PAS kicks off

The province’s largest agricultural trade show kicks off this week, as the Pacific Agriculture Show celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Tradex in Abbotsford on January 26-28.

Registrations for the rebranded Regenerative Agriculture and Growers Short Course indicate strong attendance this year that will push Tradex – now under new management – to the max.

Organizers told participants to expect “a really full event” when the show kicks off January 26. The trade show floor will be full, and the province’s role as lead organizer has seen admission to all parts of the event lowered to just $15 per person.

“Tradex has assured us there are adequate food service options for attendees,” organizers reported last week, with food trucks adding an element of excitement to the standard fare.

Running concurrent with the trade show, the short course marks its 65th anniversary this year. It will kick off with sessions on regenerative agriculture, agritech and greenhouse and vegetable production on January 26.

Raspberries and strawberries will also feature on the first day, followed by all-berry sessions on Friday and blueberries on Saturday.

Sessions on January 27 focus on potatoes, field vegetables, hazelnuts and cannabis, as well as spotlights on the province’s Feed BC initiatives, including Every Chef Needs a Farmer.

Direct marketing, organics and hops production dominate Saturday, alongside blueberries.

Saturday is often prime time for families to attend and learn more about local farms. Displays include an expanded petting zoo where kids can get up close and personal with their farm friends.

Due to the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, live poultry will not be present as poultry producers continue to observe stringent biosecurity protocols. Tradex sits in the middle of one of the primary control zones established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to control the disease.

While registrations have been steady, those who cannot attend have the option to register to attend virtually. The popularity of this option in the past has made it available once again this year. In-person attendees will also receive a code to stream the live presentations after the fact, reviewing them for details they might have missed.

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2 hours ago

It was another sell-out at the 31st annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival on Saturday with organizers selling 5,000 pounds of locally-grown, fresh berries in less than five hours. Youth from the Fort Langley Lions Club's Young Lions program scooped, bagged and weighed several pallets' worth of cranberries. Ocean Spray donated the berries, which the public bought to benefit the community. Local grower The Bog was also selling fresh berries, having brought 2,700 pounds, which were on track to sell out by the end of the#BCAgt.

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5 days ago

There was a lot of reminiscing and appreciation of how far BC's turkey industry has come at a reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the BC Turkey Association and the 60th anniversary of the BC Turkey Marketing Board yesterday in Abbotsford. With a slideshow of events and people over the years, guests laughed and had a lot to be thankful for. "It's an opportunity to celebrate the industry at a time of year that's known for turkey. It's a culmination of all the year's work," says Natalie Veles, executive director with BC Turkey Marketing Board.

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Love it - Deb Etsell I see you 🤩

6 days ago

BC was the sole province to see farmland values decline in the first half of this year, dropping 1.9% according to a Farm Credit Canada report released Octover 7. This represented an acceleration in value declines from last year, and contributed to a 3.9% decline in the 12 montsh ended June 30. The drop follows on a 1.7% decline last year, which Farm Credit Canada attributed to tougher times in the fruit sector. However, the mid-year report points to a broader slowdown in value growth diven by higher production costs, tighter margins and uncertainty around trade, tariffs and international markets.

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Ndp

3 weeks ago

Channels of communication remain open between the provincial and federal governments with respect to financial relief for extraordinary costs stemming from this summer's ongoing drought and wildfires, but the BC Cattlemen's Association is urging producers to register for AgriStability to position themselves for any AgriRecovery package. "Hardworking families in the ranching and agriculture sectors, who provide food for the province, need the AgriRecovery program in place as soon as possible," says BC Cattlemen's president Alex Kuchar. But the provincial election creates an unfortunate delay. "It's not fair, in any form of the word, to see all those people who have lost so much in the fires to have to wait in limbo," says BC Cattlemen's general manager Kevin Boon.

Photo | Barb Edmonson / Firefly Ranch, Clinton

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Feedback on changes to rules governing food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve has drawn about 250 submissions. But the proposal now hangs in the balance with Premier David Eby's decision to call a snap election, which also delays discussions of assistance for farmers hit hard by this year's wildfires and historic #BCAght.

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What would you expect from the NDP, when they still had a 2 year mandate?

Ridiculous timing. We have people needing answers and have to plan for winter supplies. Fires are long past, months have gone by knowing there was going to be the need for support. Drought was written on the wall even before summer began with no snow pack. This is not new to government and they are calling for another year just as bad for 2027. I throw my hands up and wonder what else needs to be more challenging than what we've experienced over the last 6 years in BC?

250 submissions.... I'm pretty sure there are more than 250 farmers in BC