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 …
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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 …
Closures underscore need for licensing reform
COOMBS – A year ago, Lori Gillis was sounding the alarm about the coming wave of retirements that threatened to drastically reduce meat processing capacity on Vancouver Island. She was 66, and had nearly 23 years’ experience under her belt. “All the butchers – red and poultry – we’re all in the same sort of …
Inaugural viticulturist of the year chosen
WEST KELOWNA – Of the approximately 120 honours viticulturist and winemaker Karnail Singh Sidhu has received since opening Kalala Organic Estate Winery in 2008, receiving the BC Grapegrowers Association’s inaugural Viticulturist of the Year award is the most satisfying. “Ninety percent of winemaking is done in the vineyard,” says Sidhu. “If a wine loses [a …