Country Life in BC

Stacatto cherry patent reinstated

March 26, 2025

The stage is set for Canada to pursue damages from US growers for unlicensed production…

New apple fills niche

March 12, 2025

Sunpunch, the newest release from the federal apple breeding program at the Summerland Research and…

BC boosts agriculture spending

March 12, 2025

BC is budgeting a 10% boost to spending on agricultural programs and services in the…

Province flags drought risk

March 12, 2025

Skirmishes over trade have put negotiations for the renewal of the Columbia River Treaty on…

Hazelnuts enjoy strong pricing as global production falls short

March 1, 2025

ABBOTSFORD – Production volumes are rising as BC hazelnut orchards mature following replanting with varieties…

Chilliwack group wants agriculture back at fairgrounds

February 27, 2025

CHILLIWACK – Agricultural groups want a halt to the long-term shift away from agriculture at…

Task force members announced

February 26, 2025

Fifteen leaders in the agri-food sector have been appointed to the Premier’s Task Force on…

United front for fruit growers

February 26, 2025

Over 150 members and guests gathered at the Penticton Lakeside Resort for the BC Fruit…

Cuthberts top OYF

February 26, 2025

Ladysmith farmers Thomas and Catherine Cuthbert of South Coast Agro are this year’s BC &…

Tariff shock

February 25, 2025

ABBOTSFORD – BC agriculture leaders are taking a strategic approach in response to the disruptive…

Beef tasting helps raise profile of 4-H

February 25, 2025

ABBOTSFORD – Wine and cheese tastings may be commonplace, but meat tastings? If Abbotsford resident…

MMP announces new executive assistant

February 12, 2025

Amy Balaban is taking over from Christine Koch as the Mainland Milk Producer’s Association new…

Water management crisis calls for collaboration

February 12, 2025

BC farmers facing a broken water licensing system should look to community partnerships as a…

AgriStability program boosted

February 12, 2025

DUNCAN – Provincial enhancements to AgriStability promise to address the mounting financial cost of extreme…

Farmer to Farmer event returns

January 29, 2025

The South Island Farmers Institute (SIFI) kicked off 2025 with the second edition of the…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

March 25, 2026

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11 hours ago

The Agricultural Land Commission is laying off staff after years of flat funding under the BC NDP. ALC chair Jennifer Dyson warns that application volumes, enforcement activity and legal obligations have all risen while its operating budget has stayed effectively flat — meaning longer wait times ahead for some services.

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Land Commission lays off staff

www.countrylifeinbc.com

With no budget increase this year, the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) is laying off six staff to make ends meet. “Ongoing financial constraints and the requirement to operate within the approved...

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7 days ago

A BC Forest Practices Board investigation has found overgrazing has damaged grasslands in the Coutlee Range Unit near Merritt — and the range-use plan meant to prevent it was unenforceable. With complaints about overgrazing on the rise and grasslands covering just 1% of BC's land mass, the findings raise fresh questions about how the province manages one of its most vulnerable — and valuable — food-producing ecosyste#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Board finds overgrazing rules unenforceable unmeasurable

MERRITT – A BC Forest Practices Board investigation has found instances of non-compliance related to overgrazing have damaged open grasslands in the Mine pasture, part of the Coutlee Range Unit near...

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Several ranchers in recent years have gone into temporary non use on that range , so that means the grass should grow. But drought conditions/lack of rain and snow don’t allow that to happen . Dried up springs , creeks waterholes in various pastures add to over grazing where there is water , as livestock and everything else stay close to the water source . So even though less cattle are on it , over grazing appears. There is a large volume of horses on it 365 days/year which is wrong ! They pull grass right out of the ground when it’s just trying to grow ,, opens the door for weeds to grow in. That don’t help it. Aging infrastructure ( fences) laying on the ground, pipe line building , ( lack of commitment to fence maintenance) amongst all users contributes also to over grazing. Recreational atv users leaving gates open between pastures allows livestock to go back or ahead in pastures also expidites over grazing. Logging ( bcts) has no problem laying out cut locks on both sides of a fence , then it gets smashed down during logging and they don’t take responsibility to stand it back up or clean the cattle gaurds out when they are done , that happened 4 years ago on pasture 5 up there . I bet it is still not fixed . There are lots of contributing factors to the problem.

Tragedy of the commons.

I looked through the report. I saw nothing about the effects of noxious weeds on productive grasslands. This particular area is vulnerable because of the Ministry’a efforts to diversify the use of the Grasslands.

This pasture is under tremendous pressure not only from cattle but from irresponsible local residents who treat it as a landfill dumping all manner of household debris here. And don't even get me started on the mud bogging and camping in sensitive riparian areas. The feral horses are in this pasture 365 days a year just hammering it. Would sure be nice to see some enforcement action on people who are intentionally ripping up the grasslands and riparian areas. Cattle could be a valuable resource for rebuilding soils and native grasses in this area with the help of electric fencing and/or e-collars. The humans will be harder to manage.

The Forest and Range Practices Act was written by lawyers for global forest licencee shareholders. Results-based = unenforceable.

Also, can we talk about the impact of a pipeline being built through the middle of this field for multiple years?

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1 week ago

East Kootenay rancher Randy Reay is digging a new well after two natural water sources dried up on his Crown tenures. A new Living Lakes Canada assessment found 15% of mapped aquifers in the region are high-priority for monitoring, yet 80% of those go unmonitored. With over 48% of BC's provincial observation wells reporting below-normal groundwater levels, ranchers and researchers are sounding the alarm on water security. The story is in our March edition, and we've posted it to our website thi#BCAgk.

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Water woes: groundwater under pressure across BC

JAFFRAY – As a young boy growing up in the Kootenay-Boundary region, Randy Reay never expected to run out of water. But this year, in mid-February, his fields are bare. There is no snow halfway up t...

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Jaffrey is in the east Kootenays not kooteney boundary

2 weeks ago

BC farmers are bracing for prolonged higher input costs as war in the Middle East drives up fuel and fertilizer prices. Nitrogen fertilizer costs were already climbing before the Iran conflict began, with prices still roughly 60% above pre-pandemic levels. Farm Credit Canada warns that unlike 2022, strong commodity prices may not offset rising costs this time. Local suppliers expect supply challenges and further price increases ahead.

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Fertilizer prices on the rise

War in the Middle East has delivered a generational shock to energy prices, meaning BC farmers can expect a prolonged period of higher costs not just for fuel but also for fertilizer.

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