AgSafe BC safety advisor Emily Kerr was a featured presenter at Virtual Grower Day, organized by Greenhouse Canada on August 12. The live annual professional development and networking event had been scheduled to take place in Abbotsford, its first time in BC, but it was moved online in response to COVID-19. With five months of …
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Pandemic puts the squeeze on blueberry growers
by SARBMEET SINGH ABBOTSFORD – BC blueberry growers face tighter profit margins this year due to COVID-19. Public health protocols have created additional costs including the need for personal protective equipment for workers’ safety and a hike in labour costs. Meanwhile, fewer workers in the fields mean fruit could over-ripen, reducing quality and prices. “We …
Farm safety organization revamps
A new era for farm safety in BC dawned this week as farm sector representatives approved motions to rename the province’s largest farm safety organization the AgSafe Agriculture Association and reconfigure its board of directors. “Today marks the first time that AgSafe has made significant changes to the bylaws,” AgSafe chair Don Dahr told a …
Province updates watering intentions
The province updated the intentions paper for its proposed livestock watering policy at the end of July. “We were surprised to see an updated intentions paper released, quite frankly,” says Princeton area rancher Linda Allison, noting the extensive consultations BC Cattlemen’s Association have had with the province over the last 10 years. “We voiced many …
Stand offers berries to go
Drive-thru lanes are a familiar sight at fast-food joints, but can you imagine drive-thru farm stands? They’ve become a popular option for farms trying to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 this year. Eagle Acres in Langley and Maan Farms in Abbotsford offered drive-through options for on-farm events this spring. This summer, Blueberry Junction in …
Food priorities need to focus on the basics
People working on sustainability have been talking for years about a tipping point. This may well be the year we’ve reached it. A mortal threat to human health – COVID-19 – has disrupted the global status quo and will condition everything we do from now on, at least until we have an effective treatment or …