ABBOTSFORD—The BC Milk Marketing Board has chosen the first three successful applicants in its New Entrant Program. After clearing the waitlist in its previous Graduated Entry Program, the BCMMB introduced the NEP in August 2018. Ninety-five applicants paid the $250 fee to be included in the first draw, held in February 2019. A random draw …
NEWS
Vineyard damage lowers expectations
Okanagan wineries hope growing conditions this summer will deliver a decent grape crop, despite delayed budbreak in vineyards across the Okanagan that hampered vine development. BC Grapegrowers Association members discussed the problem at a field day in May. “Some vines in some vineyards saw poor bud break this year, with erratic and late development,” says …
Grape growers honoured
The recent annual general meeting of the BC Wine Institute saw veteran Okanagan viticulturists Robert Goltz and Richard Cleave receive the BC Wine Institute Award of Distinction for their service to the industry. Goltz and Cleave are partners in R&R Management Services, which has overseen key vineyards for producers such as Andrew Peller Ltd. On presenting …
Ottawa targets trade issues
The federal government is seeking to reassure producers it’s supporting them in the midst of trade troubles. On July 25, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced up to $6 million for Canada Pork International under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program “to strengthen, diversify and grow Canada’s pork exports in priority markets around the world.” …
Ottawa designates 48 regions for livestock tax deferral
“Significant forage shortages” in 48 regions of BC have prompted the federal government to let livestock producers defer taxes on proceeds from the sale of breeding livestock in the 2019 tax year. “Preliminary analysis indicates that livestock producers in Western Canada and Quebec are experiencing significant forage shortages due to drought conditions, supporting an early …
ALR acreage declines
Provincial efforts to save the Agricultural Land Reserve for farming may be paying off, according to the latest annual report from the Agricultural Land Commission published at the end of June. The most recent year ended March 31, 2019, saw just 524 acres excluded, less than any year since the reserve came into being in …