Rising grocery prices have made headlines across the country this summer as businesses seek to recover costs related to COVID-19. Between higher labour costs, additional expenses such as personal protective equipment and COVID-19 surcharges, consumers are paying more for food. But statistics Canada data for the first six months of year show that celery and …
NEWS
BC beekeepers go online
BC beekeepers have made a beeline for online meetings as COVID-19 has limited the size of public gatherings. At the provincial level, the semi-annual meeting of the BC Honey Producers Association in March took place via videoconference while its semi-annual education day was cancelled. Its monthly business meetings have since taken place via videoconference. The …
PAS goes online
BC’s biggest agriculture show is going online in 2021. Scheduled to take place January 28-30 at Tradex in Abbotsford, the Pacific Agriculture Show will adopt a virtual format in 2021 with plans for the 2022 event to return to Tradex, says show manager Jim Shepard. “We’ll be pivoting and producing a world-class virtual show,” he …
Hornet catch has beekeepers vigilant
Washington State Department of Agriculture staff announced this week that an Asian giant hornet was caught in a trap south of Blaine on July 29, but BC has yet to collect any of the insects. That’s good news for BC, says provincial apiculture specialist, Paul van Westendorp. “Our friends in Washington have installed hundreds of …
Pandemic-related stress increases
AgSafe BC safety advisor Emily Kerr was a featured presenter at Virtual Grower Day, organized by Greenhouse Canada on August 12. The live annual professional development and networking event had been scheduled to take place in Abbotsford, its first time in BC, but it was moved online in response to COVID-19. With five months of …
Pandemic puts the squeeze on blueberry growers
by SARBMEET SINGH ABBOTSFORD – BC blueberry growers face tighter profit margins this year due to COVID-19. Public health protocols have created additional costs including the need for personal protective equipment for workers’ safety and a hike in labour costs. Meanwhile, fewer workers in the fields mean fruit could over-ripen, reducing quality and prices. “We …