Country Life in BC

Triple-whammy for farm income

March 27, 2024

BC farmgate sales are set to rise 2% this year to $4.8 billion, but net…

Domestic labour gap grows

March 27, 2024

New figures from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council indicate a growing farm labour gap…

New replant funding announced

March 20, 2024

A new $70.5 million replant program was announced March 13 at the BC Wine Insight…

Drought preparations spring ahead

March 20, 2024

The BC government has started preparing for potential drought and wildfire this summer with the…

Spring freshet risk low

March 20, 2024

The province’s latest Snow Survey and Water Supply bulletin has some good news on the…

BC farmland values fall

March 13, 2024

BC farmland values fell 3.1% last year, Farm Credit Canada reported this week, the first…

Spray Creek wins BC OYF

March 13, 2024

Aubyn and Tristan Banwell of Spray Creek Ranch near Lillooet were named BC & Yukon…

Confined spaces in spotlight

March 13, 2024

This week marks Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, an annual reminder from the Canadian Agricultural Safety…

Province surveys producers on vet services

March 6, 2024

A survey on the services of the province’s Animal Health Centre wraps up this week…

BC Cherry holds AGM

March 6, 2024

The BC Cherry Association held its annual general meeting in Kelowna on February 23. While…

BC Veg mandate questioned

March 6, 2024

The recent expansion of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s mandate to the entire province has…

New abattoir offers lifeline to local farmers

March 1, 2024

COURTENAY – After nearly five years in the making, Christine Mooney is excited to be…

Apple industry eyes orderly marketing plan

March 1, 2024

KELOWNA – Apple growers could decide whether or not a marketing commission will be developed…

Awards generate buzz for BC beekeepers

March 1, 2024

CRESTON – The year is off to a roaring start for Kootenay beekeepers Amanda Goodman…

Forecasting will improve with AI technology

March 1, 2024

ABBOTSFORD – Producers can’t control the weather, but they absolutely need the most accurate forecasts…

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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