Country Life in BC

Metro Vancouver invites DCC feedback

July 23, 2025

Growers are being invited to provide Metro Vancouver with feedback on proposed changes to development…

Summer school cultivates future farmers

July 10, 2025

CHILLIWACK – There’s a high school in Chilliwack where summer school has a waitlist. “Every…

Apple commission vote underway

July 9, 2025

BC apples growers should know within two weeks whether or not a proposed apple marketing…

New nursery specialist appointed

July 9, 2025

The landscape and nursery sector has a new specialist at the BC Ministry of Agriculture…

Comeau reappointed to milk board

July 9, 2025

BC Milk Marketing Board chair Janice Comeau has been reappointed to the role for a…

Shrinking cattle herd drives prices to record highs

July 7, 2025

CRANBROOK – North America’s cattle markets are largely explained by simple supply and demand. When…

Regulatory hurdles threaten farm income solutions

July 1, 2025

POWELL RIVER – Two decades of farming on the Sunshine Coast could be nearing their…

Red biosecurity remains for poultry

June 18, 2025

The province’s chief vet has lifted an order requiring regulated poultry producers to keep their…

BC distanced from TB concerns

June 18, 2025

BC dairy producers have little to worry about following the discovery of bovine tuberculosis (TB)…

SFU berry research moves forward

June 18, 2025

A team led by Simon Fraser University plant genomics researcher Jim Mattsson is taking its…

Apple growers vote on marketing commission

June 4, 2025

BC apple growers will soon vote whether or not to establish an apple marketing commission,…

Fraser Valley recycles ag plastics

June 4, 2025

A long-standing plastics recycling program in the District of Kent is expanding to the Fraser…

BC minimum wage increases

June 4, 2025

Seasonally adjusted figures indicate rising employment in the BC farm sector this year, and those…

Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

June 2, 2025

KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great…

Crown land conflicts reveal policy gaps

June 2, 2025

DAWSON CREEK – Recent investigations are calling for more oversight over range use practices surrounding…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

August 5, 2026

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2 days ago

Complex, curious and compassionate, and above all a contributor to his family, his community and the dairy industry is how family, friends and colleagues remembered Dave Janssens this morning at a memorial service in Surrey following his untimely passing July 21 while cycling through the Peace region. A standing-room-only congregation attended as Janssens' life and decades of service were honoured. An elected member of both the BC Milk Marketing Board and the BC Dairy Association, Janssens represented the industry at the provincial and national level and was recognized for his clear thinking and willingness to entertain diverse perspectives. He retired last year following six years as a director of the BC Milk Marketing Board. His absence from industry discussions will be miss#BCAg##BCDairyDairy ... See MoreSee Less

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Our Sincere Condolences to the family and all who had the pleasure of knowing David, he left his mark, Rest in Peace David 🙏🏼

A significant contributor in so many ways, sorry for your loss!

5 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🌟

Glad folks are talking and looking for collaborative solutions.

Have a look at allowing beavers back into the system. Many jurisdictions are finding them useful engineers for storing water and releasing it slowly. To stop flooding inexpensive 'Pond Levelers" can be installed. Upward salmon migrations can be facilitated with fish ladders or making notches in the dams a just the right time to let the fish through. The ponds also provide habitat for a whole variety of species and rearing habitat for juvenile salmon. www.workingwithbeavers.ca/coexist_level.php A contact I have who is supportive and knowledgeable on allowing beavers to help us is : Kurt Frei, MSc., R.P.Bio. Regional Aquatic Ecologist Resource Stewardship Division Kurt.Frei@gov.bc.ca Ph: 778.362.4730

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6 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

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!