SALMON ARM – Water quality in the Shuswap region will benefit from $100,000 in grants over the coming year through a new program launched this spring. The Shuswap Watershed Council is making the funds available to projects aimed at protecting long-term water quality in the region through better nutrient management. “What we’re looking for is …
Consumers buying local
Demand for fresh, local food products is soaring as BC consumers stock up and hunker down to wait out the pandemic. Groups representing several commodities report strong sales, with livestock growers being particular beneficiaries. “The population needs to eat, and grocery store shelves are being cleaned out at an unprecedented rate,” says the BC Livestock …
Farming trumps tourism
The economic toll of COVID-19 continues to mount, with nearly a million people across Canada laid off over the past two weeks. Tourism has borne the brunt of government restrictions on events and social activities, with restaurants and coffee shops limited to take-out service or closed altogether. The number of hotels shuttered continues to climb. …
Business financing available
Ottawa’s pledge last week of $82 billion in support to individuals and businesses were fleshed out this week by federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, who explained that Farm Credit Canada would receive an extra $5 billion in lending capacity. “This will help producers and agri-food businesses manage cash-flow challenges,” Bibeau said. “This injection of credits …
Growers scramble as pandemic spreads
The World Health Organization’s elevation of the new coronavirus COVID-19 to pandemic status on March 11 has sent farm organizations scrambling to assess the impact. While no BC farmers are known to be infected with the virus, many who have returned to the country from abroad this month are in self-quarantine as a precaution. Meanwhile, …
Diagnostic services continue
Diagnostic services provided by the BC Ministry of Agriculture are continuing through the COVID-19 pandemic, says the executive director of the Plant and Animal Health Branch. Jane Pritchard said that the branch is trying to minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the agriculture sector by remaining open and providing its services, which she …