While farm workers arriving in BC are exempt from new federal quarantine requirements until March 14, many growers remain concern about their access to labour during the 2021 growing season. A poll of approximately 100 cherry growers who attended the annual general meeting of the BC Cherry Association last week indicated that concern is particularly …
NEWS
Rural recovery funds agriculture
Grants issued this week from the province’s rural economic recovery program will fund a number of agriculture-related projects. The BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development announced $20 million in funding for 38 projects. Of these, four with a value of $1.9 million will support farming and farm-related activities. The smallest …
Food hub network expands
The BC Food Hub Network expanded to nine locations over the past week with the announcement of $2.75 million in funding for projects in the Kootenays, Kamloops and Mission. Work to develop a food hub in Creston began in 2013, and the advocacy has finally paid off with a $500,000 grant that will cover food-processing …
Governments boost worker supports
Ottawa is developing plans to quarantine incoming seasonal workers at no additional cost to farmers, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced February 12. The new protocols are under development following an announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that international passengers will face tighter entry requirements as of February 22. Travellers landing at one of four …
Blueberry growers dodge US complaint
BC’s several hundred blueberry farmers are relieved and elated after the US International Trade Commission announced that blueberry imports cause no harm to American growers. The commission launched an investigation into global blueberry imports in response to a complaint filed in September by former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer following a report on produce imports jointly authored …
BC residents the least likely to buy local
BC residents consider themselves proud supporters of local agriculture but a new survey for Farm Credit Canada indicates that they’re also the least likely to buy Canadian food whenever possible. Despite significant provincial investment over the past three years in local purchasing programs such as Buy BC and Feed BC, which was recently expanded to …