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September 2023
Vol. 109 Issue 9

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4 days ago

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays. ... See MoreSee Less

The Great Spallumcheen Farm & Food Festival and North Okanagan Plowing Match is happening this Sunday, September 24 from 10-3 at Fieldstone Organics, 4851 Schubert Rd, Armstrong. The outdoor festival features tastings and a market brimming with local food and beverage vendors, a horse and tractor plowing competition and vintage farm equipment displays.
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Patti 😊

6 days ago

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7 days ago

The top five issues the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity identified in a recent survey were the cost of food, inflation, the cost of energy, keeping healthy food affordable and the Canadian economy. “We are seeing that environmental concerns are not in the top 10,” says Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattle Association’s public and stakeholder engagement program. “If you are concerned about being able to afford to feed your family, the environment becomes less important.” ... See MoreSee Less

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Ranchers get the backstory on public perception

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VERNON – Ranchers might be concerned about how the public sees their industry, but a producer-funded team at the Canadian Cattle Association has their back. Amy Peck, manager of the Canadian Cattleâ...
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1 week ago

BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million. ... See MoreSee Less

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Lake Country packing house sold

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BC Tree Fruit Co-op has sold its Lake Country packing house as part of its long-term plan to consolidate operations. The sale, to an undisclosed buyer, closed on August 31, 2023 for $15.8 million.
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Who bought it ffs ?

Ted Nedjelski Karen Turner

One of my first jobs was apple grading in a packing plant in Vernon

Vivian, is this where you worked?

I’d hear the company that owns the big Cannabis company that owns the green houses all around this packing plant was buying up everything around to expand. Wonder if it’s them that got it.

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1 week ago

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Association's preparation for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/ ... See MoreSee Less

The federal government has committed $1.81 million over the next three years to support the BC Poultry Associations preparation  for direct participation in responses to future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the province. “The persistence of the virus in wildlife and recurrence of outbreaks globally, presents additional risks during the migratory bird season in North America later in 2023,” the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health in Vancouver advised in July. For more, visit https://www.countrylifeinbc.com/ai-risk-rises-with-fall/
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Growers scramble for flights

February 3, 2021 byPeter Mitham

New international travel restrictions have farm employers scrambling to arrange charter flights for workers, making it a numbers game that hinges on having enough workers for flights to be viable.

Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Air Transat announced January 29 a voluntary suspension of all service to the Caribbean and Mexico from January 31 until April 30. While flights will be available for repatriating travellers currently in those destinations, the cuts effectively limit in-bound traffic too.

Mexico’s national carrier, AeromĂ©xico, also announced that it would suspend commercial flights to Canada beginning February 7, further limiting options for workers from Central America planning to travel to Canada.

In addition, the federal government now requires all incoming international passenger flights land at Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto or Montreal.

The federal agriculture minister’s office called Country Life in BC to say the new restrictions would not impact incoming foreign workers. However, the effect on departing workers had not been considered.

According to the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative, “there may not be other options to return south until May.”

WALI program manager Veronica Moreno said the new restrictions create “challenging” conditions both employers and workers. WALI is working with Mi Tierra to arrange charter flights, but reduced air capacity makes this challenging.

“The main issue for employers is getting enough workers to book a charter,” Moreno said. “We’re working as fast as we can.”

Moreno added that a host of issues complicates arrangements for incoming workers – who need to obtain a negative test for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure – as well as departing workers, who face local protocols when landing in Mexico for travel onwards to Guatemala and points south.

To date, 698 foreign seasonal workers have arrived to work on BC farms, of which 493 have completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine and started work. Provincial funding covers the cost of meals, lodging and laundry during the quarantine period to the tune of approximately $3,000 per worker.

 

 

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