The flood watch is not completely over for farmers and residents in Grand Forks, but there is good news. Heavy rains over the weekend raised the Granby and Kettle rivers to flood stage May 31 and by end of the day on June 1, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Emergency Operations Centre had issued …
NEWS
Raspberry traits assigned values
BC produced nearly 15 million pounds of raspberries last year with an average farmgate value of $1.13 a pound. Now, researchers are hoping to pin a value on specific traits — such as size, colour and flavour — to figure out which cultivars have the best chance of boosting returns to growers. “There’s a whole …
Organic matter regulations delayed
Chalk up delays in the province’s revision of the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation to COVID-19. “We were anticipating regulatory updates to occur in fall 2020. However, at this point we are expecting this to be delayed due to COVID-19,” the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy told Country Life in BC this week. …
4-H sales adapt amid COVID-19 restrictions
ARMSTRONG – True to their club motto, “Learn to Do by Doing,” 4-H club members across BC are finding new ways to market their animal projects when traditional means are unavailable. Physical distancing rules in place banning events of more than 50 people and the cancellation of most fall fairs featuring 4-H auction sales have …
Rethinking the concept for mobile abattoirs
MCBRIDE – Hopes are high that a government-inspected Class E mobile abattoir may soon move to the prototype stage. The proposal is driven by McBride custom butcher Mark Roth, who says the Class E licensing system needs work to better serve small-scale farmers. The construction of a Class A abattoir in McBride in 2011 was …
Poultry and hops a winning combination
ABBOTSFORD – The vast difference between the farm they started in 2005 and what it’s become as Ray and Tracey Bredenhof have expanded from broiler production to hops is testimony to not only their own efforts but the support of their community. “By getting involved, opportunities come up. You meet great people and you learn …