BC produced nearly 15 million pounds of raspberries last year with an average farmgate value of $1.13 a pound. Now, researchers are hoping to pin a value on specific traits — such as size, colour and flavour — to figure out which cultivars have the best chance of boosting returns to growers. “There’s a whole …
NEWS
Organic matter regulations delayed
Chalk up delays in the province’s revision of the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation to COVID-19. “We were anticipating regulatory updates to occur in fall 2020. However, at this point we are expecting this to be delayed due to COVID-19,” the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy told Country Life in BC this week. …
4-H sales adapt amid COVID-19 restrictions
ARMSTRONG – True to their club motto, “Learn to Do by Doing,” 4-H club members across BC are finding new ways to market their animal projects when traditional means are unavailable. Physical distancing rules in place banning events of more than 50 people and the cancellation of most fall fairs featuring 4-H auction sales have …
Rethinking the concept for mobile abattoirs
MCBRIDE – Hopes are high that a government-inspected Class E mobile abattoir may soon move to the prototype stage. The proposal is driven by McBride custom butcher Mark Roth, who says the Class E licensing system needs work to better serve small-scale farmers. The construction of a Class A abattoir in McBride in 2011 was …
Poultry and hops a winning combination
ABBOTSFORD – The vast difference between the farm they started in 2005 and what it’s become as Ray and Tracey Bredenhof have expanded from broiler production to hops is testimony to not only their own efforts but the support of their community. “By getting involved, opportunities come up. You meet great people and you learn …
Land matching pays off
A provincial investment of $700,000 in a program to match farmers with landowners is nearing 95 successful pairings and more than 7,000 acres brought into production. The program, originally launched by the Young Agrarians organization in 2016, has completed 73 matches that have paired producers with 900 acres. But if all goes well, an additional …