City wants better definitions on basis for limits on housing size, use RICHMOND – Richmond is banning short-term rentals in the city but agri-tourism operations are exempt – for now. City councillors voted January 9 to ban short-term rentals in response to a growing number of public complaints, which increased four-fold from 26 in 2015 …
NEWS
Chilliwack dairy fined for allowing “culture of abuse”
CHILLIWACK – The first installments towards $345,000 in fines and surcharges levied in a headline-grabbing case of animal abuse on a Fraser Valley dairy farm were paid last month, with the dairy farmers at the case’s heart pledging to ensure the situation never repeats itself. BC Provincial Court judge Robert Gunnell accepted the guilty pleas …
Help wanted
VANCOUVER – Demand for farm workers will hit 45,000 by 2025, up from approximately 43,300 in 2014, and while the increase doesn’t sound like a lot, an older, diminishing farm work force means there are a lot fewer people available than there was once was. A recent report from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council …
Dairy vs eggs in outstanding young farmer competition
ABBOTSFORD – After graduating from high school, Gary Baars hung up a shingle as TNT Agri-Services, offering “relief milking and much more.” On January 11, that “much more” made the now 33-year-old Chilliwack dairyman, hay salesman and cattle dealer and his wife, Marie (26), the BC & Yukon Outstanding Young Farmers for 2017. In 2006, …
Freight Farm feeds local niche
SAANICH – From inside a refurbished freight container, the future of farming is extremely bright. Ribbons of red and blue LED grow lights hang from the ceiling, super-charging the growth of vertical columns of greens. Welcome to Bright Greens Canada, one of BC’s first so-called ‘freight farms.’ “This is a refurbished 40-foot shipping container that …
Marketing board reviewing dairy quota
VANCOUVER – The BC Milk Marketing Board is beginning another review of its quota and solids-non-fat policies, producers were told at the BCMMB annual meeting and producer meeting in Vancouver on December 2. The review is intended to address production shortages and an unhealthy butterfat to solids-non-fat ratio. BCMMB member Jeremy Wiebe noted 15,000 to …