MERRITT – Small-scale meat producers across the province are resting easier following Peace Hills General Insurance’s announcement in April that it will cover farmgate abattoirs. “It’s very good news. We’ve been working on this for over two years,” says Julia Smith, executive director of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. “We had been back and forth …
Wildfire, flood risks rise
Warm and dry conditions in the Peace region have prompted early seeding this year, but the lack of moisture has fuelled wildfire risk in the area. “It’s been very dry. We went into the winter with the driest soil conditions I’ve ever seen,” says grain producer Dave Wuthrich of PW Farms in Flatrock, a half-hour …
BCAC plans benefits program
Small businesses often lack benefits plans, but a new initiative by the BC Agriculture Council hopes to change that for farmers. On May 4, BCAC invited producers to participate in a survey that will lay the foundation for a competitive benefits program intended to help them attract and retain workers. “We are exploring the need …
Agrologists focus on reconciliation
Working with the land and its traditional stewards was a central theme of “Coming Together: Cultivating Relationships and Resiliency in Agrology,” the BC Institute of Agrologists’ annual meeting in Kamloops, April 21-22. Pre-conference workshops combined with speakers at the event itself offered attendees a deeper understanding of how to work alongside First Nations. Keynote Speaker …
Avian influenza returns
Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials have detected highly pathogenic avian influenza at a pigeon farm in Chilliwack, one week after revoking the last primary control zone established to control the disease’s spread among commercial operations in the Fraser Valley last fall. The detection was announced April 29, and came seven days after three primary control …
Replant program revamped
The province announced a new replant program for perennial crops on April 30, ending weeks of speculation regarding the long-awaited initiative. Up to $15 million is being allocated for the new program, to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. It will have three streams, with funding disbursed on a first come, first …