Country Life in BC

BC delegation urges review of foreign ownership

April 1, 2025

SURREY – Always hotly debated in agricultural circles, the issue of foreign ownership of Canadian…

Comox Valley sweeps farmers market awards

April 1, 2025

COURTENAY – Community engagement and involvement are hallmarks of the Comox Valley Farmers Market, its…

Market farm works smarter, not harder

April 1, 2025

VERNON – Silverstar Veggies, a five-year-old mixed vegetable and herb farm in Vernon, thrives on…

Vet urges dairies to be vigilant against HPAI

April 1, 2025

ABBOTSFORD – The devastation California dairy herds are experiencing from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)…

Okanagan drives increase in land values

March 26, 2025

KELOWNA – BC farmland values rose 11% last year, firmly reversing the decline posted in…

Tesche leaving BCFGA

March 26, 2025

After only a year, BC Fruit Growers Association general manager Melissa Tesche has resigned to…

Denman Island farmers supported

March 26, 2025

Denman Island’s Gather Farm and Kitchen is this year’s recipient of the Mary Forstbauer Grant…

Stacatto cherry patent reinstated

March 26, 2025

The stage is set for Canada to pursue damages from US growers for unlicensed production…

New apple fills niche

March 12, 2025

Sunpunch, the newest release from the federal apple breeding program at the Summerland Research and…

BC boosts agriculture spending

March 12, 2025

BC is budgeting a 10% boost to spending on agricultural programs and services in the…

Province flags drought risk

March 12, 2025

Skirmishes over trade have put negotiations for the renewal of the Columbia River Treaty on…

Hazelnuts enjoy strong pricing as global production falls short

March 1, 2025

ABBOTSFORD – Production volumes are rising as BC hazelnut orchards mature following replanting with varieties…

Chilliwack group wants agriculture back at fairgrounds

February 27, 2025

CHILLIWACK – Agricultural groups want a halt to the long-term shift away from agriculture at…

Task force members announced

February 26, 2025

Fifteen leaders in the agri-food sector have been appointed to the Premier’s Task Force on…

United front for fruit growers

February 26, 2025

Over 150 members and guests gathered at the Penticton Lakeside Resort for the BC Fruit…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

August 5, 2026

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2 days ago

The committee of MLAs charged with setting priorities for the next provincial budget is recommending regular, annual funding for water storage infrastructure associated with food production, including for engineering inspections, maintenance and upgrades. The recommendation builds on the BC Cattlemen's Association's recommendation of an annual allocation of $5 million for water storage infrastructure related to food production, noting that it could also support resilience in the face of climate-related events. While the province has allocated $120 million for agricultural water infrastructure, agriculture minister Lana Popham told Country Life in BC this week that other ministries and the federal government will need to be involved in funding future p#BCAgts#BCAgCAg

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A typical small-to-medium farming operation featuring a house, main barn, and machine shed generally has around 8,000 to 12,000 square feet of total roof surface. The Okanagan Valley is one of the driest regions in Canada, averaging roughly 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of annual precipitation. Storing a full year's collected rainwater from those roofs yields roughly 262,500 litres. In the three regional districts that make up the Okanagan valley proper (North Okanagan, Central Okanagan, and Okanagan-Similkameen), the 2021 Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture records roughly 3,100 total farms. Multiply that number by 262,500 litres of harvested rainwater equals 813.75 million litres of water saved per year. Capturing that volume of water across every farm roof in the region would significantly ease peak summer pumping pressure on local groundwater aquifers and Okanagan Lake.

Fantastic!! We will work hard to be involved and do what we can as well as a collective group on the Salmon River!

Absolutely! Long over due and very welcomed. Let's make this happen.

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3 days ago

About 40 community members gathered at Silver Creek Community Hall near Salmon Arm last Thursday to discuss ways to improve water availability for both farms and spawning salmon. While the province has since rescinded a fish protection order for the watershed that shut down irrigation, future risks to water access remain top of mind. "We are here because water matters to each of us," says rancher and organizer Trudy Schweb. Farmland Riparian Interface Stewardship Program manager Lee Hesketh outlined the potential for upland water storage while Rob Dinwoodie highlighted cost-shared funding opportunities through the Environmental Farm Plan program for riparian assessments, irrigation efficiency upgrades and other water-related projects available to producers. Photo credit | Facebook/Trudy Schweb

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Salmon River Watershed Roundtable should be looked into again.

Well done my girl,the voice of Silver Creek ranchers and more

Thanks for covering this🌟

The BC Fruit Growers Association is urging Greater Vernon Water and the Regional District of North Okanagan to halt water shut-offs hitting 2,100+ acres of Okanagan orchards mid-season. With losses potentially topping $250 million, fruit growers say decisions of this scale demand a coordinated plan with farmers and the province — not one-sided cuts. They’re not the only producers affected by this year’s dry conditions.

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Cash Flows

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VERNON – Water restrictions intensified across the southern Interior in late July, with record low stream flows clouding the cash outlook for ranches and orchards. Fourteen agricultural water users�...

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Food should ALWAYS come first. Allow the farmers their water. My grandad watered the apples by flume from the mountain. Let’s get on with AG and get out of the way!

4 days ago

The BC Fruit Growers Association has joined Apples Canada, a new national voice for provincial apple organizations in BC, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Charles Stevens of Ontario chairs the new group, an evolution of the apple working group within Fruit & Vegetable Growers Canada (FVGC), the new group will tackle production, sustainability, research and policy issues as well as advocate for market access in partnership with FVGC. It follows the creation of the Greenhouse Produce Alliance of Canada earlier this year, which replaced the former greenhouse vegetable working group. The berry and field vegetable sectors will continue to maintain working groups with FVGC, while the long-estblished Canadian Potato Council serves the interests of potato growers under the FVGC umbrella.

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