PITT MEADOWS – A new Agriculture Viability Strategy is giving Pitt Meadows a renewed focus on actions benefiting farmers and agriculture. Travis Hopcott, co-owner of Hopcott Farms and a member of the Pitt Meadows Agricultural Advisory Committee, praises the strategy, which applies to the city’s 6,900 hectares located in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Hopcott played …
Pacific Agriculture Show kicks off
The Pacific Agriculture Show takes place this week at the Tradex in Abbotsford alongside the Lower Mainland Horticultural Conference, January 25-27. Strong attendance is expected at the three-day event, which saw a strong turnout last year on par with pre-pandemic levels at between 5,000 and 6,000 people. This year, a sold-out tradeshow floor will greet …
Extreme weather, extreme impacts
Viticulture in the face of extreme weather was a recurring topic in sessions at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California, this week, with several speakers mentioning the recent freeze events in BC. Presenters include Agriculture and Agri-food Canada scientist Ben-Min Chang, a panelist alongside researchers from Washington and California on winemaking in …
Dam violations face fines
Contraventions of the province’s dam safety regulation now face administrative penalties of up to $500,000 following a provincial order in council issued January 12. The heftiest of the new fines applies to dam owners who fail to take appropriate action on becoming aware of hazardous conditions at their dams. Hazardous conditions are defined as “defects …
Producers struggle to talk about mental health
SALMON ARM – Although causes and organizations have tried to encourage producers to speak up about their mental health over the past decade, reservations remain. While 65 farmers accessed no-cost counselling in English, Spanish and Punjabi during the last growing season that AgSafe BC makes stats available, producers still need to be convinced to reach …
Abbotsford awaits flood funding
An engagement session for dairy producers scheduled for January 17 promised an opportunity for farmers to provide feedback on evolving flood mitigation work in the Fraser Valley. The session was called off because of weather and will be rescheduled to give producers current information on work by government and non-profits towards flood mitigation and resiliency …