The future of farming is robotic. That was one take-away from the annual Chilliwack Economic Partners Corp. farm tour on September 9, which resumed its in-person event for the first time in three years. The day-long event treated more than 50 participants to tours of Dutch Heritage Greenhouse, which specializes in producing cut chrysanthemums; Booknook …
Strong growth for organics
A new report by the Canadian Organic Trade Association pegs the value of the BC organic food and beverage market at $508.1 million in 2020, a 54% increase from $329.2 million in 2017. “Organic producers can be proud of participating in a growing sector, particularly when agriculture has faced many challenges in recent years,” Organic …
Bert Miles remembered
VANDERHOOF – Former Burnaby Lake Greenhouses general manager Bert Miles died on July 28. He was 80. Miles, an accountant by profession, was noted as much for his ability to shake up the status quo as he was for his financial expertise and service to the agriculture community. Born in Vancouver and raised in Langley, …
Co-op meets with growers
A series of public engagement sessions are giving BC Tree Fruits Co-op members an opportunity to comment on plans to consolidate packing operations in Oliver and sell off assets in Kelowna and Lake Country. An in-person meeting takes place in Oliver today, with a second session set to take place in Kelowna in the days …
Wildfire threat remains high
September has amped up the wildfire risk in many parts of BC as hot, dry weather gives summer an extended finish. While the conditions are good news for forage corn producers, property owners in Hudson’s Hope are on evacuation alert as a result of the Battleship Mountain fire which ranks as the largest fire in …
Rate hike demands planning
The latest rate hike by the Bank of Canada is putting the onus on farmers to plan further ahead to stay on top of the financial impacts. The central bank’s policy rate increased a further 75 basis points on September 7 to 3.25%, or 13 times the rate on March 1. It’s the fifth consecutive …