Research, policy and farm tours were on the agenda as the Certified Organic Associations of BC gathered in Richmond for its annual conference on February 28-March 1. A key theme running through the conference, however, was how to explain organic agriculture to a new generation. With the title, “The Future of Organic,” several speakers touched …
NEWS
Province issues co-op guidance
Two new guides from the BC Ministry of Agriculture aim to help producers looking to establish agricultural co-ops become established. According to the province, the recently updated Agricultural Co-operatives Start-Up Guide outlines an easy five-step process to help farmers create a new local co-op, while the Financing Agricultural Co-operatives Guide provides funding options for co-op …
Tax deferral for livestock
Ranchers and livestock producers in 52 census subdivisions across BC will be able to take advantage of the federal government’s livestock tax deferral program for 2019. Regions eligible in BC include southern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and much of the central Interior from the coast to the Alberta border. “[The] provision allows livestock producers in prescribed …
Flood mitigation funding available
The province has handed out $52 million for structural flood mitigation projects over the past two years, and the latest portion was awarded to 18 communities this week. “The intent is to support eligible applicants to prevent, eliminate or reduce hazards through structural flood mitigation projects,” a provincial press release announcing the awards explains. Recipients …
Province pares agriculture budget
Two years of funding increases for the province’s agriculture ministry have come to an end, as the BC NDP introduced a budget this week that proposes tax increases for the rich but plays it safe in terms of program spending. BC finance minister Carole James tabled the budget with a speech that touted the government’s …
BCMMB new entrants shortlist
Despite headlines touting the rise of plant-based diets, an intrepid 77 candidates applied to be new entrants to BC’s dairy industry this winter under the BC Milk Marketing Board’s New Entrant Program. The program provides successful applicants with 15 kgs of Continuous Daily Quota in order to start milk production (enough for about a dozen …