Country Life in BC

Province considers farmland tax

November 29, 2023

ABBOTSFORD – Unused farmland could be the next front in the province’s battle against real…

Producers wary of housing bylaw implications

November 29, 2023

SAANICHTON – Growers in Central Saanich say proposed changes to local zoning bylaws that will…

Flood recovery in hand

November 22, 2023

Two years after the atmospheric rivers of November 2021 led to catastrophic flooding and landslides…

Cherry growers weigh trade complaint

November 22, 2023

BC cherry growers took a beating on price last season as cheap California and Washington…

BC agriculture loses a champion

November 22, 2023

Veteran farm journalist and Country Life in BC editor emeritus David Schmidt has died. Schmidt…

BC FIRB gets a good egg

November 15, 2023

BC Egg Marketing Board chair Gunta Vitins has been appointed vice-chair of the BC Farm…

Berrisford leads landscapers

November 15, 2023

A familiar face has taken the helm of the BC Landscape and Nursery Association, which…

Mink farmers sue government

November 15, 2023

The mink are gone, but not the legal challenges. The first livestock sector shut down…

Kelowna fallow farmland returns

November 8, 2023

The City of Kelowna’s efforts to preserve farmland are paying off but fewer people are…

Avian influenza grows

November 8, 2023

The number of BC farms testing positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza surged over…

BC young leader honoured

November 8, 2023

A member of 4-H BC took top spot at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition…

Okanagan egg producers eye expansion

November 8, 2023

ARMSTRONG – Residents of BC’s Okanagan Valley will soon have two new commercial egg producers…

Farmers institutes to meet

November 1, 2023

The first gathering of farmers institutes in four years is set to take place November…

Underused housing tax extension

November 1, 2023

Confusion is frustrating the federal government’s attempts to implement its underused housing tax. The proposed…

Farm accelerator program renewed

November 1, 2023

The province is relaunching a farm support program piloted two years ago, rebranding it with…

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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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🌟

3 days ago

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!

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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