Rising food costs and reduced affordability continues to top this year’s list of public confidence in the country’s food systems, according to the annual report of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. The centre’s annual survey, which included 300 respondents from BC, identified food costs as the top public concern for the fifth year running. …
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Building a business around community
VANDERHOOF – A cut-and-wrap business that started as a side hustle to process animals on their farm has morphed into a licensed meat processing facility for Matthew and Brittany Giesbrecht and a critical service for local farmers and hunters. “It’s a godsend,” says Korey Martens of Broken Horn Farm east of Vanderhoof. “Before these guys …
Short course rebranded, again
The long-running horticultural growers’ short course has undergone a fresh rebranding as it looks ahead to 2024. Scheduled to run January 25-27, alongside the Pacific Agriculture Show at Tradex in Abbotsford, the Lower Mainland Horticultural Show will be one of three farm shows delivered by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food in partnership with …
Rainfall returns as drought holds
The first atmospheric river of the season hit the South Coast this week, with the BC Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness advising people to get ready. “People can expect seasonal stormy conditions and are encouraged to take steps to prepare for the increased rainfall and the possibility of flooding,” an October 16 statement …
Production cost bind
Ottawa’s ambitions to rein in grocery prices are at odds with efforts to support producers, according to a growing chorus of voices throughout the supply chain. On the farmer side, national horticulture association Fruit and Vegetable Growers Canada says the federal government has failed to consider how capping grocery prices will impact producers. “We appreciate …
Rural communities see surge in farmland sales
ROCK CREEK – Farmers and non-farmers wanting to buy farmland are increasingly migrating to BC’s rural communities to find land that’s more affordable than in urban areas. The impacts of this trend are wide-reaching: land is in high demand and supply is limited, land values have increased and properties suited to growing food are being …