Country Life in BC

Agriculture first for support

June 17, 2020

Close to three-quarters of BC residents believe agri-food companies should be first in line for…

Kelowna readies exclusion bid

June 17, 2020

Kelowna wants the Agricultural Land Commission to approve the exclusion of 40 acres for the…

Province boosts online grants

June 10, 2020

Overwhelming demand for provincial funding to support online sales activities has led the province to…

Record nutrition coupon funding

June 10, 2020

This week marks the start of another season for the BC farmers’ market nutrition coupon…

Grand Forks ducks flood

June 3, 2020

The flood watch is not completely over for farmers and residents in Grand Forks, but…

Raspberry traits assigned values

June 3, 2020

BC produced nearly 15 million pounds of raspberries last year with an average farmgate value…

Organic matter regulations delayed

June 3, 2020

Chalk up delays in the province’s revision of the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation to COVID-19.…

Rethinking the concept for mobile abattoirs

June 1, 2020

MCBRIDE – Hopes are high that a government-inspected Class E mobile abattoir may soon move…

Poultry and hops a winning combination

June 1, 2020

ABBOTSFORD – The vast difference between the farm they started in 2005 and what it’s…

4-H sales adapt amid COVID-19 restrictions

June 1, 2020

ARMSTRONG – True to their club motto, “Learn to Do by Doing,” 4-H club members…

Biosolids project halted following harassment

June 1, 2020

KAMLOOPS – A project to transform a logging site into productive pasture using biosolids from…

Land matching pays off

May 27, 2020

A provincial investment of $700,000 in a program to match farmers with landowners is nearing…

BC farms embrace safety

May 27, 2020

A national survey by Farm Credit Canada this spring found that 23% of the 115…

BC turkey farmers chip in

May 27, 2020

BC turkey growers are among the first in Canada to chip in as part of…

Don’t stress, plan

May 20, 2020

Business thrives when conditions and stable and predictable, but uncertainties can create stress that lead…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

August 5, 2026

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11 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.

12 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🌟

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

www.countrylifeinbc.com

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!

2 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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