Three farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have been hit with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. The affected farms include turkey, broiler, and egg operations. The detections occurred on October 21 and are the first in the province since December 25, 2023. “The response is currently active and we are working with partner agencies and the …
NEWS
Raw milk hopes soured
A challenge to the province’s raw milk rules has been creamed by a BC Supreme Court decision delivered September 11 and published this week. The matter traces its roots to 2005, and Gordon Watson’s challenge of BC’s policy against raw milk sales. The policy is common across Canada, the only G7 nation that prohibits the …
Slash smoke challenge planned
Smoke from slash piles is in the crosshairs of a northern BC resident, who says improvements in how slash burning is managed haven’t erased the issues it poses. “We’ve been trying to address the slash smoke problem here in the Bulkley-Nechako region for 15 years or more,” says Ray Chipeniuk, a Smithers resident who has …
Country Life in BC reporting honoured
Country Life in BC was recognized at the annual Canadian Farm Writers Federation awards for excellence in agricultural communications in Halifax on October 5. The paper took top honours in two categories, Production Photography and People Feature. Photographer Kari Lynn Turner won gold for Roll Call, a photo in the January 2023 paper showing the …
Producers get shaking on quake prep
A shallow, 6.5-magnitude quake south of Haida Gwaii on September 15 as well as two smaller quakes off the Lower Mainland on September 26 and October 4 are reminders of the need to prepare for a larger seismic event. Haida Gwaii rancher and large animal vet Don Richardson advises producers think ahead, with a view …
BC farmland values see strong growth
BC farmland values returned to a growth trajectory in the 12 months ended June 2024, according to Farm Credit Canada. Province-wide values grew by 6.6% in June 2024 versus a year earlier, reversing the 3.1% decline the federally backed farm lender reported for the province in 2023. BC was the only province to report a …