A first round of compensation to BC dairy farmers for market share lost thanks to concessions Canada granted during trade talks that resulted in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been almost entirely paid out. According to the Canadian Dairy Commission, 93% of …
NEWS
Canada recognizes agriculture
The first half of February includes several key dates for raising awareness of the challenges agriculture in Canada faces. On the one hand, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture proclaims Food Freedom Day, the date by which estimates suggest the typical family has earned enough money to pay its food bill for the year. It’s modelled …
Seasonal workers start to arrive
BC landscape and nursery owners are ready to welcome seasonal farm workers after concerns that biometric requirements would delay arrivals this winter. Nurseries are typically the first farm operations in the province to receive workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), but some feared that a requirement for workers to provide biometric information would …
Shout-out for vegetables
BC’s agrifood exports were a key driver of record revenues for the agriculture sector in 2018, rising 10% to $4.5 billion. The growth rate was double that of the sector as a whole, which grew 5% to $15 billion. Now, figures from BC Statistics indicate exports are on track to break through last year’s tally. …
Province makes appointments
A new year means a new lease on life for many government appointees, and new responsibilities for others. The turn of the year saw Joe Deuling appointed December 31 to the Agricultural Land Commission. The following day, Robert Haywood-Farmer had his appointment renewed. Both men serve on the commission’s Interior panel. However, the system of …
Trespass awareness needed
Greater public awareness of the cost of trespassing on farmland is one positive result of a December 28 joyride in a Saanich hayfield. Two trucks ran amok in the 10-acre field farmed by Longview Farms, said general manager Ryan Vantreight. The 17-year-old drivers were caught when the trucks became stuck in the mud. “The police …