VICTORIA – The province’s proposed watershed security strategy is big on local governance but short on protections for agriculture, say critics of an intentions paper released March 6. “This is a very complex, high-level document,” says Elaine Stovin assistant general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. “But it contains very little actual policy on how …
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Crossroads ahead for BC farmland
DELTA – Jutting out into the Strait of Georgia, the rich soils of Brunswick Point are a gift of the Fraser River’s run south from its headwaters in the Fraser Pass of the Rockies. The longest river in BC, the deposits here encapsulate the wealth of the province – a wealth fundamental to the most …
Climate Change Adaptation Program winds down
The future of a dedicated program to help farmers adapt to a changing climate is unclear with the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC’s announcement that it will no longer deliver the long-running Climate Change Adaptation Program come April 1. The program was funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the five-year agricultural policy framework which ends …
Hopcotts take OYF title
Travis and Brad Hopcott of Hopcott Farms in Pitt Meadows were honoured March 28 as BC’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2023. “Really, what it boils down to is your farm progress, your farm history, your farm production,” judge Meeru Dhalwala told the finalists for this year’s award at the event in Abbotsford. “Your finances, your …
Province doubles vet seats
BC has stepped up to fund 40 seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, making good on an initial investment last year with promises of permanent funding. This is double the number of seats funded in the past, and welcome news to livestock producers. “It’s been very difficult to access veterinary care …
Kale acreage on fast track
DELTA – Kale was the fastest-growing vegetable in BC by acreage in 2022, according to Statistics Canada data that shows field vegetable acreage in the province is on the decline. BC growers tended 13,146 acres of vegetables in 2022, according to Statscan’s annual report on fruit and vegetable acreage, released February 16 (potatoes and greenhouse …