LADYSMITH – Elk continue to damage farm infrastructure and government compensation is not enough, producers say. They want long-term solutions that balance land and species protection. “The grass that should be starting to grow, getting ready for crops come June, is chewed right down to half an inch on the ground. So, they’ve devoured all …
NEWS
Wage pressures increase
BC’s minimum wage will rise June 1 in step with inflation, putting further strain on farm employers already struggling with high input costs and a labour crunch. The provincial hourly minimum wage will rise 6.9% on June 1 to $16.75 an hour, making it the highest minimum wage of any province and the second-highest in …
BC’s chief veterinarian highlights key animal diseases
Dr. Theresa Burns outlined three main diseases that impact or could cause issues in BC’s livestock and poultry sectors at a Centre for Organizational Governance in Agriculture webinar this week. For the poultry sector, it’s no surprise that avian influenza is an ongoing concern. Over the last year, the province has recorded 130 detections of …
Snowpack sends mixed signals
The latest data from the BC River Forecast Centre is a mixed blessing for growers concerned about a dry start to the season. The province’s April 1 snow and water supply bulletin indicates that the provincial snow pack decreased to slightly below normal for April 1 to 88% versus 94% a month earlier. The snow …
New rules for pesticide applications
KELOWNA – New regulations under the federal Pest Control Products Act now restrict the practice of tank-mixing to only products that are labelled specifically for mixing. “Under the old regulations, products could be tank-mixed if they were both labelled as registered to be used on a crop and did not specify otherwise,” provincial pesticide specialist …
Industry looks to move needle on labour shortage
Two new initiatives are digging into solutions to the perennial labour shortage facing BC producers. A report released by the BC Fruit Growers Association on March 31 analyzes temporary foreign worker programs in the US and Canada with a view to helping smaller operations access labour. The report proposes a pilot project that could reduce …