Details of the new point-of-sale carbon tax rebate for greenhouse growers were announced this week as the new scheme took effect. Originally announced in the February 28 provincial budget, the point-of-sale rebate means eligible greenhouse growers will pay just 20% of the carbon tax levied on natural gas and propane purchased to heat their greenhouses …
greenhouse
Greenhouse, nursery specialist named
BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries field vegetable specialist Susan Smith is now also responsible for greenhouse, floriculture and nursery crops. Smith’s appointment came in June, following Dave Woodske’s retirement as floriculture and greenhouse specialist in March 2020. “There’s a real need for ministry support,” Smith told greenhouse growers at their annual general meeting …
COVID-19 hits Fraser Valley farms
While foreign workers were the focus of concerns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second wave has brought the risks of the disease home to local farms. The past week saw Fraser Health Authority declare outbreaks at two farms in the Fraser Valley. On December 2, an outbreak was declared at Millennium …
A new generation keeps the family greenhouse growing
SURREY – With locations in Surrey and Delta, Sunnyside Produce Ltd. has steadily grown its greenhouse pepper operation to more than 70 acres in the past 25 years. With annual production of more than 10,000 tonnes, it’s among the largest pepper producers in BC. It’s a notable achievement for what began as a five-acre operation …
Beefsteak tomatoes get smoked
Projections from the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission indicate declining greenhouse vegetable acreage this year as the area devoted to beefsteak tomatoes falls. Production is set to drop to less than 3 million square metres as 126,358 square metres comes out of production, the commission’s annual general meeting heard last week. Beefsteak tomatoes will lose 99,862 …
Tomato virus targeted
US guardians of plant health have placed restrictions on imports of greenhouse vegetables in an effort to combat tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). The virus is a growing scourge of greenhouse vegetable producers, and a recognized threat in BC. The restrictions, announced November 22, apply to shipments from Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and Israel. …