BC farmland values fell 3.1% last year, Farm Credit Canada reported this week, the first annual decline since 2010 and the most significant drop since 1998. The drop was led by the South Coast, where values fell 19.3% to average $112,200 an acre. This was more than four times the decline reported for the Okanagan, …
Spray Creek wins BC OYF
Aubyn and Tristan Banwell of Spray Creek Ranch near Lillooet were named BC & Yukon Outstanding Young Farmers at the Clarion Hotel in Abbotsford, March 12. “They believe in the power of regenerative agriculture to change the world, the power of food to connect people, and the power of consumers to change how farms are …
Confined spaces in spotlight
This week marks Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, an annual reminder from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, that every agricultural sector and operation has unique hazards. Confined spaces are one example. “Of all the different hazards that are present in agriculture, I think confined space presents the highest risk to loss of life,” says AgSafe BC …
Apple industry eyes orderly marketing plan
KELOWNA – Apple growers could decide whether or not a marketing commission will be developed for their sector as early as April, following a series of public meetings in January. More than 200 growers attended information sessions held January 8-10 in Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Oliver and Cawston as well as online, and a summary report …
New abattoir offers lifeline to local farmers
COURTENAY – After nearly five years in the making, Christine Mooney is excited to be finally putting the finishing touches on her federally inspected poultry abattoir, thanks to her perseverance and Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC’s Small Food Processor Scale-Up grant. In fall 2023, Mooney was making the best of her small space and Farmgate …
Province surveys producers on vet services
A survey on the services of the province’s Animal Health Centre wraps up this week as the province conducts a review of its services to the sector. The lab at the Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford offers both post-mortem services as well as more than 400 diagnostic tests for both animals and plants. The lab …