The recent expansion of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission’s mandate to the entire province has caught vendors at northern BC farmers markets by surprise. Several growers and market vendors received letters from BC Veg alerting them to the potential impact on their operations and the possible need for them to become licensed. The letter was …
NEWS
Land Act changes deferred
The BC government has deferred plans to amend the Land Act, which governs management of Crown lands in the province. “Our government has decided not to proceed with proposed amendments to the Land Act,” Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Nathan Cullen announced February 21. “That’s the best news story we have heard all year,” …
Budget recognizes climate risks
The province’s agriculture ministry will see a 16% increase in funding this year, entirely due to the ongoing losses farmers are experiencing from extreme weather. The provincial budget delivered February 22 allocates an additional $18.4 million to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The increase gives it a total …
Fruit growers discuss challenges
Bad news was the order of the day as orchardists gathered for the 135th annual convention of the BC Fruit Growers Association in Kelowna, February 20. “It has been a difficult time for all tree fruit growers,” BCFGA president Peter Simonsen noted in his report. While the 2023 apple crop rebounded from the effects of …
Study shows BC farmers markets add value
VANCOUVER – A farmers market is much more than a place to buy food, serving as a social hub, tourism destination and economic driver with significant community benefits, a new study shows. “What this study does is really bring a lot of data and credibility,” says BC Association of Farmers Markets executive director Heather O’Hara. …
Metchosin farm transitions to new owners with high hopes
METCHOSIN – Long hours of hard work, years of experience and a ready local market will not guarantee success in vegetable farming on southern Vancouver island without stable, long-term land tenure. “I was tired of leasing land. I’d been doing it for years and it felt like it could all be torn away so quickly,” …