A project that started as a small five-year pilot program in the Kootenays in 2016 has received renewed funding through March 2025 that expands it to the Thompson Okanagan region and beyond. The federal government, though Environment and Climate Change Canada has committed $455,000 under the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) and …
Dairy farmers on the brink
ABBOTSFORD – A growing number of dairy farms in the Fraser Valley are considering selling as narrow margins get tighter and high financing costs complicate succession plans. “The dairy [sector] is particularly challenged,” says Karen Taylor, director of corporate finance, agriculture and agribusiness with BMO Financial Group in Abbotsford, who addressed a workshop the Centre …
Greenhouse extends growing season, sales
WYCLIFFE – When imported produce is in short supply at the grocery store and fresh produce becomes a winter luxury, it’s heartening to know dedicated farmers are producing good food locally through the season. Apple Quill Farm in Wycliffe, a small community between Cranbrook and Kimberley, is one of the most prolific small-scale winter producers …
Surrey ALR inclusion cheered
A standing-room only crowd of more than 250 people attended a public hearing the Agricultural Land Commission hosted in Langley Monday night regarding a proposal to include 305 acres controlled by the federal government in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Situated in the Campbell Heights area of Surrey, 220 acres are leased to Heppell’s Potato Corp. …
PAS kicks off
The province’s largest agricultural trade show kicks off this week, as the Pacific Agriculture Show celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Tradex in Abbotsford on January 26-28. Registrations for the rebranded Regenerative Agriculture and Growers Short Course indicate strong attendance this year that will push Tradex – now under new management – to the max. …
BC vine damage discussed
The blast of cold air Okanagan vineyards experienced December 21 was a hot topic at this week’s Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California. The largest show devoted to viticulture and enology in North America, the conference included panels on vine resilience and winter damage – timely discussions following the severe frost event that …