Dairy NEP picks announced

This week marks the deadline for the four finalists in this year’s dairy New Entrant Program to confirm acceptance of the opportunity to begin production in 2025.

The four finalists, all from the Lower Mainland, include Lindsey Dirks, Clinton and Dionne Quesnel, Jared Romeyn, and Jonathan Wouda. The four were selected following interviews the BC Milk Marketing Board conducted with nine qualifying candidates picked at random this spring from 30 contenders who submitted applications this past winter.

The four have until August 2 to formally accept entry into the program and pay a non-refundable deposit of $1,000, which entrants may use when they first participate on the board’s quota exchange.

The four producers will have until December 31, 2025, to start production and meet the requirements to receive incentive quota from BC Milk.

Conventional producers receive 15 kg of Continuous Daily Quota (CDQ) at startup, plus up to 8 kg of matching CDQ provided on a 1:1 ratio basis during the 10 years of the program.

This year did not see a selection process for new organic producers. Three producers were selected last year and placed on a three-year waitlist to begin organic production should market conditions allow.
Despite the challenging economic environment for dairy producers, this year’s selection process attracted a similar response to last year, when 33 candidates applied for an opportunity to enter conventional production. The short list last year also included Clint Quesnel, underscoring the importance of persistence as well as a commitment to the opportunities the sector provides.

Recent investments in food security by Indigenous governments are also boosting interest in dairy production in these communities.

Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation (Canim Lake Band) are exploring the opportunity of having a couple of milk cows as part of Broken Rock Ranch, a project funded by the province’s New Relationship Trust.

BC Milk said it had yet to receive a request for quota from Tsq̓éscen̓, and did not comment on the process for Broken Rock to generate milk for First Nation use.

All content on this website is copyrighted, and cannot be republished or reproduced without permission.

17 hours ago

... See MoreSee Less

View Comments

Likes: 1
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

23 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/]

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 20
Shares: 7
Comments: 0

5 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

Likes: 7
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

6 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.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 17
Shares: 1
Comments: 0

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.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 7
Shares: 1
Comments: 3

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.