Innovation challenge relaunched

The province launched the latest edition of the Agritech Innovation Challenge on April 17, after a soft launch at the BC Tech Summit in Vancouver a month earlier.

Overseen by the BC Innovation Council with $150,0000 in funding from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, the challenge targets three areas for innovation: food processing, food traceability, and precision agriculture.

A roundtable that kicked off the challenge attracted 20 companies, including five in food processing, eight in traceability and seven in precision agriculture. Applicants must submit letters of interest by May 14, and shortlisted parties will be asked to submit full proposals by June 24. Winners in each of the three areas will be announced in early July, with project demonstrations scheduled for the Pacific Agriculture Show in 2020.

The first Agritech Innovation Challenge debuted at the BC Agrifood and Seafood Conference in Kelowna in November 2016, backed by $240,000 in government funding. The first challenge focused on berry competitiveness, sustainable pest management, greenhouse efficiencies and nutrient recovery strategies with a view towards value-added processing. The winners, announced in March 2017, included software designed by Fraser Valley-based gUAVas that turned drones into berry and fruit guards; a diagnostic tool for greenhouses designed by Ecoation Innovation Solutions of North Vancouver; technology to enhance anaerobic digestion from Vancouver’s Boost Environmental Systems; and compostable yarn developed by Gordon Shank Consulting of Burnaby for use in greenhouses.

3 weeks ago

It’s been four years since the last tulip festival was held in Abbotsford, but this year’s event promises to be an even bigger spectacle than ever. Spanning 27 acres along Marion Road, Lakeland Flowers will display more than 70 varieties of the spring blossom, including fringe tulips and double tulips, the first of six months of flower festivals hosted by the farm. Writer Sandra Tretick spoke with Lakeland Flowers owner Nick Warmerdam this spring to find out how the floods on Sumas Prairie in 2021 have had an impact on his business plan as he transitions from wholesale cut flower grower to agri-tourism. We've posted the story to our website this month. It's a good read.

#CLBC #countrylifeinbc #tulipfestival ... See MoreSee Less

Tulip grower makes the shift to agritourism

www.countrylifeinbc.com

ABBOTSFORD – On a bright sunny day in early April, Nick Warmerdam points out his office window at No. 4 and Marion roads to a spot about half a kilometre away across the Trans-Canada Highway.

View Comments

Likes: 6
Shares: 2
Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Omg 🥹 Jared Huston let’s go pls

4 weeks ago

Farming, like any other job.. only you punch in at age 5 and never punch out 🚜 ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 18
Shares: 1
Comments: 1

Easton Roseboom Levi Roseboom🚜

The province is allocating $15 million to be administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. for a perennial crop replant program benefitting tree fruit, hazelnut, berry and grape growers. The program aims to cover 100% of plant removal costs and 75% of replanting costs. Funds are also available for sector development. The new program replaces a suite of sector-specific replant programs and recognizes the importance of sector adaptation in the face of market, disease and weather challenges. ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 2
Shares: 1
Comments: 0

Just a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials revoked the last primary control zones established in the Fraser Valley to control last fall’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a new detection on April 29 at a commercial premises in Chilliwack underscored the risk of a spring wave. This is the first new detection since January 22, also in Chilliwack, and brings to 104 the number of premises affected since the current outbreak began April 13, 2022. The disease has impacted 3.7 million birds in BC over the past year. ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 0
Shares: 2
Comments: 1

Any other details for FVN and chillTV please? radiodon11@gmail.com

The province is contributing $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station in Abbotsford that was overwhelmed during the November 2021 flooding on Sumas Prairie, part of a collaborative approach to flood mitigation in the region. During a press conference at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices in Abbotsford today, the province said a collaborative approach that includes First Nations is needed as Abbotsford pursues a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy due to the potential impacts on Indigenous lands. Agriculture's interests will be represented by technical teams within the agriculture ministry. ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 3
Shares: 1
Comments: 1

I sure hope part of that money is to educate the people in charge of the pumps and drainage system! They just relayed on computers and weren’t even physically monitoring the water levels. I’ve lived in the Fraser Valley my whole life and the old guys managing that system know how to do it. The new generation just sit behind computer screens and don’t physically watch the water levels. That system works very well when you do it right. The Fraser river levels are very important. The system is designed to drain the Sumas Canal (the part that runs thru the valley) into the Fraser. When they let it get backed up it put pressure on the dyke and the weak part burst. Simple science. And yes, the dykes need to be worked on too. Abbotsford has not been maintaining properly for years.