Outstanding service acknowledged

Dave Woodske’s service to the greenhouse and nursery sector was honoured December 2 at the annual awards of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association.

Woodske retired as the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries’ floriculture and greenhouse specialist in March 2020, shortly after COVID-19 hit. The restrictions on gatherings last year led to cancellation of many industry events.

The association held its annual awards ceremony online last year, but the loosening of restrictions this year allowed it to express their appreciation in person to Woodske.

Woodske spent three decades with the ministry. He became the province’s nursery specialist in 1998. His role was combined with others through several iterations until he was responsible for the floriculture and greenhouse vegetable sectors, too. His career also extended to the cannabis sector, and he was a participant in the first two Cannatech West events held in parallel with the Pacific Agriculture Show.

Personable and knowledgeable, Woodske was a trusted resource for growers. Committed to grower education, he was a regular contributor to the development of programming for the Lower Mainland Horticultural Improvement Association’s annual short course.

One of his first tasks as industry specialist was helping the nursery sector navigate Sudden Oak Death. Working with others, he led development of best management practices for dealing with the new pathogen. A collaborative approach led to the industry being able to protect itself and mitigate the risk posed by the disease.

Woodske also worked with greenhouse vegetable growers. His contributions to the sector won him the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association’s Meritorious Service Award in 2016.

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7 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.