CanadaGAP is a linchpin of foodsafety for many horticulture operations across Canada, and BC’s flourishing fruit and vegetable farms make it one of the best-represented jurisdictions in the program. But last year also saw it log one of the steepest declines of any province in the country. CanadaGAP’s annual report for the year ended August …
CROPS
Cariboo potato a case study in local resilience
100 MILE HOUSE – A co-op farmer near 100 Mile House is seeing renewed interest in the Cariboo potato nearly 50 years after it was outlawed as a commercial seed spud. Rob Diether, a member of the Community Enhancement and Economic Development Society (CEEDS), has been growing the hardy yellow potato with pink eyes at …
BC Tree Fruits board remains intact
A fresh challenge to the BC Tree Fruits Co-operative board has been voted down. A special general meeting in Penticton on February 5 saw 70% of the co-op’s voting members reject motions that aimed to unseat four of the co-op board’s 10 members and change the decision-making process regarding property sales. The motions did not …
BC Veg expands mandate
The mandate of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission now covers the entire province, making it a truly provincial body regulating the marketing of vegetables from Atlin to Yahk. The change took effect January 1, and was highlighted in a bulletin released February 2. Prior to this year, the commission’s general orders limited its mandate to …
Orchardists seek frost assistance
BC fruit growers are asking the province to step up and provide financial support following the devastating frost event earlier this month. Temperatures across the Southern Interior dipped towards -30° Celsius between January 11 and 13, leading to widespread concern for the 2024 crop following depressed market pricing in 2023 for both apples and cherries. …
Extreme weather, extreme impacts
Viticulture in the face of extreme weather was a recurring topic in sessions at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California, this week, with several speakers mentioning the recent freeze events in BC. Presenters include Agriculture and Agri-food Canada scientist Ben-Min Chang, a panelist alongside researchers from Washington and California on winemaking in …