BC potato seeding is down this spring as producers pare acreage. The BC Vegetable Marketing Commission is reporting “a small shift out of potatoes” this spring of approximately 2%. BC growers seeded 5,900 acres last spring and harvested 5,700 acres. This spring, just under 5,800 acres will be seeded. “There has been a decrease in …
NEWS
Comox Valley sweeps farmers market awards
COURTENAY – Community engagement and involvement are hallmarks of the Comox Valley Farmers Market, its vendors and partners, garnering them the lion’s share of awards at the BC Association of Farmers Markets annual awards ceremony on March 4. The market and its vendors were nominated in seven of the 10 award categories and took home …
BC delegation urges review of foreign ownership
SURREY – Always hotly debated in agricultural circles, the issue of foreign ownership of Canadian farmland was on the agenda at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual general meeting in Ottawa, February 25-26. A resolution brought forward by the BC Agriculture Council delegation, including four members of BC Young Farmers, called on the CFA to …
Okanagan drives increase in land values
KELOWNA – BC farmland values rose 11% last year, firmly reversing the decline posted in 2023. The gains were driven in large part by the Okanagan, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual survey of farmland values. Prices there soared nearly 25% to an average of $40,500 an acre, with sales tracked by FCC maxing out …
Tesche leaving BCFGA
After only a year, BC Fruit Growers Association general manager Melissa Tesche has resigned to take her “dream job” as executive director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board. “The timing is too soon,” Tesche says. “I would have loved a couple more years with the BCFGA but the opportunity is now.” Tesche joined BCFGA in …
Denman Island farmers supported
Denman Island’s Gather Farm and Kitchen is this year’s recipient of the Mary Forstbauer Grant from the BC Association of Farmers Markets (BCAFM). The award was announced via social media on March 19, and will support owners Dennis Lightfoot and Kimberley Allan to expand their cool storage capacity. “They’ll be able to grow their winter …