Country Life in BC

Budget boost for agriculture

February 23, 2022

This week’s budget delivered a big boost to the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and…

Ottawa funds beneficial practices

February 23, 2022

Beneficial management practices were the big winner in the week’s funding announcements by government. The…

CanadaGAP expands options

February 23, 2022

Many small fruit and vegetable producers say CanadaGAP requirements are complex and onerous. While the…

Glyphosate shortage impacts unknown

February 16, 2022

A supplier’s plant malfunction is jeopardizing Bayer CropScience’s ability to deliver glyphosate-containing products. One of…

Hazelnut funding renewed

February 16, 2022

The province is shelling out another $100,000 for the four-year-old hazelnut renewal program. The funding…

Dairy NEP shortlist chosen

February 16, 2022

The BC Milk Marketing Board has announced the 10 finalists for this year’s new entrant…

Historic relief package delivered

February 9, 2022

Tough negotiations have delivered BC farmers a landmark recovery package that promises to help farmers…

Farm workforce shortfall

February 9, 2022

A labour market outlook the province released this week forecasts 7,100 jobs openings in agriculture…

BCAC gala goes online

February 9, 2022

COVID-19 continues to cast a long shadow, with the BC Agriculture Council making yet another…

Grape crop falls short

February 2, 2022

Despite optimism as harvest began, BC grape growers are reporting the shortest crop in years.…

Watershed security report

February 2, 2022

The province is asking for input on a new watershed security strategy that “will identify…

LSAF Grants and Scholarships

February 2, 2022

On-farm projects that provide immediate and direct benefits to individual farms in Langley and the…

Soaring fertilizer prices add to cost pressures

February 1, 2022

ENDERBY – Higher costs for fertilizer and other inputs are forcing BC producers to pay…

Groundwater deadline firm

February 1, 2022

VICTORIA – The province is holding fast on a March 1 deadline for existing, non-domestic…

Farmers step up in emergency operations

February 1, 2022

ABBOTSFORD – First-generation poultry farmers Krista Harris and Cathy Van-Martin ask fellow egg producers many…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

August 5, 2026

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1 day 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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2 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!

3 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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