A combination of winter damage and warm weather has resulted in a record low ice wine harvest this winter. Just four wineries registered their intention to pick grapes for ice wine with the BC Wine Authority last fall, but by the time temperatures allowed for the harvest, just three proceeded. A total of 12 tonnes …
NEWS
Challenges, opportunities ahead for farmers institutes
PORT ALBERNI – BC farmers’ institutes are calling on the government to review the legislation governing them to ensure it stays responsive to the evolving needs of local farm organizations and rural communities. Twenty-eight attendees representing 14 farmers’ institutes gathered online for Farmers Institute Day on November 30. The event was organized as part of …
Spallumcheen cuts, wraps deal for butcher hub
SPALLUMCHEEN – Merritt’s loss is the North Okanagan’s gain as the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association shifts its focus from a Nicola Valley abattoir to a butcher hub based in Spallumcheen. “We were able to pivot funds from the Nicola project to invest in the North Okanagan,” says SSMPA executive director Julia Smith. “This will be …
BC control zones revoked
The turn of the year brought a positive turn of events in the BC poultry sector’s battle against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Two primary control zones (PCZs) in the province were revoked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, including one in Langley on January 5 and second in the District of Kent on January …
Potato harvest up 10%
BC’s potato crop was up 10% in 2023, according to the latest estimate from United Potato Growers of Canada. With few acres abandoned and ideal conditions through the growing season, BC is estimated to have harvested nearly 1.8 million hundredweight (cwt), or 87,950 tons. “It was the perfect year, really,” Heather Meberg, owner of ES …
PRFA president brings fresh outlook
Peace Region Forage Association president Brian Gilbert hopes to give back to the organization and people who have helped him so far throughout his farming career. Gilbert was elected president at PRFA’s annual general meeting December 1, succeeding Neil Ward of Fort St. John. “The forage association is a great resource for learning. I’m constantly …