ABBOTSFORD – A rise in demand for dairy is good news for producers, who will see margins expand in 2025 as farmgate milk prices hold steady and costs fall. Recapping market conditions at the BC Milk Marketing Board’s fall producer meeting in Abbotsford, October 28, Kevin Mammel noted that milk utilization is up, with processors …
BC orchard sector needs more than sales
VIEWPOINT: Participants in the Canadian Farm Writers Federation conference in Nova Scotia this fall were given a genuine taste of the province when they toured Scotian Gold Co-op in the storied Annapolis Valley. SweeTango, a club variety apple that’s been a boon for local growers, was among the standouts as the busload of writers heard …
BC Tree Fruits facility sells
BC Supreme Court approved the sale of two more properties last week as BC Tree Fruits Co-op moved closer to being wound down. The orders, dated November 27, approved the sale of the co-op’s Kelowna warehouse at 880 Vaughan Avenue to the Mark Anthony Group for $17.5 million. A smaller facility on Bottom Lake Road …
Collaboration key to dairy growth
Boosted by the first quota increases since the last free trade deal was signed, BC dairy producers have set their sights on market growth in the years ahead. A focus on attracting processor investment is key, with two major processing plants on the horizon locally and the Canadian Dairy Production Council eyeing niche markets that …
Creston beekeeper wins award
Creston beekeeper Jeff Lee received the Leadership Award at the BC Food and Beverage Association’s annual Rise awards in New Westminster, November 28. A leader in both the provincial honey industry and in his community, Lee co-owns Honey Bee Zen Apiaries Ltd. and Swan Valley Honey with his wife Amanda Goodman Lee. They are the …
Field days give farmers the dirt on soil management
GRAND FORKS – The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food sponsored a series of soil field days in conjunction with Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors group in early October. “Our purpose is to help you understand the basic techniques of soil sampling and why you would do it,” says soil carbon agrologist Ahmed Lasisi, who led …