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MAY 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 4

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1 week ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 weeks ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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2 weeks ago

BC wool shipments drop sharply in 2023, according to StatsCan data released in mid-April. Local producers shipped just 5,200kg at 37¢/kg, down from 18,600kg at $1.08/kg in 2022. While many farmers now use wool on-farm or dispose of it due to low market value, innovative producers like Emily McIvor point to untapped opportunities. Read more in our Farm News Update from Country Life in BC.

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BC wool value, volume drop

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BC sheep producers shipped less wool for less in 2023, reversing strong growth a year earlier. BC producers shipped 5,200 kilograms of raw wool in 2023, according to Statistics Canada data released on...
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2 weeks ago

Eric Feehely and Miho Shinbo are growing 30+ crops on 2.5 acres in Vernon. Writer Myrna Stark Leader takes a look at how Silverstar Veggies is balancing CSA programs, farmers markets and restaurant sales while planning smart expansions in challenging economic times in Market farm works smarter, not harder.

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Market farm works smarter, not harder

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VERNON – Silverstar Veggies, a five-year-old mixed vegetable and herb farm in Vernon, thrives on passion and innovative ideas. A former watersport and adventure sport instructor…
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4 weeks ago

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BC Turkey names executive director

Natalie Veles

November 16, 2022 byPeter Mitham

Natalie Veles is the new executive director of the BC Turkey Marketing Board and BC Turkey Growers Association, succeeding Michel Benoit, who stepped down in April after more than 15 years as general manager.

Veles comes to the board from Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC, where she served for three and a half years as program director. She began November 1.

“I was always very intrigued and interested in the [supply management] system and working for producers in that way,” she says, noting that the turkey sector has given her a warm welcome.

“Everybody’s been really keen to help me out and get me oriented to the industry.”

Veles began her career as an economist and policy analyst at the Canadian Dairy Commission before a lateral transfer within the federal government returned her to Vancouver and the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada regional office for BC. She grew up on a dairy farm in Cloverdale.

Similar to Benoit, Veles is fluently bilingual. This will be an asset in discussions with growers in Eastern Canada, particularly Quebec, helping foster national cooperation.

Returning to the supply-managed sector, Veles has her sights set on a revamped marketing plan for BC’s turkey sector. A new strategic plan for the marketing board is also on tap for 2023, but she wants to understand the current state of the industry before pursuing any major changes.

“I am just trying to get a really good handle on how things have been done and what industry priorities are before changing too much,” she says.

Avian influenza is also on the agenda as the poultry sector as a whole moves to a long-term management plan for the disease, shifting from the current emergency response stance.

Turkey growers have been among the hardest-hit segments of the poultry industry this year.

The move to BC Turkey is not the only major change for Veles this year. This spring, she was one of two independent directors appointed to the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission.

She also married this summer, prior to which she was known as Natalie Janssens.

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