The mink are gone, but not the legal challenges. The first livestock sector shut down by the province is continuing its fight against a November 2021 order that immediately ended breeding activities and require the removal of all live mink from the province’s nine farms by this past April. The industry, which produced 318,000 mink …
NEWS
Dairy producers not making money from milk sales
ABBOTSFORD – The final results of a cost of production survey BC’s dairy sector undertook last year has confirmed the sector’s dire straits. Producers in BC are losing an average of 48 cents per kilogram of butterfat, a loss that rose to $4.19 per kg when off-farm revenue, cattle sales and other income is factored …
Kelowna fallow farmland returns
The City of Kelowna’s efforts to preserve farmland are paying off but fewer people are working the land. An agriculture plan progress report presented to Kelowna council November 6 shows a drop in the number of active farm operations in the Central Okanagan region since 2017. Six years ago, there were 1,034 actively farmed parcels; …
Avian influenza grows
The number of BC farms testing positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza surged over the past week, with the Canada Food Inspection Agency confirming six farms on November 7. The cases, which affected all commercial feather groups, including ducks, follow two positive results announced November 4 as well as a case on November 2. …
BC young leader honoured
A member of 4-H BC took top spot at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto on November 4. Janel van Dongen of Nanoose Bay was one of 12 speakers from across Canada and Scotland who shared their thoughts and perspectives on the Canadian agriculture industry. Van Dongen, …
Okanagan egg producers eye expansion
ARMSTRONG – Residents of BC’s Okanagan Valley will soon have two new commercial egg producers shipping to grocers, with the BC Egg Marketing Board’s recent selection of Chris Grohmueller of Armstrong and Sajid Hameed of Salmon Arm as new entrants. “Both Sajid and Chris are already well known in their communities for the quality of …