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MAY 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 4

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1 week ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 weeks ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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2 weeks ago

BC wool shipments drop sharply in 2023, according to StatsCan data released in mid-April. Local producers shipped just 5,200kg at 37¢/kg, down from 18,600kg at $1.08/kg in 2022. While many farmers now use wool on-farm or dispose of it due to low market value, innovative producers like Emily McIvor point to untapped opportunities. Read more in our Farm News Update from Country Life in BC.

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BC wool value, volume drop

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BC sheep producers shipped less wool for less in 2023, reversing strong growth a year earlier. BC producers shipped 5,200 kilograms of raw wool in 2023, according to Statistics Canada data released on...
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2 weeks ago

Eric Feehely and Miho Shinbo are growing 30+ crops on 2.5 acres in Vernon. Writer Myrna Stark Leader takes a look at how Silverstar Veggies is balancing CSA programs, farmers markets and restaurant sales while planning smart expansions in challenging economic times in Market farm works smarter, not harder.

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Market farm works smarter, not harder

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VERNON – Silverstar Veggies, a five-year-old mixed vegetable and herb farm in Vernon, thrives on passion and innovative ideas. A former watersport and adventure sport instructor…
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4 weeks ago

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Cherries face the pits

June 24, 2020 byPeter Mitham

BC cherry growers face a second straight year of record losses thanks to severe cold in January and a late spring frost. The two cold weather events have resulted in the 2020 harvest on track to be down more than 40% from normal levels.

BC’s Production Insurance program has received 296 claims for yield loss out of 425 polices.

“Based on early damage estimates, we anticipate cherry yield loss claims likely to be in the region of $12 million,” the BC Ministry of Agriculture told Country Life in BC.

The comparable figure for yield losses last year was just $3 million.

And those losses don’t include impacts to quality.

Growers of early-ripening varieties in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys report that heavy rain and hail and early June have resulted in damage to as much as half the crop. Production Insurance adjusters have visited with growers, but the BC Ministry of Agriculture did not provide an estimate of the cost.

All told, BC cherry growers filed 436 claims last year for losses estimated at $10 million. This was more than double the previous record set in 2016, when losses due largely to rain totaled $4.5 million.

In addition to crop insurance, growers may also be eligible for support under AgriStability, the deadline for which is July 3. The federal-provincial program operates on an enhanced basis in BC, with the compensation rate being 80% thanks to a provincial top-up rather than the 70% coverage offered elsewhere.

BC growers harvested 27,000 tons of cherries in 2019. The fruit is one of the province’s top 10 agrifood exports. Shipments totaled $107.5 million in 2018 (the most recent year for which statistics are available) and travelled to 27 markets. The US and China accounted for the largest proportion, and 39% and 35% of shipment value, respectively.

 

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