A conversation I overheard recently in a schoolyard while waiting to pick up my granddaughter seems to sum up a big part of the dilemma facing the Agricultural Land Commission and the production it is expected to foster within the Agricultural Land Reserve. One 30-something parent was excitedly telling another about a rural property they …
NEWS
Cranberry outlook brightens
BC cranberry growers are expecting a crop closer to usual volumes this year after cold weather in 2019 cut the harvest in half. The province typically produces about a million barrels a year, but in 2019 marketed production as reported by Statistics Canada was just 672,100 barrels. Per-acre yields also fell, dropping from 211 barrels …
Merlot, Pinot Gris tops in BC
With the grape harvest getting underway in the Okanagan, an analysis of last year’s crop for the BC Wine Grape Council sets the stage for what growers will be picking this fall. Plantings have been expanding in BC in recent years, with some growers pushing into new, higher-elevation locations for cool-climate vines. Those acres yielded …
Agriculture nabs recovery funding
BC’s agrifood sector was among those singled out as a priority for funds as part of the $1.5 billion stimulus package BC announced September 17 to help businesses recover from COVID-19. While agriculture was designated an essential service during the pandemic, shifts in consumer spending required that businesses adapt rapidly. Added expenses from measures aimed …
Province launches meat consultation
The BC Ministry of Agriculture is finally beginning to update slaughter practices. Comments are being accepted on a rural slaughter modernization intentions paper published September 14. The paper proposes increasing the standards of inspection for class D and E facilities to more closely align their uninspected slaughter practices with those of inspected class A & …
Apples smoked by fires, labour
The smoke blanketing the southern half of BC over the past week from fires in Washington and Oregon is another blow to apple growers hoping for a good crop in the face of low prices and a labour shortage. “The sunny days and cool nights we had earlier in the month are what helps the …