As a former dairy farmer and livestock auctioneer who still lives on the family farm where I was born and raised, I thought I understood farming in British Columbia. However, touring all corners of this amazing province over the last three years has taught me that there is so much more to agriculture than what …
covid-19
COVID-19 hits farm workers
Bylands Nurseries Ltd. in West Kelowna is the epicentre of the first large community outbreak of COVID-19 in BC. The outbreak is linked to a group of seasonal workers who arrived in BC on March 12, according to the Interior Health Authority. The workers arrived prior to the March 16 announcement closing Canada’s borders to …
BC farmers markets go online
Approximately 70 farmers markets in BC plan to take online orders this summer thanks to a provincial grant of $55,000. “The online thing is not replacing physical farmers markets,” says Heather O’Hara, exective director of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, which represents 145 markets across the province. Online sales won’t replace what the province’s …
Consumers buying local
Demand for fresh, local food products is soaring as BC consumers stock up and hunker down to wait out the pandemic. Groups representing several commodities report strong sales, with livestock growers being particular beneficiaries. “The population needs to eat, and grocery store shelves are being cleaned out at an unprecedented rate,” says the BC Livestock …
Farming trumps tourism
The economic toll of COVID-19 continues to mount, with nearly a million people across Canada laid off over the past two weeks. Tourism has borne the brunt of government restrictions on events and social activities, with restaurants and coffee shops limited to take-out service or closed altogether. The number of hotels shuttered continues to climb. …
Business financing available
Ottawa’s pledge last week of $82 billion in support to individuals and businesses were fleshed out this week by federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, who explained that Farm Credit Canada would receive an extra $5 billion in lending capacity. “This will help producers and agri-food businesses manage cash-flow challenges,” Bibeau said. “This injection of credits …