The BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network (BC ACARN) annual workshop December 7-9 was the network’s largest-ever workshop to date. The fully virtual event attracted 338 attendees. The majority were from BC, but attendees also joined in from Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories as well as the US and Europe. The provincial network …
Dairy raises US ire
Canada’s dairy sector had the honour last week of triggering the first US enforcement action under CUSMA, the country’s new free trade deal with the US and Mexico that took effect July 1. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says Canada’s reservation of tariff rate quotas (TRQs) specifically for dairy processors prevents the US dairy sector from …
New food hub planned for Salmon Arm
SALMON ARM – A food hub in Salmon Arm will provide much-needed processing opportunities to producers in the Shuswap-Okanagan. In mid-September, the BC Ministry of Agriculture announced $500,000 toward the creation of a food hub in the community. “The province’s processing sector is seeing success all over BC and we are supporting farmers and food …
BC leads food price increases
BC food prices are set to rise in 2021 even as prices drop in the other three western provinces. “We are expecting British Columbia to experience higher than average price increases,” states the annual food price report released this week by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. The report forecasts food prices nationally will …
COVID-19 hits Fraser Valley farms
While foreign workers were the focus of concerns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the second wave has brought the risks of the disease home to local farms. The past week saw Fraser Health Authority declare outbreaks at two farms in the Fraser Valley. On December 2, an outbreak was declared at Millennium …
Phylloxera found on Vancouver Island
Grape phylloxera has been detected in Vancouver Island vineyards. Phyollxera, also known as root louse, was detected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency thanks to a grower submission. CFIA announced the discovery at the end of September. While there have been occasional detections in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island was previously free from the aphid-like insect. …