Capital spending by BC agribusinesses is set to rise in 2019, according to Statistics Canada. Ottawa expects crop and livestock operations in the province to spend $545.6 million on capital projects this year, up 22% from last year. Preliminary calculations indicate that farmers invested $448.6 million last year. Crop production is the most capital-intensive sector …
NEWS
Young Agrarians land funding
The recent announcement of $375,000 in new funding to support the land matching program coordinated by Young Agrarians and extend it to central and northern BC was further endorsement of the program, which has been praised in several quarters. Originally launched in Metro Vancouver in 2016, the program now operates province-wide. It has matched 29 …
BC Tree Fruits prepares to relocate
BC Tree Fruits Co-operative found a new executive team, and soon it will have a new home. The co-op announced this week that it expects to close on the purchase of 85 acres in the Ellison area of Kelowna by the end of May. The transaction will occur in tandem with the sale of its …
Abattoir operators await provincial action
Ten years after its creation, the BC Association of Abattoirs is waiting for the province to take action on two reports intended to enhance meat processing capacity in the province. The legislature received a report last fall from the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food, which was resurrected to examine and make recommendations …
The (summer) heat is on
With temperatures set to approach 30 degrees Celsius in BC’s southern Interior this week, the province’s update on its wildfire action plan hasn’t come a moment too soon. Released last week, the update outlines actions taken on to implement 108 recommendations made in the independent report the province commissioned following the devastating 2017 wildfire season. …
Grape specialist honoured for dedication
KELOWNA – With more than 50 years’ of service to BC’s grape industry, John Vielvoye was critical in helping the BC grape industry navigate key changes while playing a critical role in the development of BC’s modern wine industry as the province’s grape specialist. Now retired, Vielvoye was honoured in April with the first lifetime …