RICHMOND – Richmond farming advocate Ralph May has died. He was 71. May, a lawyer as well as a prominent cranberry grower, was distinguished by his love of family and commitment to service. “Ralph was always proud of his farming heritage and history in Richmond and felt very strongly about giving back to the community …
cranberry
Solanki heads cranberry commission
The BC Cranberry Marketing Commission has a new chair. Jack Brown has stepped down as chair, handing the reins to Kalpna Solanki, who said she has “big shoes to fill” when her appointment was announced at the commission’s annual general meeting March 3. The change is effective today (March 10). Solanki is CEO of the …
Cranberry outlook brightens
BC cranberry growers are expecting a crop closer to usual volumes this year after cold weather in 2019 cut the harvest in half. The province typically produces about a million barrels a year, but in 2019 marketed production as reported by Statistics Canada was just 672,100 barrels. Per-acre yields also fell, dropping from 211 barrels …
BC cranberries get green verification
Cranberries are traditionally red and sometimes white – but this week, those grown for Ocean Spray in BC and elsewhere were verified as green. “The cooperative has received a verification that 100% of the cranberries from its farmer-owners qualify as sustainably grown using the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment,” the Massachusetts-based cooperative announced. …
Agri-Innovation projects announced
Bees and cranberries are the latest recipients of funding under the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program, administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Worker Bee Honey Co. of Chilliwack received the largest portion of funding, $170,320, to support development of an automated honey extraction system. It will reduce labour costs for honey producers and improve data …