New hires at the Agricultural Land Commission are leading to stronger protections for farmland in BC. The commission now employs seven compliance and enforcement staff, with the latest two being added this year. Staff are now stationed in regions across the province, a shift from three years ago when two staff based in Burnaby were …
NEWS
Rains wash away burn bans
The return of wet weather across much of BC has washed away extremely dry conditions across much of the province, and most open fire prohibitions. While growers on the South Coast have received a month’s worth of rain in recent days, hampering harvest, government scientists deemed conditions right for removing restrictions on open fires in …
Grape diversification in play
With the province’s grape harvest set to begin in earnest, a glance at a summary of the 2018 harvest from the BC Wine Grape Council reveals growing diversification in the province’s grape crop. The report notes that more that 42,732 tons were harvested in 2018, split almost evenly between red grapes (21,332 tons) and white …
Kelowna endorses intergenerational farmhouse
A development application in Kelowna will challenge provincial regulations governing residential development within the Agricultural Land Reserve. Kelowna council endorsed an application by the Baring family this week to build a home totalling 695 square metres (7,481 square feet) north of downtown near Kelowna International Airport. But the province adopted a new regulation in February …
ALC puts focus on farming
The province’s Agricultural Land Commission is drawing fire for its decision to reject a request by Rusted Rake Farm of Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island to operate its on-farm restaurant. The decision, handed down September 5, also nixed the farm’s plans for a microbrewery until it is producing enough grain to support its planned production. …
Land values slow down
BC farmland values are not rising as fast as they did last year, according to Farm Credit Canada. A review of transactions this year to date indicates that values have increased just 2.7% since last year. This spring, FCC reported that farmland values increased 6.7% in 2018 versus 2017. Double-digit increases were seen on Vancouver …