Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by byPeter Mitham
Premier called out over ALR pledge
Premier David Eby is under fire for prejudicing the outcome of the province’s consultation on relaxing the rules around processing activities within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Addressing the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on October 13, Eby promised to change the rules requiring food processors located within the ALR to source 50% of their ingredients locally if re-elected.
UBC appoints new agriculture dean
With the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain line turbocharging development of the Fraser Hwy corridor and surrounding agricultural lands, the BC NDP today announced it is naming the new line after former Premier Dave Barrett, whose government created the Agricultural Land Reserve to protect farmland. The announcment comes in advance of this Friday’s deadline for submitting feedback on a proposal to open the ALR to processors using as little as 5% local ingredients.
BC growers look beyond tariff turbulence
A new global trade environment erupted last week after weeks of threats, but BC agriculture sector continues to look for solutions despite the real risk of a significant financial hit. Volatile financial markets have raised the spectre of higher borrowing costs, reinforcing a sense of caution that has slowed property investment.
Okanagan drives increase in land values
KELOWNA – BC farmland values rose 11% last year, firmly reversing the decline posted in 2023. The gains were driven in large part by the Okanagan, according to Farm Credit Canada’s annual survey of farmland values. Prices there soared nearly 25% to an average of $40,500 an acre, with sales tracked by FCC maxing out at $120,000 an acre.
Lucas returns to BCFGA
Glen Lucas is returning as interim general manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association (BCFGA) following the resignation of Melissa Tesche, who is leaving to head the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB). “The timing is too soon,” Tesche says.
Denman Island farmers supported
Denman Island’s Gather Farm and Kitchen is this year’s recipient of the Mary Forstbauer Grant from the BC Association of Farmers Markets (BCAFM). The award was announced via social media on March 19, and will support owners Dennis Lightfoot and Kimberley Allan to expand their cool storage capacity. “They’ll be able to grow their winter CSA, focus more on growing nutrient-dense grains and pulses, and supply their local food bank with nutritious dietary staples,” BCAFM says.
Province flags drought risk
BC agriculture leaders are mobilizing as the 25% tariff on Canadian exports to the US took effect today. Originally announced February 1 and paused for 30 days, these tariffs now threaten BC's $4.3 billion agriculture sector, which sends 82% of its exports to the US. Industry leaders like Paul Pryce of BC Blueberry Council are working with US counterparts, while BC Cattlemen's Kevin Boon sees opportunity in new markets, particularly in Asia.
Task force members announced
Fifteen leaders in the agri-food sector have been appointed to the Premier’s Task Force on Agriculture, an initiative announced in January which will begin meeting this spring. “We are going to tackle topics that are most important to you,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told guests at the BC Agriculture Council’s Agri-Industry Gala, January 22.
Kamloops reports Japanese beetle
A pilot project to transform food distribution in the Kootenays is underway through the Central Kootenay Food Policy Council (CKFPC). “It’s challenging for our small-scale seasonal producers to find a carrier they can afford. Those that are successful are usually transporting their own goods within the region, a time-consuming, inefficient process that takes them away from producing," says CKFPC executive director Damon Chouinard.
Hort workshops tackle water, pest and disease management
A pilot project to transform food distribution in the Kootenays is underway through the Central Kootenay Food Policy Council (CKFPC). “It’s challenging for our small-scale seasonal producers to find a carrier they can afford. Those that are successful are usually transporting their own goods within the region, a time-consuming, inefficient process that takes them away from producing," says CKFPC executive director Damon Chouinard.
BC Tree Fruits facility sells
BC Supreme Court approved the sale of two more properties last week as BC Tree Fruits Co-op moved closer to being wound down. The orders, dated November 27, approved the sale of the co-op’s Kelowna warehouse at 880 Vaughan Avenue to the Mark Anthony Group for $17.5 million. A smaller facility on Bottom Lake Road in Lake Country sold to the District of Lake Country for $9.1 million. Both properties sold for less than asking.
Collaboration key to dairy growth
Boosted by the first quota increases since the last free trade deal was signed, BC dairy producers have set their sights on market growth in the years ahead. A focus on attracting processor investment is key, with two major processing plants on the horizon locally and the Canadian Dairy Production Council eyeing niche markets that could add $1.4 billion annually to the sector’s national revenues.
Popham back as ag minister
What’s old is new again with Premier David Eby’s choice of Saanich South MLA Lana Popham as agriculture minister. Popham returns to a role from which Eby shuffled her in December 2022 in favour of Pam Alexis, who lost her seat in October’s provincial election.
BC field vegetable specialist retiring
Provincial field vegetable specialist Susan Smith was honoured at the annual meeting of the BC Certified Seed Potato Growers Association on November 19 in advance of her retirement this month. Smith joined the BC Ministry of Agriculture in 2004 and became a trusted resource for local growers, first in field vegetables and later in the organic and nursery sectors.
