Country Life in BC

Activists in court

September 9, 2020

Activists charged in last year’s invasion of the Excelsior Hog Farm in Abbotsford have appeared…

Province funds tissue disposal

September 2, 2020

The province is providing $500,000 to help BC abattoirs deal with waste animal tissue following…

SAWP leeway sought

September 2, 2020

With applications now being accepted for seasonal workers arriving in 2021, farm leaders are stepping…

Wine institute renames

September 2, 2020

When public health restrictions to fight COVID-19 came into effect earlier this year, wine production…

Field days feeling the pinch of social distancing rules

September 1, 2020

DELTA – Many farmers block off their calendars for the field days that give them…

Sheep producers told to bear with wildlife

September 1, 2020

METCHOSIN – A black bear has been killing sheep in the Metchosin area on Vancouver…

Changes to land commission kick in this fall

September 1, 2020

BURNABY – Changes to how the Agricultural Land Commission does business at the end of…

Under one roof

September 1, 2020

VICTORIA – The BC Ministry of Agriculture is taking over meat inspection in the province…

Unprecedented rise in machine harvesting

September 1, 2020

ABBOTSFORD – Blueberry growers have turned to mechanical harvesting in unprecedented numbers this year due…

SAWP requirements waived

August 26, 2020

With the scramble for harvest labour continuing across BC, many growers are looking ahead to…

Cool as cucumbers

August 26, 2020

Rising grocery prices have made headlines across the country this summer as businesses seek to…

BC beekeepers go online

August 26, 2020

BC beekeepers have made a beeline for online meetings as COVID-19 has limited the size…

PAS goes online

August 19, 2020

BC’s biggest agriculture show is going online in 2021. Scheduled to take place January 28-30…

Hornet catch has beekeepers vigilant

August 19, 2020

Washington State Department of Agriculture staff announced this week that an Asian giant hornet was…

Pandemic-related stress increases

August 19, 2020

AgSafe BC safety advisor Emily Kerr was a featured presenter at Virtual Grower Day, organized…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

August 5, 2026

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13 hours 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.

14 hours ago

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1 day 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🌟

2 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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