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APRIL 2026
Vol. 112 Issue 4

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20 hours ago

According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

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According to the BC River Forecast Centre, the Okanagan snowpack stood at just 58% of normal on April 1 — the lowest reading since measurements began in 1980 — raising concerns about drought conditions in the region this summer. The rest of the province sits at 92% of normal.

#BCAg
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2 days ago

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organization's future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in Februa#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

At her first AGM as executive director of BC Meats, held Saturday in Abbotsford, Jennifer Busmann spoke about her strong ties to agriculture and her optimism for the organizations future. Busmann has cattle of her own and came to the role with existing relationships with members and the board of directors that helped her feel integrated from the start. She stepped into the position in February.

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4 days ago

Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this year's Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

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Shannon Wiggins of Headwind Farm in North Saanich is this years Mary Forstbauer Grant recipient from the BC Association of Farmers Markets. The $500 grant will help Wiggins expand her plot at Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, growing more storage crops to extend her harvest season. Wiggins credits farmers markets with inspiring her own farming journey and commitment to building community through food. Congratulations!

https://tinyurl.com/45bddtw8

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Wahoo! Congrats Shannon! I love your produce. Can’t wait for the radishes 🫜

Congratulations!

Well done!! 🩷🩷🩷

5 days ago

New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those who've been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and don't let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leader's story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: tinyurl#BCAg2uw53vvm

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New farmers can avoid costly mistakes by learning from those whove been there. At a Young Agrarians mixer in Penticton, five BC farmers shared hard-won lessons on pricing, pivoting, relationships and burnout. From coyote losses to business burnout, their message was clear: set prices that reflect true costs, make decisions quickly and dont let farming define your worth. Myrna Stark Leaders story appears in our April e-edition, now available to view online at: https://tinyurl.com/2uw53vvm

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7 days ago

War in the Middle East is delivering a generational shock to BC farm input costs, with nitrogen fertilizer prices already 60% above pre-pandemic levels and rising fast. Okanagan Fertilizer president Ken Clancy says supply shortfalls are expected as Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions tighten global supplies and demand surges. BCAC says it's monitoring the situation and ready to advocate for government relief measur#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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Fertilizer, fuel costs soar amid Iran conflict

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ENDERBY – War in the Middle East has delivered a generational shock to energy prices, meaning BC farmers can expect a prolonged period of higher costs, not just for fuel but also for fertilizer.
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Avian influenza returns

File photo

May 3, 2023 byPeter Mitham

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 zones were revoked in Abbotsford.

Now, a new primary control zone has been established on Sumas Prairie straddling the Abbotsford-Chilliwack border. It lies in the heart of one revoked April 12 where 25 detections were logged between November 19 and January 22. This was the greatest concentration anywhere in the country, and underscored the threat the tightly-knit poultry sector in BC faces.

The detection January 22 was also the final detection of the winter wave in an outbreak that began April 13, 2022.

The new case comes as the spring migration sees birds return from warmer climes and new strains of the H5N1 virus behind the current outbreak.

“The virus was introduced to BC via wild birds during the northwards spring migration and we’re still seeing ongoing virus exchange between BC and the US along the Pacific flyway,” BC’s chief veterinary officer Dr. Theresa Burns told the BC Poultry Conference in March. “Looking forward, we’re expecting that we could see mutations coming from north or south from migrating wild birds.”

Steve Leech, food safety and animal health director with Chicken Farmers of Canada, drove home the message, noting that four migratory bird flyways cross North America, overlapping with each other.

“Our birds in North America are comingling with birds on the western side from Asia and on the eastern side from Europe, and this is helping to spread some of the viruses that we see,” he says. “Climate change has impacted this to the point where our North American birds are mingling longer with birds they wouldn’t normally have partied with before. They’re passing on those viruses and bringing them in.”

The BC Poultry Association continues to emphasize strong biosecurity measures as the best defence against infection.

The latest detection brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began last year. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year.

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