KELOWNA – Apple growers could decide whether or not a marketing commission will be developed for their sector as early as April, following a series of public meetings in January. More than 200 growers attended information sessions held January 8-10 in Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Oliver and Cawston as well as online, and a summary report …
CROPS
BC Cherry holds AGM
The BC Cherry Association held its annual general meeting in Kelowna on February 23. While the industry continues to expand its access to international markets, with last year witnessing the first official exports to Korea, domestic growing conditions are a concern. “We saw damage from the freeze of late December 2022 and then 30°C spring …
BC Veg mandate questioned
The recent expansion of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s mandate to the entire province has caught vendors at northern BC farmers markets by surprise. Several growers and market vendors received letters from BC Veg alerting them to the potential impact on their operations and the possible need for them to become licensed. The letter was …
Fruit growers discuss challenges
Bad news was the order of the day as orchardists gathered for the 135th annual convention of the BC Fruit Growers Association in Kelowna, February 20. “It has been a difficult time for all tree fruit growers,” BCFGA president Peter Simonsen noted in his report. While the 2023 apple crop rebounded from the effects of …
Study shows BC farmers markets add value
VANCOUVER – A farmers market is much more than a place to buy food, serving as a social hub, tourism destination and economic driver with significant community benefits, a new study shows. “What this study does is really bring a lot of data and credibility,” says BC Association of Farmers Markets executive director Heather O’Hara. …
Metchosin farm transitions to new owners with high hopes
METCHOSIN – Long hours of hard work, years of experience and a ready local market will not guarantee success in vegetable farming on southern Vancouver island without stable, long-term land tenure. “I was tired of leasing land. I’d been doing it for years and it felt like it could all be torn away so quickly,” …