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September 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 9

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4 days ago

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays. ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays.
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Patti 😊

6 days ago

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7 days ago

The top five issues the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity identified in a recent survey were the cost of food, inflation, the cost of energy, keeping healthy food affordable and the Canadian economy. “We are seeing that environmental concerns are not in the top 10,” says Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle Association’s public and stakeholder engagement program. “If you are concerned about being able to afford to feed your family, the environment becomes less important.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Ranchers get the backstory on public perception

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VERNON – Ranchers might be concerned about how the public sees their industry, but a producer-funded team at the Canadian Cattle Association has their back. Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle...
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1 week ago

BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million. ... See MoreSee Less

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Lake Country packing house sold

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BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million.
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Who bought it ffs ?

Ted Nedjelski Karen Turner

One of my first jobs was apple grading in a packing plant in Vernon

Vivian, is this where you worked?

I’d hear the company that owns the big Cannabis company that owns the green houses all around this packing plant was buying up everything around to expand. Wonder if it’s them that got it.

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1 week ago

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Association's preparation for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/ ... See MoreSee Less

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Associations preparation  for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/
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Billion-dollar wine boost

Photo | Hester Creek Estate Winery [Facebook]

August 24, 2022 byPeter Mitham

The economic impact of BC’s wine industry increased by a billion dollars in the five years prior to the pandemic before crashing as public health restrictions slammed the brakes on public events and social gatherings.

According to a study Wine Growers Canada and its member organizations including Wine Growers BC (WGBC) released earlier this month, the BC wine industry’s economic impact totalled nearly $3.8 billion in 2019, up from nearly $2.8 billion in 2015. Winery revenue topped $443 million on sales of 7,142,656 cases, up from $360.9 million on sales of 4,794,000 cases in 2015.

Planted area totalled 11,086 acres, up from 10,260 acres in 2015, with the average size of vineyards increasing as the number of growers fell by about 100. In 2015, there were 929 growers; in 2019, just 828.

But in 2020, the industry’s economic impact took a hit as tourism activity fell. Tourism accounted for about 22% of the industry’s economic impact in 2015, and that fell to just under 21% in 2019. With the pandemic, the impact of tourism fell by 65% to $275.5 million, down from $783.7 million in 2019.

The tourism impact is a particular concern for BC, where tourism is a more significant part of the industry than in Canada as a whole. According to the report, tourism is just 17% of the total economic impact of the national industry. That fell to just under 9% in 2020. The impact in BC fell to less than 8%.

While the industry has shown its resilience in the face of economic challenges the pandemic presented, as well as supply chain issues, labour shortages and extreme weather events, WGBC says government is needed to help it recover its momentum.

“These findings show that for the BC wine economy to re-capture the momentum and potential of its pre-pandemic growth, especially as it relates to tourism, strategic collaboration between government and industry will be required,” says Miles Prodan, president and CEO of WGBC said in a statement.

During the recent provincial budget consultations, WGBC asked the province for annual funding of $2 million in food and wine tourism marketing to attract 57,500 new visitors a year and generate $87.2 million in direct and indirect spending.

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