The heat that began in mid-May has given cherry crops an extra push as the season approaches. While grocers across Canada have begun promotion of imported fruit, Coral Beach Farms Ltd. issued its own update this week heralding the start of harvest on July 5. While it expects initial volumes to be light, moderate fruit …
CROPS
Sod industry sees slow recovery from disasters
ABBOTSFORD – BC’s turf industry has yet to recover from the double effects of the pandemic and the November 2021 floods, which sped up the contraction of a sector heavily concentrated in the Fraser Valley. Sales were already on a downward trend from the sector’s peak of $12 million in 2017, although they rebounded slightly …
Vintners fine-tune estimates
With bud break underway, grape growers are finding that preliminary estimates of severe damage from an extreme cold weather event in late December are accurate. “Preliminary anecdotal reports indicate that our vintage 2023 winter damage modeling of a 50% crop decline is being realized,” a newsletter from industry association Wine Growers BC reported this week. …
Replant program revamped
The province announced a new replant program for perennial crops on April 30, ending weeks of speculation regarding the long-awaited initiative. Up to $15 million is being allocated for the new program, to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. It will have three streams, with funding disbursed on a first come, first …
Abbotsford Tulip Festival returns
The first tulip festival in Abbotsford since 2019 promises to be bigger than ever as it kicks off a summer of floral festivities in the Fraser Valley. Spanning 27 acres along Marion Road, Lakeland Flowers will display more than 70 varieties of the spring blossom, including fringe tulips and double tulips, as well as a …
Wine industry faces losses
Winegrowers across the province welcomed bountiful yields of high-quality fruit in 2022, according to Wine Growers BC in its annual vintage report released this week, but the coming season is likely to see yields significantly below normal. An extreme cold weather event on December 21-22 saw temperatures in the province’s major wine-growing regions fall below …