Water for agriculture is among the top priorities for the new provincial government, and the ripple effects of on-farm practices are in the spotlight as the Shuswap Watershed Council (SWC) invites another round of applications for its four-year old Water Quality Grant Program. “One of our objectives as a watershed council is to protect and …
NEWS
Pilot addresses gap in distribution infrastructure
NELSON – A pilot project to transform food distribution in the Kootenays is underway through the Central Kootenay Food Policy Council (CKFPC) with the goal of building a more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable food distribution system across the region. “The Kootenays is a large geographic area and home to a broad network of interconnected people …
Demand for milk, lower input costs good for dairy
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 …