022 to the province’s decision in November 2021 to shut down their sector. The province, former agriculture minister Lana Popham, provincial health officer …
BC Veg expansion on hold
Concerns among northern BC growers over the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s expanded mandate has put the brakes on the expansion. BC Veg’s mandate changed January 1 to cover the entire province, not just the area below the 53rd parallel. BC Veg regulates the production, sale and distribution of 20 storage, greenhouse and processing crops. These …
Grower wellness a priority
BC tree fruit growers face significant pressure this season following January’s freeze event and ongoing market uncertainties, but the sector’s new leadership wants them to know they’re not alone. An open letter to growers this week from BC Fruit Growers Association general manager Melissa Tesche, who took over from Glen Lucas on March 1, put …
BC FIRB challenges WMP plans
BC FIRB is challenging BC’s path forward with the Western Milk Pool. Of primary concern is a plan for the BC Milk Marketing Board and the BC Dairy Association to share resources pursuant to memoranda of understanding submitted to BC FIRB last fall. “We have concluded that the proposed MOU between the BCDA and the …
Shuswap watershed grants
The Shuswap Watershed Council’s latest round of water quality grants has selected five farms to receive a total of $59,961 for projects that protect and improve water quality in the region. The grant program focuses on assisting farmers and landowners manage phosphorus, which helps plants grow on land as well as in the water. “When …
Eastern Filbert Blight threatens to resurface
A new strain of Eastern Filbert Blight, responsible for the near-complete destruction of BC’s hazelnut industry following its introduction to the province in 2005, has reared its head in Oregon. “We have collected spores from this [first diagnosed] orchard and are inoculating trees,” says by Nik Wiman, associate professor with Oregon State University (OSU), at …