The annual horticultural growers’ short course will be organized by the province in 2023, according to the Lower Mainland Horticultural Improvement Association, which has hosted the 65-year-old educational program since its inception in 1958. Rebranded as the Regenerative Agriculture and Growers’ Short Course, the event will be presented by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and …
Ice wine intentions rise
An inflow of Arctic air pushed temperatures in Kelowna towards levels needed for ice wine this week, just as the deadline for producers to register their intention to make the sweet beverage approached. Temperatures approached -7° Celsius as midnight approached on November 7, a degree away from the -8° C that frozen grapes must reach …
Farming Karma
Kelowna-based Farming Karma Fruit Co. took home Silver Product of the Year for its pear soda at BC Food & Beverage’s annual awards in Vancouver on November 3. The farm-based value-added company, which Country Life in BC profiled in May 2020, is operated by the second generation of the Karma Gill family who have over …
Senate flood report released
This fall’s rains started late and have yet to put a significant dent in the ongoing drought affecting much of the province this year. Eight of the province’s 34 basins remain ranked Level 5, the most severe drought level, with a further six ranked Level 4. By this time last year, the province had received …
CFIA simplifies AI protocols
Turkeys have accounted for more than half the commercial farms testing positive in this year’s AI outbreaks in BC, with two farms testing positive this fall on the heels of others earlier this year. The highly pathogenic nature of this year’s outbreak means it can spike a grower’s hopes within days, making early diagnosis key …
Rodenticides banned
The province has ratified a ban on the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. The ban follows an 18-month pilot program that began in July 2021, during which the province consulted broadly with both public and technical experts. The permanent ban, implemented under a revised Integrated Pest Management Regulation, takes effect on Jan. 21, 2023. It …