Country Life in BC

Dairy quota increases

August 14, 2024

Strong demand for milk is leading to a quota increase for producers across Western Canada.…

Hothouse growers tap glass ceiling

August 1, 2024

SURREY – BC greenhouse vegetable growers have begun consultations with members on a new marketing…

Peach report bullish on future opportunities

August 1, 2024

KELOWNA – Fred Steele remembers the sound of peach trees cracking in the cold. “They…

Cherry growers pan inadequate replant funding

August 1, 2024

KELOWNA – This is anything but a normal season for BC cherry growers, which is…

Farming Karma scales up on-farm processing

August 1, 2024

KELOWNA – The worst cherry crop in the Gill family’s 30 years of farming in…

BC Tree Fruits shuts down

July 31, 2024

Provincial efforts to stabilize the tree fruit sector have been up-ended by BC Tree Fruits…

Dairy NEP picks announced

July 31, 2024

This week marks the deadline for the four finalists in this year’s dairy New Entrant…

Feed available but stocks low

July 31, 2024

The outlook for feed is good this season, a year after the BC Cattlemen’s Association…

Agriculture ministers head north

July 17, 2024

There are strange things done ‘neath the midnight sun, but no one’s expecting agriculture ministers…

BC Milk caught out

July 17, 2024

The BC Farm Industry Review Board has found the BC Milk Marketing Board violated its…

BC-Alberta sign wine MOU

July 17, 2024

While there’s plenty of work yet to be done, a memorandum of understanding BC and…

Groundwater enforcement picks up

July 3, 2024

Drought conditions worsened on Vancouver Island last week, coinciding with a growing stream of reports…

Gill shifts to greenhouses

July 3, 2024

BC Blueberry Council executive director Anju Gill has accepted a staff position at the BC…

Cherries replant funding opens

July 3, 2024

Cherry producers will be able to apply for funds to support orchard renewal beginning July…

Grasslands tour puts spotlight on common ground

July 2, 2024

KAMLOOPS – The annual Grasslands Conservation Council of BC (GCC) field day visited Tunkwa Provincial…

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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