Projections from the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission indicate declining greenhouse vegetable acreage this year as the area devoted to beefsteak tomatoes falls. Production is set to drop to less than 3 million square metres as 126,358 square metres comes out of production, the commission’s annual general meeting heard last week. Beefsteak tomatoes will lose 99,862 …
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Worker health in focus
OLIVER – With foreign and domestic workers starting to arrive in the Okanagan for another season, growers are grappling with provincial health guidelines designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. “It’s going to start the first week of May for grapes, doing some shoot-thinning in vineyards,” says Ron Forrest, the BC Fruit Growers Association liaison …
Co-op focuses on cutting costs, increasing sales
KELOWNA – BC Tree Fruits Cooperative is considering several strategies to revive its flagging fortunes, drawing on the expertise of business consultants John Kay and William Oeminchen, authors of a recent governance report for the co-op. “The strategies we are working on touch every function of the business,” says CEO Warren Sarafinchan. “We can come …
COVID-19 leads to oversupply of dairy
VANCOUVER – A series of unfortunate events has resulted in a slight downturn for the conventional dairy sector. On March 19, the BC Milk Marketing Board implemented a series of incentive days for dairy producers in March, April and May after fluid milk sales at grocery stores increased 40% as consumers rushed to stock up …
Island farmers renew request for local abattoir
PORT ALBERNI – The Alberni Farmers’ Institute is renewing a request to have the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) designated a Class D and E licensing area under BC’s Meat Inspection Regulation. “The regional district first made a formal application to the government back in 2017,” says Lisa Aylard, president of the Alberni Farmers’ Institute. “They …
Chilliwack family cracks open direct sales
CHILLIWACK – A foray into farmgate egg sales using an automated, cashless vending machine is proving advantageous for Brightside Poultry in Chilliwack. Richard and Jacqueline Boer have the first farm in North America to use the egg vending machine, made by Roesler Vending in Germany. Launched last September, the option to buy local, organic free-range …