This summer’s high temperatures have yet to match last summer’s heat dome, but producers and the provincial government aren’t letting their guard down. “So far, the animals are holding okay in terms of production but … we’ve been watching the forecast carefully,” says BC Dairy vice-chair Sarah Sache, who farms in Rosedale. Temperatures in the …
Larger rootstocks could alleviate heat stress
Research scientist Hao Xu has always been interested in sustainable agriculture and carbohydrate partitioning, especially in fruit trees. Following work as a research assistant at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and visiting scholar at the Universidad de Murcia in Spain, Xu studied symbiosis and root water uptake at the University of Alberta. She completed a …
Next policy framework worth $3.5 billion
The next five-year policy framework that sets the priorities for federal and provincial agriculture programming will deliver $3.5 billion in support, thanks to an extra $500 million for strategic initiatives focused primarily on initiatives addressing sustainable practices and farm resilience in the face of environmental threats. Appropriately, the new framework has been christened the Sustainable …
Peace leads real estate
The first half of the year was a busy one for farm property transactions, with BC Ministry of Finance data released this month indicating an 88% increase in transaction volume to 975 deals. While the value of those properties isn’t disclosed, the regional breakdown was. According to the numbers, the Peace was both the most …
Tree decline linked to fungi, pests
The graft union is a critical juncture when it comes to Sudden Apple Death (SAD) a phenomenon that affects young apple trees across the Okanagan. Staff from the Summerland Research and Development Centre delivered a SAD update on July 13, noting that it presents as a combination of factors whose effects may be accelerated by …
Fruit volumes down, quality up
Okanagan tree fruit producers are seeing some light – and heat – at the end of the tunnel as high summer reaches its peak. “We’ve been seeing what I would [call] challenging growing conditions for apples even in the Okanagan this year. It has been very cold, very dry and then very wet,” says Adrian …