The recent annual general meeting of the BC Wine Institute saw veteran Okanagan viticulturists Robert Goltz and Richard Cleave receive the BC Wine Institute Award of Distinction for their service to the industry. Goltz and Cleave are partners in R&R Management Services, which has overseen key vineyards for producers such as Andrew Peller Ltd. On presenting …
NEWS
Ottawa targets trade issues
The federal government is seeking to reassure producers it’s supporting them in the midst of trade troubles. On July 25, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced up to $6 million for Canada Pork International under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program “to strengthen, diversify and grow Canada’s pork exports in priority markets around the world.” …
Ottawa designates 48 regions for livestock tax deferral
“Significant forage shortages” in 48 regions of BC have prompted the federal government to let livestock producers defer taxes on proceeds from the sale of breeding livestock in the 2019 tax year. “Preliminary analysis indicates that livestock producers in Western Canada and Quebec are experiencing significant forage shortages due to drought conditions, supporting an early …
ALR acreage declines
Provincial efforts to save the Agricultural Land Reserve for farming may be paying off, according to the latest annual report from the Agricultural Land Commission published at the end of June. The most recent year ended March 31, 2019, saw just 524 acres excluded, less than any year since the reserve came into being in …
BC wine pioneer Harry McWatters dies
The godfather and éminence grise of many key developments in the BC wine industry has died at the age of 74. Harry McWatters died in his sleep at his home in Summerland on July 23, a week following the first anniversary of the opening of his newest venture, Time Winery in Penticton. McWatters saw 50 …
Province allows family on farms
VICTORIA—The province is giving families living in the Agricultural Land Reserve until February 22, 2020 to obtain approvals for second homes for immediate family. “We’ve worked to make long-overdue changes to help farmers farm,” said BC agriculture minister Lana Popham in announcing the changes. “We heard from people living in the ALR, many who said …