SURREY – Three days of record-setting temperatures at the end of June made for sweat-soaked chores for many farmers, but cattle and poultry producers also faced the challenge of keeping their animals cool, too. Poultry producers were especially vulnerable, as birds don’t sweat, meaning they can’t cool down. Broiler producers in the Fraser Valley lost …
NEWS
Fruit growers face hard choices
Crop insurance adjusters are now dealing with “well over 1,000” notices of loss following the late June heat wave, and tree fruit growers face tough decisions come harvest regarding which fruit gets shipped. To prepare them for the choices and the financial relief available to them, the BC Fruit Growers Association and BC Cherry Association …
Rules for young workers
New rules governing teen workers are set to take effect October 15, two years after the province asked farmers to provide input on the regulations. The new regulations give effect to Bill 8, passed in May 2019, which raised the minimum employment age from 12 to 16 years in a bid to protect young workers. …
Province announces rodenticide restrictions
A new provincial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides took effect July 21, but it will have limited impact on farmers. The ban will last 18 months with the aim of reducing harm to wildlife, through both direct poisoning and the consumption of poisoned rodents. The active ingredients in the rodenticides cause death by internal bleeding. …
Wildfires spark emergency declaration
An active, early start to the wildfire season in BC led the province to declare a state of emergency July 20, the first sparked by wildfire since 2018. Two quiet seasons have given way to one with the potential to rival the record seasons of 2017 and 2018, as high temperatures and low moisture combined …
BC Blueberry Council gets a new chair
Abbotsford blueberry grower and veterinarian Dalbir Benipal is the new chair of the BC Blueberry Council. Benipal narrowly edged out fellow grower Jason Smith at the first meeting of the council’s nine directors following the council’s annual general meeting in late June. Benipal received five votes while Smith received four. Benipal previously served as vice-chair, …