Three candidates have been selected to participate in the BC Milk Marketing Board’s new entrant program. The program’s selection committee interviewed a shortlist of seven candidates and chose Katie and Kelvin Lagemaat, Breanna & Jarrod Simpson and Marlayna Van Hoepen. The three have received invitations to establish themselves as producers and must formally accept the …
Dairy
Small on-farm dairy processors raise concerns about systemic inequities
KAMLOOPS – Two small dairies are hoping there’s room in supply management for an alternative way of doing business that will keep on-farm processors viable into the future. Laura Hunter of Blackwell Dairy in Kamloops and Erin Harris of Kootenay Meadows Farm in the Creston Valley reached out on Facebook recently seeking support for ideas …
COVID-19 leads to oversupply of dairy
VANCOUVER – A series of unfortunate events has resulted in a slight downturn for the conventional dairy sector. On March 19, the BC Milk Marketing Board implemented a series of incentive days for dairy producers in March, April and May after fluid milk sales at grocery stores increased 40% as consumers rushed to stock up …
Consumers embrace niche products
Producers have long been told that niche products are one way to avoid being reduced to commodity producers and price-takers. Now, the BC Milk Marketing Board’s scramble to align conventional milk production with consumer demand is highlighting the challenges of serving the mass market and the benefits of targeting smaller categories. The board initially announced …
Dairy producers surveyed on regulation impact
SALMON ARM – The BC Dairy Association is compiling data to better understand the financial impact on farms of the new Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEM Code). “We’re working to understand an accurate assessment of the AEM code-related costs on farms,” says BCDA general manager Jeremy Dunn. “We’re trying to get a high …
Most farmers support Daylight Savings Time
DELTA—Spring ahead? Fall back? Or just skip the whole thing? According to a provincial survey of public opinion, nearly 92% of farmers favour a proposal to put the province on Daylight Savings Time year-round. That’s slightly less than the provincial average, which saw more than 93% of the 223,273 respondents speak out in favour of …