The province’s agriculture ministry will see a 16% increase in funding this year, entirely due to the ongoing losses farmers are experiencing from extreme weather. The provincial budget delivered February 22 allocates an additional $18.4 million to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The increase gives it a total …
BCAC
Orchardists seek frost assistance
BC fruit growers are asking the province to step up and provide financial support following the devastating frost event earlier this month. Temperatures across the Southern Interior dipped towards -30° Celsius between January 11 and 13, leading to widespread concern for the 2024 crop following depressed market pricing in 2023 for both apples and cherries. …
BCAC lobbying event positive
A day of productive discussions in Victoria culminated in a reception where representatives of the BC Agriculture Council celebrated their successes and furthered relations with MLAs and stakeholders. Dozens of meetings with elected representatives from all parties as well as cabinet members, their staff and – for the first time ever, the premier – made …
Federal minister visits BC
Thanksgiving is often a time for families and friends to gather, and this week federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay took the opportunity to visit BC for the first time since being reappointed to the portfolio in July’s cabinet shuffle. “It was a relational visit,” said Danielle Synotte, executive director with the BC Agriculture Council, which …
Foreign worker consultation planned
BC Agriculture Council and the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative are preparing to survey temporary foreign workers this summer in an effort to understand how employers can improve workers’ experience and reduce complaints. “The goal of the work is to collect anonymous information directly from workers on their experience in BC,” a bulletin circulated to fruit growers this week says. “At …
Province funds climate readiness
The first few weeks of the growing season have seen BC farmers face unseasonal heat, wildfires and flooding. The events have underscored the importance of the Extreme Weather Preparedness for Agriculture program, which the province piloted last summer. The pilot is continuing this spring, with an additional infusion of up to $2.5 million. The new …