Country Life in BC tops awards

Country Life in BC came away with a record nine awards from the annual Canadian Farm Writers Federation competition on October 5.

The paper’s team of writers and photographers came out tops in the Opinion, Current Affairs and business writing categories, and swept the top spots in the photography classes.

Reprising last year’s success, columnist Anna Helmer won gold for her March 2022 column, “Spring demands the old heave-ho,” which appealed to the judges for its sensitive take on the adjustments 100-lb sacks of seed potatoes force on the aging on-farm workforce. Together with Bob Collins’ gold award in 2021, this marked the fourth straight year Country Life in BC received top honours in the category.

Collins won silver in the opinion category this year for his observations on the impact climate change is having on the trees that stand watch over his farm in the September 2022 paper.

On the reporting side, Sandra Tretick won gold in the Current Affairs category for “Fallow deer rattle Mayne Island farmers,” a November 2022 report that delved into the decades-long issue precipitated by a once-promising livestock venture endorsed by the province.

This year also saw a first-ever success in the Business/Economics Writing category as Kate Ayers won gold for her report on farm co-operatives in the May 2022 paper and Tracey Fredrickson received silver for her October 2022 report on the influx of new arrivals – but not necessarily farmers – to rural communities during the pandemic.

All was gold on the photography side. Hannah Willms of Rose Prairie won gold in the Landscape category for her photo of sunflowers in the October 2022 paper.

Regular contributor Myrna Stark Leader handily won both the People and Production categories, with minimal quibbling from the judges with respect to cropping.

In the People category, Stark Leader’s won with her photo of Colleen Roberts planting vegetable seeds in a greenhouse at Peak Cellars Winery in Lake Country. A photo of Tantalus Vineyards assistant vineyard manager Scott Walsh harvesting grapes for ice wine uncorked gold for Stark Leader in the Production category.

In choosing between the two, however, the judges picked her photo of Colleen Roberts as its photo of the year, the second year in a row Stark Leader and Country Life in BC have won the honour.

This year’s tally of awards tops last year, when the paper came away with eight awards.

The annual Canadian Federation of Farm Writers awards honour the best in agricultural journalism across Canada.

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12 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.

SEPTEMBER 2026
Vol. 112 Issue 9

Country Life in BC tops awards

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