The turn of the year brought a positive turn of events in the BC poultry sector’s battle against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Two primary control zones (PCZs) in the province were revoked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, including one in Langley on January 5 and second in the District of Kent on January …
Potato harvest up 10%
BC’s potato crop was up 10% in 2023, according to the latest estimate from United Potato Growers of Canada. With few acres abandoned and ideal conditions through the growing season, BC is estimated to have harvested nearly 1.8 million hundredweight (cwt), or 87,950 tons. “It was the perfect year, really,” Heather Meberg, owner of ES …
A dry season continues
Growers across the province have been pinning their hopes on winter delivering the hit of moisture needed to address last summer’s dry conditions. The Peace region entered winter at Level 5 drought for the second year in a row, while four of the province’s 34 basins – the Upper Fraser East and West, the Kettle …
PRFA president brings fresh outlook
Peace Region Forage Association president Brian Gilbert hopes to give back to the organization and people who have helped him so far throughout his farming career. Gilbert was elected president at PRFA’s annual general meeting December 1, succeeding Neil Ward of Fort St. John. “The forage association is a great resource for learning. I’m constantly …
Farm class numbers drop
The number of farm properties in the province has dropped, according to BC Assessment data released this week. The number of farm properties on the 2024 tax roll is 50,565, down 1% from 51,066 properties last year. The aggregate value is nearly $1.3 billion. BC Assessment deputy assessor Peter Alexander, who focuses on farm properties, …
No relief from high costs in 2024
Broader carbon tax exemptions for farm businesses were nixed last month as the Senate sent an amended version of Bill C-234 back to MPs for final approval. The private member’s bill sought to amend the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to extend an exemption from the federal carbon tax to fuel consumed by heating …