For the second year in a row, nearly a third of honey bee colonies in BC did not make it through the winter. Each spring, provincial apiculture specialist Paul van Westendorp surveys beekeepers to assess winter mortality and identify the causes. He was putting the finishing touches on the 2022 overwintering survey on June 10 …
NEWS
Borrowing costs begin to bite
Three increases this year to the Bank of Canada’s overnight lending rate are raising financing costs for farmers. The central bank’s benchmark rate increased to 1.5% on June 1, six times what it was at the start of the year. Prior to the first increase in March, the benchmark rate had been 0.25% since March …
Packers say they’ll work together to fix industry
KELOWNA – A group of packers have sent a letter to BC apple growers outlining their commitment to work together and offering a number of suggestions to improve the industry. But the BC Fruit Growers Association says the suggestions are not substantial enough and will ask the province to step in. The 11-member group includes …
Province funds market purchases
The province has stepped up with $12 million over three years in support of the 10-year-old BC Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program. The funding, announced by Health Minister Adrian Dix at the Kitsilano Farmers Market on June 5, will average $4 million a year. This is an increase from $2.25 million three years ago, and …
Weather chills BC berries
A cool spring has put a damper on this year’s strawberry crop, but growers hope a delayed start to the season will lead to a longer finish for what’s traditionally the first of the summer berries. Normally, Maan Farms in Abbotsford would be two-thirds through its first pick by early June. This year, cool temperatures …
Recovery fund deadline extended
A historic funding package has seen minimal disbursements to date, prompting the province to extend the deadline for applications. Producers impacted by catastrophic flooding and landslides following last November’s atmospheric river events will have until August 31 to file claims with the Canada-BC Flood Recovery Program for Food Security. “We’ve had over 400 applications so …