David Schmidt endowment planned
November 20 marks one year since the sudden death of Country Life in BC editor emeritus David Schmidt at the age of 73. The face of Country Life in BC for four decades, Schmidt was known for his deep understanding of the industry, his commitment to accurate, insightful reporting, and his passion for sharing the stories of BC farmers and food producers.
Milk price holds the course
The Canadian Dairy Commission is leaving farmgate milk prices essentially unchanged in 2025, following its annual review of production costs and consumer prices. The price of fluid milk leaving will decline by 0.02% on February 1, thanks to declines in input costs that marginally outpaced increases in consumer prices. This will mean a marginal decrease in the BC blend price, which has increased sharply over the past two years as fluid milk consumption has increased.
Avian flu response keeping pace
A fall wave of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has hit a cross-section of BC farms, but the response effort is so far keeping pace to contain the outbreaks. “We have the capacity to continue this pace,” Clayton Botkin, executive director of the BC Poultry Association’s emergency operations centre, told stakeholders during an October 30 webinar. This success has been due to diligent, early reporting of sick birds, a notable aspect in the response to date.
Beef herd drops
KAMLOOPS – Two years of high cattle prices and low moisture have triggered a dramatic drop in BC’s cattle herd, but the bottom is in sight. The latest data from Statistics Canada indicates a 4% drop in Western Canada’s beef herd since 2022, not far off the national decline of 3%. But within BC, the decline on beef operations as of July 1 was double the national average at 6%.
Bird flu returns
Three farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have been hit with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. The affected farms include turkey, broiler, and egg operations. The detections occurred on October 21 and are the first in the province since December 25, 2023. “The response is currently active and we are working with partner agencies and the impacted producers,” a memo circulated to growers on October 22 stated.
Raw milk hopes soured
A challenge to the province’s raw milk rules has been creamed by a BC Supreme Court decision delivered September 11 and published this week. The matter traces its roots to 2005, and Gordon Watson’s challenge of BC’s policy against raw milk sales. The policy is common across Canada, the only G7 nation that prohibits the sale of raw milk to consumers.
Slash smoke challenge planned
Smoke from slash piles is in the crosshairs of a northern BC resident, who says improvements in how slash burning is managed haven’t erased the issues it poses. “We’ve been trying to address the slash smoke problem here in the Bulkley-Nechako region for 15 years or more,” says Ray Chipeniuk, a Smithers resident who has won previous battles against forest industry practices.
Country Life in BC reporting honoured
Country Life in BC was recognized at the annual Canadian Farm Writers Federation awards for excellence in agricultural communications in Halifax on October 5. The paper took top honours in two categories, Production Photography and People Feature. Photographer Kari Lynn Turner won gold for Roll Call, a photo in the January 2023 paper showing the herd at Ogilvie Stock Ranch in Kamloops falling into line as a round bale is readied to roll out on a winter day.
BC farmland values see strong growth
BC farmland values returned to a growth trajectory in the 12 months ended June 2024, according to Farm Credit Canada. Province-wide values grew by 6.6% in June 2024 versus a year earlier, reversing the 3.1% decline the federally backed farm lender reported for the province in 2023. BC was the only province to report a decline last year, driven in part by downward pressure from high interest rates and the right-sizing of holdings in the Lower Mainland by dairy producers and others.
Commercial egg production set to begin in Cariboo
QUESNEL – Commercial egg production is coming to the Cariboo following the selection of a local producer for quota under the BC Egg Marketing Board’s new producer program. Tim Traber of Quesnel was one of two small-lot producers selected in the BC Egg’s new producer lottery in Abbotsford, September 9. Together with Mitch and Breanne Baker of Cawston, Traber will scale up his operations with 3,000 units of quota to provide local eggs to Interior consumers.
Wine Growers head to retire
Wine Growers BC’s longest-serving president and CEO has announced his retirement. Miles Prodan, who joined Wine Growers BC in October 2010 as executive director, will step down December 31. The decision reflects both his personal priorities and the evolving needs of the association, which has undergone significant changes during his tenure.
Dairy quota rules change
New rules that come into play in December will govern exchanges of dairy quota taking place on or after January 1, 2025. The changes, which aim for an exchange model that reflects current market conditions, were approved by BC Milk Marketing Board on September 6 and announced in a bulletin to producers this week. A key change is the ditching of a rule that set price increases based on a formula linked to demand over three consecutive quota exchange periods.
BC seeks crop reporters
The province hopes to recruit industry volunteers to report on agricultural production conditions across the province. Based on similar programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the new initiative in BC launched this year with a handful of reporters in nine regions across the province. Reporters complete a brief, five-minute survey each week with questions about the conditions found in the reporter’s local area.
Interior egg production set to rise
This week saw the selection of two new entrants to the BC egg sector, diversifying the production of eggs beyond the Fraser Valley. Approximately 31 of the province’s 154 registered egg producers are located outside the Fraser Valley. But with the selection of Mitch and Breanne Baker of Cawston and Tim Traber of Quesnel in the BC Egg Marketing Board’s new producer lottery in Abbotsford, September 9, two more commercial farms will be supplying the region.
