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MAY 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 4

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2 weeks 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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3 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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3 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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3 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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1 month ago

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Diesel prices plateau

June 1, 2022 byKate Ayers

Producers and consumers alike are keeping close tabs on prices at the pumps.

While relief cannot come soon enough for farmers, fuel prices show no signs of dropping until the second half of the year. That means producers will have to consider operational changes or bite the bullet as the busy summer season approaches.

“If you had a fuel bill of $50,000 last year … it’s doubled this year,” says Robert Vander Linden, a producer in Dawson Creek and director with the BC Grain Producers Association. “So far, I have just taken the hit and struggled through it. Hopefully at the end of the year it all pencils out with the increased commodity prices.”

Vander Linden grows 3,500 acres of wheat, barley, oats and canola.

“We’re in the north so our fuel always comes from Sherwood Park or the Edmonton refineries. Now, since January or so, our price has gone up by $0.16 per litre to make it more in line with the rack price at Prince George,” he says.

High fuel costs in BC are mostly driven by international factors, including sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February, says UBC Sauder School of Business associate professor Werner Antweiler.

“The Russian oil that’s missing from the global market leads to supply shortages that other suppliers have not made up,” he says, noting that it’s hard to know how quickly supplies will normalize. “Right now, there is very strong incentive for oil producers to crank up production but that will take time.”

Higher prices for crude oil, competition for diesel fuel and limited refining capacity have also boosted diesel prices.

BC fuel reached a record high of $2.37 per litre on May 16. On May 27 in Victoria, regular fuel cost $2.209 per litre and diesel fuel was $2.249 per litre.

“We have reached a plateau level now,” Antweiler says.

But relief is not quite in sight.

“In the coming weeks I fully expect prices to remain high, but I see the signals that tell me we can expect some easing up of prices down the road,” Antweiler says. “It’s never early enough for those who depend on it and especially farmers who are the ones who are very constrained by the growing season. They need their equipment now and they can’t wait six months.”

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