Could a cherry by any other name be as sweet? A federal court in Washington State believes so, and recently upheld Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s claim to the successful variety against attempts by a Washington grower to market it under a different name. On August 22, the US District Court for the Eastern District of …
CROPS
Wine Growers head to retire
Wine Growers BC’s longest-serving president and CEO has announced his retirement. Miles Prodan, who joined Wine Growers BC in October 2010 as executive director, will step down December 31. The decision reflects both his personal priorities and the evolving needs of the association, which has undergone significant changes during his tenure. Wine Growers BC chair …
BC seeks crop reporters
The province hopes to recruit industry volunteers to report on agricultural production conditions across the province. Based on similar programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the new initiative in BC launched this year with a handful of reporters in nine regions across the province. Reporters complete a brief, five-minute survey each week with questions about the …
New fruit co-op discussed
The BC Fruit Growers Association (BCFGA) coordinated a meeting of former BC Tree Fruits Cooperative (BCTFC) growers September 10 to discuss the prospect of maintaining a co-operative packinghouse for the sector. BC Tree Fruits shut its doors on July 26, leaving 290 grower families with nowhere to sell their fruit. “A number of former BCTFC …
Co-op closure leaves growers in the lurch
OLIVER – On July 3, Osoyoos cherry grower Ranjit Dhillon delivered the last of his cherries to the BC Tree Fruits Co-op in Oliver. “We were really optimistic; it was our best year yet,” Dhillon says. “We did not suffer any winter damage; we had a full crop. We shipped 108,800 lbs of cherries total.” …
Cherry growers pan inadequate replant funding
KELOWNA – This is anything but a normal season for BC cherry growers, which is saying something after successive years of record payouts from the province’s AgriStability and Production Insurance programs. “With the combined damage from the winter deep freeze and frost at bloom time, I don’t have any fruit at all,” says Sukhpaul Bal, …