Task force members announced

Fifteen leaders in the agri-food sector have been appointed to the Premier’s Task Force on Agriculture, an initiative announced in January which will begin meeting this spring.

“We are going to tackle topics that are most important to you,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told guests at the BC Agriculture Council’s Agri-Industry Gala, January 22. “They’re going to have a thoughtful and thorough approach, and we’re going to be able to deliver results.”

Co-chaired by BCAC executive director Danielle Synotte, BC Food and Beverage CEO James Donaldson, and BCMAF deputy minister Michelle Koski, the make-up of the task force was announced February 20. The task force members represent agriculture, processing and seafood.

BC Agriculture Council president Jennifer Woike, Annelise Grube-Cavers of Fresh Valley Farms in Spallumcheen, Nav Bains of Westberry Farms and Chris Bodnar of Close to Home Organics, both in Abbotsford, will represent primary producers.

Popham says the task force will focus on several key areas, including water management and infrastructure development. The task force will also consider opportunities for new farmers to access land and expanding processing capabilities within the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Additional priorities include developing strategies to attract and retain agricultural workers, advancing technological innovation to boost sector competitiveness, and improving farmers’ access to financial resources and investment opportunities.

The initiative reflects a whole-of-government approach, with recommendations to be integrated across multiple ministries beyond agriculture. This coordinated strategy aims to build a more resilient food system while improving food security for British Columbians and building stable markets.

On the agri-tech front, the task force was cited during the February 17 announcement of $15 million in funding from the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation for various projects by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Harwinder Sandhu as advancing opportunities for technology development and adoption.

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6 hours ago

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11 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.