United front for fruit growers

Over 150 members and guests gathered at the Penticton Lakeside Resort for the BC Fruit Growers’ Association’s 136th annual convention February 20. This was more than seven times last year’s attendance, showing that the association’s “Stronger Together” message is resonating.

“Stronger Together” was the rallying cry at the grower demonstration held in Osoyoos last May when some 250 people gathered to show support for the industry in conjunction with the NDP caucus meeting that week. The event generated momentum that supported BCFGA executive and staff efforts on behalf of members over the past year.

“It wasn’t just us on the board,” BCFGA president Peter Simonsen says. “It was all of you in the room contacting your reps, talking with us either as a group or as individuals.”

BCFGA general manager Melissa Tesche summarized the work undertaken for members over the year, including on labour, business risk management programs, marketing, trade and horticulture.

On the latter, BCFGA has partnered with the BC Tree Fruit Nursery Stock Access Committee to pilot the import of nursery stock from Washington and Oregon nurseries without the need to fumigate for quarantine pests like Oriental Fruit Moth.

With the closing of the 88-year-old BC Tree Fruits Cooperative in July, BCFGA co-chaired an emergency table to coordinate access to individual grower FoodSafe certificates, develop and publish harvest maturity information and worked with the federal agriculture minister to obtain a six-month extension on Advance Payments Program loans for apple growers.

BCFGA’s advocacy also paid off in a $10 million one-time support payment BC agriculture minister Lana Popham announced a day earlier, making good on a recommendation of the province’s tree fruit industry stabilization task force in November 2021.

“You know it’s always a worry when you get a phone call from the ag minister on a Friday afternoon,” jokes Simonsen. “But she was confirming that $10 million will be allocated as a one-time per acre payment.

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6 hours ago

It was another sell-out at the 31st annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival on Saturday with organizers selling 5,000 pounds of locally-grown, fresh berries in less than five hours. Youth from the Fort Langley Lions Club's Young Lions program scooped, bagged and weighed several pallets' worth of cranberries. Ocean Spray donated the berries, which the public bought to benefit the community. Local grower The Bog was also selling fresh berries, having brought 2,700 pounds, which were on track to sell out by the end of the#BCAgt.

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5 days ago

There was a lot of reminiscing and appreciation of how far BC's turkey industry has come at a reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the BC Turkey Association and the 60th anniversary of the BC Turkey Marketing Board yesterday in Abbotsford. With a slideshow of events and people over the years, guests laughed and had a lot to be thankful for. "It's an opportunity to celebrate the industry at a time of year that's known for turkey. It's a culmination of all the year's work," says Natalie Veles, executive director with BC Turkey Marketing Board.

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Love it - Deb Etsell I see you 🤩

6 days ago

BC was the sole province to see farmland values decline in the first half of this year, dropping 1.9% according to a Farm Credit Canada report released Octover 7. This represented an acceleration in value declines from last year, and contributed to a 3.9% decline in the 12 montsh ended June 30. The drop follows on a 1.7% decline last year, which Farm Credit Canada attributed to tougher times in the fruit sector. However, the mid-year report points to a broader slowdown in value growth diven by higher production costs, tighter margins and uncertainty around trade, tariffs and international markets.

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Ndp

3 weeks ago

Channels of communication remain open between the provincial and federal governments with respect to financial relief for extraordinary costs stemming from this summer's ongoing drought and wildfires, but the BC Cattlemen's Association is urging producers to register for AgriStability to position themselves for any AgriRecovery package. "Hardworking families in the ranching and agriculture sectors, who provide food for the province, need the AgriRecovery program in place as soon as possible," says BC Cattlemen's president Alex Kuchar. But the provincial election creates an unfortunate delay. "It's not fair, in any form of the word, to see all those people who have lost so much in the fires to have to wait in limbo," says BC Cattlemen's general manager Kevin Boon.

Photo | Barb Edmonson / Firefly Ranch, Clinton

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Feedback on changes to rules governing food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve has drawn about 250 submissions. But the proposal now hangs in the balance with Premier David Eby's decision to call a snap election, which also delays discussions of assistance for farmers hit hard by this year's wildfires and historic #BCAght.

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What would you expect from the NDP, when they still had a 2 year mandate?

Ridiculous timing. We have people needing answers and have to plan for winter supplies. Fires are long past, months have gone by knowing there was going to be the need for support. Drought was written on the wall even before summer began with no snow pack. This is not new to government and they are calling for another year just as bad for 2027. I throw my hands up and wonder what else needs to be more challenging than what we've experienced over the last 6 years in BC?

250 submissions.... I'm pretty sure there are more than 250 farmers in BC