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JULY 2025
Vol. 111 Issue 6

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

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Congratulations!!!

Congratulations 👍🎉

Congratulations

Congratulations <3

Congratulations Duncan and Jane Trott Barnett Well deserved recognition

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Duncan and Jane!!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

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1 month ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

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Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

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KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
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2 months ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

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Arts leads BCFGA forward

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A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
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2 months ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

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Milk board undertakes review

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A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
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Pandemic puts the squeeze on blueberry growers

Reduced workforce threatens fruit quality

Rajinder Singh Lally says he’s spent more than $50,000 on personal protective equipment to keep his staff safe while harvesting and processing this year’s blueberry crop. It’s a significant expense, especially when a labour shortage could result in a smaller harvest this season. PHOTO / SARBMEET SINGH

August 1, 2020 bySarbmeet Singh

by SARBMEET SINGH
ABBOTSFORD – BC blueberry growers face tighter profit margins this year due to COVID-19.
Public health protocols have created additional costs including the need for personal protective equipment for workers’ safety and a hike in labour costs. Meanwhile, fewer workers in the fields mean fruit could over-ripen, reducing quality and prices.
“We have spent more than $50,000 on the equipment including gloves, masks and hand sanitizer. Additionally, to maintain social distancing during lunch times, we have placed new tents for the workers,” says Rajinder Singh Lally, owner of Lally Farms in Abbotsford, pointing towards the new Plexiglas dividers being installed at his packing house to ensure social distancing between workers.
Lally owns 13 farms totalling 500 acres. Despite his size, he feels the extra costs are likely to reduce his profit margins.
Besides spending money on personal protective equipment – a significant cost in itself – farms are having to hire additional workers to sanitize everything from crates to retail areas.
Kris Maan at Maan Country Farms is also feeling the pinch due to the need for additional staff to maintain a high level of sanitation at the popular agri-tourism venue.
“We have hired workers just for sanitization,” he says. “They keep on sanitizing various things at the farm. We are very cautious about the disease. This has increased our costs.”
Farmers also fear over-ripening of fruit that can’t be harvested as quickly because of the need to maintain social distancing among workers. Picking began this year in early July and will last into September. The farm labour contractors who provide workers need to make more trips to deliver the same number of workers to farms, and there are also specific protocols at the farms themselves.
“We are planning to enroll the workers in picking berries by keeping them at a distance of at least one row. This will, however, cause over-ripening due to slow picking leading to a decline in price,” says Bhupinder Singh, a Punjabi farmer in Langley.
“We need around 200 people to pick berries in our farm,” says Parmjeet Sahota, who farms in Pitt Meadows. “This year we are not getting enough labour and that can result in over-ripening of the fruit because the berries can’t wait to be picked.”
The need to maintain space among workers is compounding troubles associated with a shortage of labour. To tackle the situation, farm owners are offering higher wages for pickers.
“In the past, we used to offer 50 to 60 cents per pound for picking berries for early and mid-season varieties, respectively. This year, we are planning to hike that by up to 10 cents per pound,” says Lally.
On an average, one person can pick around 300 pounds of berries per day, which means Lally will pay around $30 more per day to each worker. As hundreds of workers work at the farm, this will result in hundreds of extra dollars in harvest costs, and a reduction in profit margins. With an average yield of 12,000 pounds an acre, the extra pay could boost costs by up to $1,200 an acre.
Farm owners say many people are reluctant to work due to the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, which Ottawa has announced will run an additional eight weeks until August 29. CERB pays $500 a week to workers who have lost work due to COVID-19, or about $2,000 a month. Recipients can accept work, but wages are capped at $1,000 before the benefit starts being clawed back. This means farmers would have to pay a full-time worker at least $3,000 a month in order for employment to be competitive with staying at home.
“The aid given by the federal government is also luring the people to not resume work. Monthly aid by the government is another factor contributing to the prevailing shortage of labour,” says Balraj Singh of Abbotsford. “When people can get money by sitting idle at their homes, why will they come to farms?”
But there’s also another reason for the shortage of workers that’s unique to Indo-Canadian farms.
A large number of Indo-Canadians rush to Punjab to visit their homeland in winter, a time when most of the marriages are held in Punjab. They return in April and May. However, due to COVID this year, many of them were not able to return on time as per their schedule.
“I went to India to attend (the) marriage ceremony of my relatives in December last year. I was scheduled to return by April end. However, due to COVID, all the flights were cancelled,” says Gurnam Singh, who worked on berry farms last year but has been unable to return to Canada for this season. “When the Canadian government started repatriating the Canadians, the costly flight tickets was another challenge before me. So, I decided to remain in Punjab for some more time and wait for the tickets to get cheaper.”

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