Crop insurance adjusters are now dealing with “well over 1,000” notices of loss following the late June heat wave, and tree fruit growers face tough decisions come harvest regarding which fruit gets shipped. To prepare them for the choices and the financial relief available to them, the BC Fruit Growers Association and BC Cherry Association …
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Livestock producers count losses
Ranchers are on alert as more than 200 active wildfires burn across BC, many sparked following last week’s intense heat. “We are moving into an unprecedented situation with fires. It’s 2017 on steroids in terms of fire activity. It’s so dry out there,” says BC Cattlemen’s Association general manager Kevin Boon. Some ranchers have suffered …
WorkSafeBC increases inspections
The single-largest cause of on-farm injuries in the farm sector according to WorkSafeBC is falls, but with the COVID-19 pandemic still going strong the provincial agency is doubling down on efforts to make sure the farm sector is adhering to its safety plans designed to curb the risk of infection. WorkSafeBC announced May 8 that …
Insolvency concerns grow
While bankruptcies and insolvencies in the agriculture sector are down nationwide this year, BC has seen the number of businesses facing financial trouble grow. The first five months of 2020 saw 58 businesses in the province declare bankruptcy or make proposals to creditors, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, up from 45 …
Cherries face the pits
BC cherry growers face a second straight year of record losses thanks to severe cold in January and a late spring frost. The two cold weather events have resulted in the 2020 harvest on track to be down more than 40% from normal levels. BC’s Production Insurance program has received 296 claims for yield loss out …
BC farms embrace safety
A national survey by Farm Credit Canada this spring found that 23% of the 115 respondents in BC experienced a farm safety incident in the past year. This was slightly less than the national average of 24%. But the survey also found that 78% of BC respondents say that work proceeds safely most of the …