Agriculture

B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham introduces Sarah Wilson of Pendleton Farm in the Comox Valley, one of more than 200 farmers using the B.C. Land Matching Program, Merville, April 13, 2022. (Scott Stanfield/Comox Valley Record)

B.C.’s young farmer lease program grows to 203 properties

Retiring farmers get matched with those starting out

B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham introduces Sarah Wilson of Pendleton Farm in the Comox Valley, one of more than 200 farmers using the B.C. Land Matching Program, Merville, April 13, 2022. (Scott Stanfield/Comox Valley Record)
This July 6, 2016, file photo shows egg cartons displayed on a shelf at a market in San Francisco. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says the food industry is making adjustments to maintain supplies of poultry and eggs in the face of a large outbreak of avian flu in Canada and around the world.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jeff Chiu, File

Food industry adjusting to large outbreak of avian flu in Canada, around the world

About 260,000 birds have been euthanized or killed by the virus in Canada, a majority in Alberta

This July 6, 2016, file photo shows egg cartons displayed on a shelf at a market in San Francisco. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says the food industry is making adjustments to maintain supplies of poultry and eggs in the face of a large outbreak of avian flu in Canada and around the world.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jeff Chiu, File
A mink sniffs the air as he surveys the river beach in search of food, in a meadow near the village of Khatenchitsy, Belarus, northwest of Minsk, Sept. 4, 2015. A B.C. Supreme Court justice denied a request by mink farmers for interim relief that would allow them to breed the animals while their court case against the province proceeds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Sergei Grits

B.C. court denies interim request by mink farmers ahead of their COVID-19 challenge

Judge rules province was acting in the public’s best interest in phasing out the farms

A mink sniffs the air as he surveys the river beach in search of food, in a meadow near the village of Khatenchitsy, Belarus, northwest of Minsk, Sept. 4, 2015. A B.C. Supreme Court justice denied a request by mink farmers for interim relief that would allow them to breed the animals while their court case against the province proceeds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Sergei Grits
Saskatchewan poultry farmers have been put on alert after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the H5 strain of avian influenza was detected there in a wild snow goose. Canadian Press photo

Poultry farmers asked to keep birds indoors after avian flu reported in Saskatchewan

Small flocks are considered high-risk for highly pathogenic avian influenza

Saskatchewan poultry farmers have been put on alert after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the H5 strain of avian influenza was detected there in a wild snow goose. Canadian Press photo
Katie Underwood, who leases a plot of land on Prospect Lake Road in Saanich, said without the loan from late Sea Bluff Farm owner Bob Mitchell, she wouldn’t have been able to make much-needed investments in her operation. (Bailey Moreton/News Staff)

Uncertainties of farm succession pose major risk to food security: B.C. farmer

Generational farming less common, but land prices out of reach for young farmers

Katie Underwood, who leases a plot of land on Prospect Lake Road in Saanich, said without the loan from late Sea Bluff Farm owner Bob Mitchell, she wouldn’t have been able to make much-needed investments in her operation. (Bailey Moreton/News Staff)
Chickens are shown at an egg-laying chicken farm in Amritsar, India on April 17, 2018. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says bird flu has been found in Alberta poultry flocks and there are new cases in Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Aleksandra Sagan
Chickens are shown at an egg-laying chicken farm in Amritsar, India on April 17, 2018. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says bird flu has been found in Alberta poultry flocks and there are new cases in Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Aleksandra Sagan
B.C. Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Friday July 5, 2019. The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture says it is ending the COVID-19 quarantine program for seasonal agricultural temporary foreign workers but will keep a different program for another year to support self-isolation to curb the spread of the virus.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. ends quarantine program for temporary foreign workers, self-isolation continues

The British Columbia Agriculture Ministry says it is ending the COVID-19 quarantine…

B.C. Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Friday July 5, 2019. The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture says it is ending the COVID-19 quarantine program for seasonal agricultural temporary foreign workers but will keep a different program for another year to support self-isolation to curb the spread of the virus.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Central Saanich council will request that the Farm Industry Review Board permit growers to immediately raise their prices to reflect the current cost of production, in the face of past and current inflationary pressures including the war in Ukraine. (Black Press Media file photo)

B.C. chicken farmers plead for permission to raise prices as inflation pecks at profits

Costs steadily increasing, but producers unable to increase price of chicken meat and eggs

Central Saanich council will request that the Farm Industry Review Board permit growers to immediately raise their prices to reflect the current cost of production, in the face of past and current inflationary pressures including the war in Ukraine. (Black Press Media file photo)
British trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan poses for a photo after an interview in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

Beef emerging as sticking point in free trade talks between Canada and Britain

Trade secretary says UK will not compromise on allowing hormone-treated Canadian beef into Britain

British trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan poses for a photo after an interview in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
B.C. agriculture minister Lana Popham. (Submitted photo)

B.C. says global and market inflation impacting farmers and ranchers

B.C. agriculture minister says strong local food production system will help ease market inflation

B.C. agriculture minister Lana Popham. (Submitted photo)
A photo showing the vertical farming concept. (Funky Banana Farm photo)

Province revises ALR regulations to make room for vertical farming

Minister of Agriculture: Agri-tech innovations may help solve ‘food security and food economy puzzle’

A photo showing the vertical farming concept. (Funky Banana Farm photo)
Rising flood waters are seen surrounding barns in Abbotsford, B.C., Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. A recovery package is expected to be announced today for British Columbia’s agriculture industry after devastating floods last November. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Governments to announce recovery plan for B.C. agriculture industry after floods

Announcement billed as the largest recovery program for the sector in the province’s history

Rising flood waters are seen surrounding barns in Abbotsford, B.C., Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. A recovery package is expected to be announced today for British Columbia’s agriculture industry after devastating floods last November. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Agriculture depends on irrigation in many parts of B.C., and licences are required for using groundwater sources such as wells for agricultural or industrial use. Farm irrigation in Abbotsford. (B.C. government)

Deadline approaches for B.C. irrigation, commercial water licences

March 1 cutoff means stopping water use, applying as new user

Agriculture depends on irrigation in many parts of B.C., and licences are required for using groundwater sources such as wells for agricultural or industrial use. Farm irrigation in Abbotsford. (B.C. government)
Sixty years after the founding of the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board, 308 broiler chicken growers are registered in B.C., contributing 14,353 total jobs and $1.1 billion to Canada’s GDP.

BC Chicken marks 60 years with a delicious new contest

Enter your best BC chicken recipe for your chance to win!

  • Jan 31, 2022
Sixty years after the founding of the B.C. Chicken Marketing Board, 308 broiler chicken growers are registered in B.C., contributing 14,353 total jobs and $1.1 billion to Canada’s GDP.
Photo courtesy of J Summers.

B.C. disasters, extreme weather underscore need for climate-resilient agriculture

“We should be building the infrastructure for the next 30 years, starting yesterday.”

Photo courtesy of J Summers.
Cows and their calves graze in a pasture on a farm near Cremona, Alta., Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Some Alberta cattle producers say they will run out of food for their animals this weekend, as train delays and the impacts of last summer’s drought combine to create a crisis situation on the Prairies.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Canadian cattle producers desperate as feed shortage reaches crisis levels

‘I’ve never experienced where we don’t know what we’re going to feed the cattle Monday morning’

Cows and their calves graze in a pasture on a farm near Cremona, Alta., Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Some Alberta cattle producers say they will run out of food for their animals this weekend, as train delays and the impacts of last summer’s drought combine to create a crisis situation on the Prairies.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Volunteers from River Wrangler Sportfishing in the Mission Hills community deliver donations by boat after the floods affected dairy farms in Abbotsford in November 2021

BC Dairy thanks the community for over $850,000 flood relief donations, and shines a spotlight on local community heroes

British Columbians have come forward with an incredible show of support for…

  • Jan 10, 2022
Volunteers from River Wrangler Sportfishing in the Mission Hills community deliver donations by boat after the floods affected dairy farms in Abbotsford in November 2021
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, chats with farm owner Veronica Enright at her dairy farm in Compton, Que., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. Arbitrators have issued their final report into U.S. complaints about how Canada is interpreting North American trade rules around dairy imports — and both countries are claiming victory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Both sides claim victory after U.S. complaint about Canada’s dairy quota practices

Panel says Canada’s practices are ‘inconsistent’ with the commitments spelled out in the trade deal

Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, chats with farm owner Veronica Enright at her dairy farm in Compton, Que., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. Arbitrators have issued their final report into U.S. complaints about how Canada is interpreting North American trade rules around dairy imports — and both countries are claiming victory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Lana Popham, B.C. agriculture minister, said only two per cent of the annual provincial turkey production has been lost due to recent flooding. (Jill Hayward photo)

98% of turkeys survived flooding, says B.C. Agriculture Minister

However, flooding could affect the cost of Christmas turkeys, says Lana Popham

Lana Popham, B.C. agriculture minister, said only two per cent of the annual provincial turkey production has been lost due to recent flooding. (Jill Hayward photo)
Flooded farms are seen in this aerial photo in Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford, B.C., on Monday, November 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

‘It’s my life’s work’: B.C. fruit and vegetable growers face uncertainty after floods

Flooding comes a few months after a heat wave in late June “torched” crops

Flooded farms are seen in this aerial photo in Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford, B.C., on Monday, November 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck