Two years after the province cut farmers some slack when it came to proving their qualification for farm class status with BC Assessment, proof is once again required. “We have currently returned to [the] standard practice of mailouts/income requests to property owners as per regulations to maintain/qualify for farm class for the 2023 roll,” BC Assessment …
NEWS
Guaranteed returns for apples
More revenue for more growers is how BC Tree Fruits Cooperative is framing the launch of a three-year program that will guarantee growers a minimum return on their apples. “The Cooperative is expanding on a program launched in 2020 by providing minimum payment guarantees to growers on a wide range of varieties, grades, and sizes …
Good land at risk
SURREY – This spring’s cool, wet weather has made it difficult for farmers to get on fields across the Lower Mainland, particularly in low-lying areas of Delta and on Sumas Prairie. But in Campbell Heights, the Heppell family was seeding its 220 acres in early March – a little bit later than usual, but earlier …
Irrigation shouldn’t be an afterthought
GRAND FORKS – When cool weather lingers through spring and when it arrives in the fall, irrigation is the furthest thing from the minds of many growers. That shouldn’t be the case, says irrigation designer Andrew Bennett. “It’s been a cold April – nobody’s thinking about irrigation,” he says. “[But] start early, and make sure …
DAS expands to Kootenays
The BC Decision Aid System, one of the best resources available for providing time-sensitive information on managing pests, is expanding to the Kootenays. Five new provincially funded weather stations in the Creston area will collect and integrate data used to forecast insect population trends so orchardists can anticipate and respond to pest management issues. An …
Wireworms require vigilance
Corn growers need to be on top of crop protection this year in order to make the most of a tough season. Wet weather delayed planting of various feed crops across the province this year by two to three weeks. Growers of forage corn have been particularly affected, with plantings in the Cariboo described as …