BC farmers rang up a record $3.9 billion in farm cash receipts in 2019, a 13% increase over 2018. The difference worked out to $462 million, the majority of which came from the province’s newly legal cannabis crop. The province’s licensed cannabis growers saw sales of $361.5 million, up $300 million from 2018. This pushed …
labour
Fruit growers upset about labour
BC fruit growers are facing a fourth difficult year. A recent survey by the BC Fruit Growers Association indicates that more than 67% of growers plan to harvest less fruit this year as a result of COVID-19. “We were really surprised by the number,” says BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas. “It really shows the squeeze …
Mexico sticks with BC
Mexico’s decision to withhold seasonal workers from Canada will have a minimal effect on BC farms, according to both the province and industry. The decision was widely reported on June 15, and affects workers arriving in Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. Mexico quickly issued a clarification that the measure only affects farms where …
“Big number” tough to get
Ottawa’s support for agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn mixed reviews. Many critics say it falls well short of the $2.6 billion the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and its members, including the BC Agriculture Council, have asked for. Others point out that programs such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which offers up …
Worker health in focus
OLIVER – With foreign and domestic workers starting to arrive in the Okanagan for another season, growers are grappling with provincial health guidelines designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. “It’s going to start the first week of May for grapes, doing some shoot-thinning in vineyards,” says Ron Forrest, the BC Fruit Growers Association liaison …
Growers scramble as pandemic spreads
The World Health Organization’s elevation of the new coronavirus COVID-19 to pandemic status on March 11 has sent farm organizations scrambling to assess the impact. While no BC farmers are known to be infected with the virus, many who have returned to the country from abroad this month are in self-quarantine as a precaution. Meanwhile, …