ABBOTSFORD – 2017 has been “corn Armageddon” for local growers, says BC Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Tracy Hueppelsheuser. Hueppelsheuser spoke to growers during the Pacific Forage Bag corn variety trials field day at Rosegate Dairy Farm in Abbotsford, September 15. Because the field days are primarily promotional events seed dealers use to show off their …
NEWS
Beet trials target “seed sovereignty”
VANCOUVER – Visitors to the UBC Farm market on July 22 received a taste of the latest selections in the BC Seed Trials, a province-wide program that hopes to lay the foundation for the production of seed suited to the province’s different growing regions. While the curiosity and qualms of many visitors were audible around …
Compensation sought for Clinton backburn debacle
CLINTON – A group of producers is seeking compensation and an apology for damages caused when the BC Wildfire Service lost control of a prescribed burn on Hart Ridge Mountain, south of Clinton. The blaze quickly escalated and jumped Highway 97, threatening nearby ranches and homes and triggering evacuations and highway closures. Greg Nyman speaks …
Corn rootworm infesting Fraser Valley crops
ABBOTSFORD – BC farmers have been spared from the damaging effects of corn rootworm. That is, until last year, when the beetles were first discovered in sweet corn in the Fraser Valley. BC Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Tracey Hueppelsheuser says damage from the pest can be substantial. Both the larvae and adult beetles cause damage. …
Food testing within reach
PORT ALBERNI – How is it that a tiny island in Washington state has the first farmer-run community food safety lab in the US, satisfying the rigid requirements of the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food Safety Modernization Act? Part of the San Juan Islands, an archipelago just south of BC’s own Gulf …
Rising from the ashes
KAMLOOPS – With a record wildfire season continuing to burn its way across the province, producers in affected areas are starting to take stock of the damage and plotting a path forward. “There’s still a lot in the mix,” says Kevin Boon, executive director of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. “We can’t begin to get out …