The latest issue of Country Life in BC had no sooner hit mailboxes across the province last week when a series of weather systems arrived to counter our report of widespread drought. Severe flooding swept through ranches in the Chilcotin west of Williams Lake after nearly 100 mm fell in four days. A flood warning …
NEWS
Farm input costs stable
BC farm input costs are increasing on par with the average for Western Canada, Statistics Canada reported this week. The agency reported that BC farm input costs increased 4.1% in the first quarter versus the same period a year ago. The average for Western Canada was 4%, while the increase nationally averaged 3.2%. The biggest …
BC shapes Food Policy for Canada
An in-camera discussion at UBC two years ago was one of six stakeholder meetings held across the country that helped shape the recently released Food Policy for Canada. The meeting on September 5, 2017 was one of six that followed an online consultation that attracted nearly 45,000 responses, including 7,700 from BC. The closed session …
Accident claims farm advocate
Condolences are pouring in for Clarke Gourlay, who died in a hiking accident in Strathcona Park on June 29. The family made the announcement July 1 via the social media channels of Little Qualicum Cheeseworks and MooBerry Winery, the two businesses for which Gourlay is best known. A tireless advocate for farmers since starting Morningstar …
Japanese beetle fight continues
Summertime, and pest control workers are doing their best to make sure the living ain’t easy for Japanese beetle. Regular surveillance by Canadian Food Inspection Agency staff discovered the invasive pest in the False Creek area in 2017, and increased surveillance in 2018 saw 2,088 traps placed. By the end of the season last year, …
Province blinks on ALR
VICTORIA—Growing criticism of the province’s efforts to tighten protection of the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve is prompting the province to backtrack on some of the new regulations. A late-night bulletin the BC Ministry of Agriculture posted on June 18 indicates that rules governing second homes in the ALR would allow a grandfathering period. “As the …