HEFFLEY CREEK – Growing corn has proven beneficial in regenerating the soil at Devick’s Ranch in Heffley Creek but not in extended grazing. Paul Devick and his son Alex have been experimenting with corn and multiple cover crops for three years as part of the BC Living Lab program to develop best management practices to …
CROPS
BC Tree Fruits relaunch
This week marks the relaunch of BC Tree Fruits, following the sale of the brand and various assets including the Oliver packing line to Penticton-based Wildstone Construction Group. Operated by Algoma Orchards of Ontario, the facility sold to Wildstone this spring for $22.75 million. It now operates as a private company rather than a co-op, …
Vegetable commission voices optimism
BC vegetable growers are voicing optimism as another growing season ends, despite ongoing trade concerns. “Despite a backdrop of concerns over potential trade disruptions, most of our greenhouse growers have had a good year and the industry as a whole is continuing the trend of growth and re-investment,” the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission reported in …
Pruning should focus on needs of the bush
LANGLEY – Pruning blueberry plants is all about balance. In young plants, that means balancing vegetative growth with root growth. In fruiting bushes, it’s about balancing vegetative growth with yield and berry quality. “You want to try to maximize your canopy growth,” says Lisa Wasko DeVetter, who leads the state-wide small fruit horticulture program at …
Reports back significant hazelnut potential
CHILLIWACK – Growing local and global demand is fuelling a renewed focus on BC hazelnuts and their potential. Past replant programs failed to achieve full uptake from hazelnut growers, but a new report from Chris Bodnar, assistant professor of agriculture at the University of the Fraser Valley, may drive more interest from government, investors and …
Cherry bonanza no jubilee
This should have been the year BC cherry growers were waiting for, following freeze events that wiped out last year’s crop and the lingering impact of the heat dome of 2021. “We had great growing conditions this summer,” says BC Fruit Growers Association executive director Adrian Arts. Trees that produced no crop last year rebounded …