Higher land costs translate to higher rents for farmers who lease their land, according to a recently released analysis of farmland rental rates from Farm Credit Canada. The annual analysis, which plots cash rents against the value of farmland for each province, indicated that landowners were charging tenant farmers rent equivalent to 2.52% of the …
NEWS
Livestock oversight to change
VICTORIA – The province is poised to take over responsibility for farmed animal welfare in BC, following a report that recommends restricting the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to companion animals. Policing of animal welfare, including that of farmed animals, has been the statutory responsibility of the BC SPCA since its …
Early-season fires spark concern
This past weekend saw seven wildfires reported in the Cariboo, including the 1,600-hectare Burgess Creek Wildfire, which continues to burn out of control between Quesnel and Williams Lake. An evacuation alert was announced April 23 for the area east of the fire, but no ranches have been impacted to date. However, rancher and Quesnel Cattlemen’s …
Federal budget “falls short”
The federal budget delivered April 16 held no surprises for agriculture and little to cheer about, either. The budget allocated $64 million to support an increase in the interest-free limit on Advance Payments Program loans to $250,000 from $100,000 for the 2024 program year. However, the announcement had already been made nearly a month earlier …
Wine sector celebrates award winners
PENTICTON – The Wyse family of Oliver’s Burrowing Owl Estate Winery took home the Canadian Wine Industry Award of Distinction during the 2024 Wine Industry Awards ceremony on March 12 in Penticton. A long-term commitment to producing high-quality wine while honouring and protecting the local environment have been defining practices at Burrowing Owl, founded in …
Haida Aboriginal title recognized
Seven weeks after the province deferred controversial amendments to the Land Act that would have allowed shared decision-making over Crown land, the province has formally recognized the Haida Nation’s jurisdiction over Haida Gwaii. An agreement signed April 14 between the Council of Haida Nation and BC constitutes formal recognition of Aboriginal title by the Crown …