This week marks Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, an annual reminder from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, that every agricultural sector and operation has unique hazards. Confined spaces are one example. “Of all the different hazards that are present in agriculture, I think confined space presents the highest risk to loss of life,” says AgSafe BC …
NEWS
Apple industry eyes orderly marketing plan
KELOWNA – Apple growers could decide whether or not a marketing commission will be developed for their sector as early as April, following a series of public meetings in January. More than 200 growers attended information sessions held January 8-10 in Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Oliver and Cawston as well as online, and a summary report …
New abattoir offers lifeline to local farmers
COURTENAY – After nearly five years in the making, Christine Mooney is excited to be finally putting the finishing touches on her federally inspected poultry abattoir, thanks to her perseverance and Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC’s Small Food Processor Scale-Up grant. In fall 2023, Mooney was making the best of her small space and Farmgate …
Province surveys producers on vet services
A survey on the services of the province’s Animal Health Centre wraps up this week as the province conducts a review of its services to the sector. The lab at the Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford offers both post-mortem services as well as more than 400 diagnostic tests for both animals and plants. The lab …
BC Cherry holds AGM
The BC Cherry Association held its annual general meeting in Kelowna on February 23. While the industry continues to expand its access to international markets, with last year witnessing the first official exports to Korea, domestic growing conditions are a concern. “We saw damage from the freeze of late December 2022 and then 30°C spring …
BC Veg mandate questioned
The recent expansion of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s mandate to the entire province has caught vendors at northern BC farmers markets by surprise. Several growers and market vendors received letters from BC Veg alerting them to the potential impact on their operations and the possible need for them to become licensed. The letter was …