Wine Growers head to retire

Wine Growers BC’s longest-serving president and CEO has announced his retirement.

Miles Prodan, who joined Wine Growers BC in October 2010 as executive director, will step down December 31. The decision reflects both his personal priorities and the evolving needs of the association, which has undergone significant changes during his tenure.

Wine Growers BC chair Paul Sawler said the transition “comes at a time when the organization is poised for a strategic shift in response to emerging industry challenges and opportunities.”

Prior to joining Wine Growers BC – known then as the BC Wine Institute – Prodan spent five years as executive director and international market development specialist with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. The experience made him the ideal candidate for advocating on behalf of the BC wine industry, which was aiming to grow its share of the BC and Alberta markets.

During Prodan’s tenure with Wine Growers BC, the industry notched a 6.4% increase in provincial market share for BC VQA wines, which are made entirely with BC grapes, and the sector grew to an economic impact of $3.75 billion.

The wine stores operated under licences held by the organization for market development were assigned to Pattison Food Group, creating a $20 million wholesale channel.

However, a comprehensive review of the association’s governance model earlier this year underscored the need for changes in the role of the CEO.

Prodan says he is committed to ensuring a seamless transition in leadership and will continue to serve in a contract capacity during the transition period.

While a timeline for the selection of a new CEO has not been set, some of the first tasks have already been defined.

These include establishing new marketing and advocacy initiatives that build in past successes and address ongoing and emerging challenges facing the industry.

These include supporting wineries through the massive replanting and rebuilding program following two years of severe freezes that have left Okanagan growers facing the loss of nearly 99 per cent of their crop this year.

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23 hours ago

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1 day 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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5 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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6 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.