DAWSON CREEK – This year’s high commodity prices should be good news for Peace River growers but extreme heat cut yields and left some producers with as little as 30% of a normal crop. “The heat dome in southern BC also hit us up north. We broke records and our crops dried right out, and …
NEWS
Interior ranchers feel forgotten
PRINCETON – All hands were on deck to help residents in Abbotsford and the eastern Fraser Valley after record rainfall in mid November cut highway connections to the rest of Canada. Repair crews rushed to remove debris from major freight corridors, including Hwy 7, the Coquihalla and Hwy 1. But ranchers in the southern Interior …
Kootenay growers target winter deliveries
CASTLEGAR – With about eight weeks before their inaugural season of weekly produce box deliveries was complete, Skattebo Acres owners Mira Fahrenbruch and Matt McClelland decided to take on a new challenge by launching weekly winter boxes. But space was a bit of an issue. “You can’t just till another 100-foot bed,” says Fahrenbruch. To …
A century of dairy farming in Pitt Meadows
PITT MEADOWS – Severinski Farms reached a golden milestone this fall, one recognized with the province’s Century Farm and Ranch Award. The celebration in September was attended by nearly 200 people, including friends, family and local politicians. It was a special moment for the entire family, but especially Harry and Louise Severinski, who have been …
Dairy compensation fund opens
There’s a spot of good news for dairy farmers reeling from this year’s natural disasters. Just in time for Christmas, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada is accepting applications for the third round of payments under the Direct Payment Program, worth $38,000 to a farm with 80 cows. The program delivers $1.75 billion to the dairy sector …
Christmas sales on track
Christmas greenery was in strong demand and ample supply this week, despite some challenges shipping product to market in late November. “The actual interest in Christmas products at the retail level, it was probably one of the strongest years we’ve seen in many years,” says Stan Vander Waal, president of Rainbow Greenhouses Inc. in Chilliwack. …