Country Life in BC

NDP declare “full-on war on farmers”

March 27, 2019

Close to 200 farmers and landowners from across the Lower Mainland gathered in Surrey on…

Study compares organic, conventional diets

March 26, 2019

A recent study conducted by Friends of the Earth and published online by Elsevier in…

Codes of practice need producer input

March 26, 2019

VICTORIA – BC SPCA hosted the first Canadian Animal Policy Symposium in Victoria on March…

Organic sector undertakes core review

March 26, 2019

VERNON – Celebrating organics while preparing for the next generation of consumers was a key…

“Island Good” campaign drives local sales

March 26, 2019

NANAIMO – Farmers, food processors and retailers on Vancouver Island have a new tool in…

One province, one panel

March 26, 2019

VICTORIA – A second round of changes to the Agricultural Land Commission is in the…

Outstanding recognition

March 20, 2019

Cobble Hill egg and vegetable producers James and Cammy Lockwood of Lockwood Farms are BC…

Budget targets market development

March 20, 2019

This week’s federal budget put the emphasis squarely on finding markets at home and abroad…

Slaughter capacity squeezed

March 20, 2019

Spring has hardly sprung but fall is fast approaching for livestock producers. An announcement last…

BC producers hit hard by 2018 wildfires eligible for AgriStability relief

March 13, 2019

A potent mix of flooding, drought and wildfire in 2018 have prompted the federal and…

BC markets question “local” definition

March 13, 2019

Defining “local” food is a big issue for farmers’ markets in eastern BC, which raised…

Horticulture projects receive funding

March 13, 2019

Ottawa has announced millions of dollars in funding for horticulture research at events on both…

Cold weather raises concerns for crops

March 6, 2019

February has gone down in the record books as the coldest on record, particularly in…

BC most active for Indigenous farmers

March 6, 2019

Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is a priority for BC premier John Horgan, but data from…

Trade deals lead poultry groups’ concerns

March 6, 2019

The fourth annual BC Poultry Conference enjoyed record attendance with just over 500 people registered…

FARM NEWS UPDATE

February 12, 2026

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2 hours ago

BC Supreme Court has blocked an attempt by remaining BC Tree Fruits Cooperative members to amend a rule that would have excluded former members from receiving their share of the co-op’s remaining assets. In her ruling, Justice Miriam Gropper called the bid to amend Rule 125, which would allow 32% of the surplus to be distributed among former members based on tonnage shipped to the co-op during its last six years of operation, “oppressive and unfairly prejudicial.” The co-op closed in July 2024, and remaining assets are estimated at between $12 and $15 million.

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1 day ago

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3 days ago

Full-time students employed in BC agriculture during the summer season are eligible to apply for a bursary of up to $3,000. The bursary, administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation, aims to increase youth and domestic seasonal worker employment in the ag sector. Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. More information is available at tinyurl.com/5ef6pe3m

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4 days ago

BC fruit and vegetable farmers are being asked to share their views on farming technology in a 10-minute survey from Royal Roads University and the University of the Fraser Valley. The survey looks at how fruit and vegetable farmers are adopting emerging farming technologies -- such as digital tools, “controlled environment agriculture systems” (greenhouses) and agri-genomics (DNA analysis) -- to cope with changing climate conditions. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and participants will be eligible to win an assortment of $50-$200 gift cards.

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The District of Coldstream is proposing the creation of farm property tax subclasses to distinguish between small-scale and large-scale farm operations. Currently, all farms are classified as Class 9 regardless of size or infrastructure needs. The district argues larger farms require more municipal services and should be taxed accordingly. It plans to pitch its proposal at the Southern Interior Local Government Association convention in Revelstoke at the end of April. Support there could escalate the discussion to the Union of BC Municipalities convention next September in Vancouver.

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Which municipal services do they require more of? Even larger farms typically still have only one or possibly two dwellings. Most have their own well and septic, and I suppose it depends on location, but most rural properties don't have garbage pick up either. And whether 20 driveways or one join the road, the cost to plow that road is the same. I no longer live within a municipality so of course there could be costs I've overlooked that are contributing to the District's proposal.

Large farms put more back into the community too.

The larger farms are the only farms paying wages, allowing people to spend money in their communities, the beauty of a network of small business. Small farms more often then not, is a single transaction, a hobby. Large- buy feed, raise cow, calf is born, sell calf, pay wage(support livlihoods), buy fence posts, buy more feed and so forth. Feeding the community. Small- Buy feed, raise cow, kill cow, eat cow.

And this is why farmers left California. British Columbia is no different

I am not sure how to post the actual Resolution that Council Pat Cochrane put forward but here is the link to the special meeting they are holding to pass the resolution: www.coldstream.ca/government-bylaws/news-alerts/notice-special-council-meeting-3.

Why not find ways to bring in more business's and audit municipal spending and regulate short term rentals (because Coldstream has essentially zero places to stay technically, insane) instead of raising taxes arbitrarily because "bigger costs more"

Attending that meeting, they claimed that “large farms” use more municipal services, yet Cochrane consistently stated he was going after “smaller estate properties not actively farming.” This is not only contradictory but misinformed. It would take him but three door knocks before he learned that the “estate farms” not actively farming are typically leased to a larger conglomerate to maintain farm classification. “Rural living at its finest,” though it seems not a soul on council is well-versed in this wheelhouse. What’s worse is that they somehow don’t think it’s necessary to bring in a single subject expert before blindly tossing around recommendations and solutions to problems that don’t really exist—or at least not as they perceive them. Don’t get me started on their rhetoric comparing the value of class 9 properties to other residential classes, when even my 12 year old understands that the values are drastically different when one property can be subdivided, and an ALR property cannot. Forever to the left of the point.

They want to tax a large farm more? Do people realize that farmers aren't becoming rich. Also, a small or hobby farm isn't contributing much to the local economy or community. This doesn't make sense. If we don't support our farmers. We need them. We can't import all our food.

What bs. I can't do a water and sewer hook up for an agricultural building, (a farm vegie stand) on a 160 acre farm in downtown Kelowna because there is already one at the far end of the lot for the principal residence. What extra infrastructure would they be talking about. Our irrigation is by licensed ground water well put in, powered and serviced by me. Any change in tax code should be on farm estates that do bogus farm gate sales at the minimum requirement, not viable commercial farming enterprizes that employ and contribute economic benefits to so many other businesses

Instead of increasing property taxes on large farms, I think governments need to revise the threshold needed for a property to qualify for farm status. That threshold has not changed in over 20 years and many non farmers are taking advantage of the ridiculously low threshold that was intended for real farmers.

And then you tax the farmers more and wonder why food prices keep going up. Why is it that the only thing government does is find more reasons and ways to tax people?

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