Co-op assets on the block
BC Supreme Court approved an order August 26 for the sale of assets held by BC Tree Fruits Co-operative as the packinghouse seeks the monies needed to satisfy its creditors. A sale and investment solicitation process (SISP) initiated while the co-op is protected from the claims of creditors has invited bids for the co-op as a whole, as well as offers for individual properties and assets held by the co-op.
Cocksure court naysays rooster
Salt Spring Island farm organizations are protesting the August 22 conviction of a local resident for keeping crowing roosters. Neighbours’ complaints that roosters kept by CJ McNichol and Alia Elaraj on Salt Spring Island were a nuisance resulted in bylaw enforcement officers from the Capital Regional District launch an investigation of the couple in 2022. A total of 56 recordings of the vocal roosters were made as evidence of the annoyance neighbours were experiencing.
BC Tree gets credit protection
BC Tree Fruits Cooperative has sought protection from creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), with a court-appointed monitor overseeing next steps for the troubled fruit marketer. The application to BC Supreme Court on August 12 came as the co-op struggled with cash flow issues and low estimates from growers of apple deliveries this season.
BC Veg denies greenhouse application
Ontario-based greenhouse grower Mucci Farms has had its application to market produce in BC denied by the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission. Mucci currently supplies produce to the BC market as a wholesaler through Country Fresh Produce Inc. of Delta.
Dairy quota increases
Strong demand for milk is leading to a quote increase for producers across Western Canada. Producers in BC and the other three provinces within the Western Milk Pool will receive a 2% increase to their daily quota effective September 1. “This increase in daily quota is being issued to meet the continued strong demand in both the fluid and industrial markets,” the announcement, made July 31, stated.
Hothouse growers tap glass ceiling
SURREY – BC greenhouse vegetable growers have begun consultations with members on a new marketing commission for the sector. Currently regulated by the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission, the greenhouse sector has unique needs that BC Greenhouse Growers Association (BCGGA) president Armand Vander Meulen says don’t fit well with potatoes and other storage crops regulated by BC Veg. “There is just a fundamental flaw because there’s no commonality between our interests, at all,” he says.
BC Tree Fruits shuts down
Provincial efforts to stabilize the tree fruit sector have been up-ended by BC Tree Fruits Co-operative’s decision to wind up operations. The co-op announced the decision “with profound sadness” on July 26, a day after a board meeting that identified low crop volumes and challenging market conditions as insurmountable challenges. It ceased accepting fruit immediately.
Dairy NEP picks announced
This week marks the deadline for the four finalists in this year’s dairy New Entrant Program to confirm acceptance of the opportunity to begin production in 2025. The four finalists, all from the Lower Mainland, include Lindsey Dirks, Clinton and Dionne Quesnel, Jared Romeyn, and Jonathan Wouda.
Agriculture ministers head north
There are strange things done ‘neath the midnight sun, but no one’s expecting agriculture ministers from across the country meeting in the Yukon this week to strike gold. Rather, a survey by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and supported by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan find that farmers’ top three concerns are largely impossible for government to fix.
BC Milk caught out
The BC Farm Industry Review Board has found the BC Milk Marketing Board violated its pledge to not involve itself in the financing arrangements for Dairy Innovation West, the new processing plant jointly owned by dairy producers in the four Western provinces.
BC-Alberta sign wine MOU
While there’s plenty of work yet to be done, a memorandum of understanding BC and Alberta signed this week will allow BC wineries to ship direct to consumers in Alberta after years of running battles over the issue. The latest occurred this past winter, when Alberta blocked shipments from BC wineries – salt in the wounds of many, who had just seen a severe frost wipe out prospects of a 2024 vintage.
Groundwater enforcement picks up
Drought conditions worsened on Vancouver Island last week, coinciding with a growing stream of reports that BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship staff are visiting farms in the Tsolum watershed to ensure compliance with groundwater licensing rules. The Tsolum was one of four watersheds where irrigation of forage was shut down last August via a fish protection order under Section 88 of the Water Sustainability Act.
Gill shifts to greenhouses
BC Blueberry Council executive director Anju Gill has accepted a staff position at the BC Greenhouse Growers Association (BCGGA). While the role has yet to be fully defined, Gill will be making the move in August as the greenhouse association strengthens its staff resources in the face of an ambitious work plan that includes the prospect of a new marketing commission to oversee for the sector independent of the BC Vegetable Marketing Commission.
Capital gains changes coming
High summer will bring higher capital gains taxes, following a federal move to raise the inclusion threshold from one-half to two-thirds of capital gains of over $250,000 per year for Canadians while limiting the lifetime capital gains exemption for individuals to $1.25 million. “Most middle class entrepreneurs won’t pay more tax because of these changes,” claims a backgrounder from the federal finance department regarding the changes, which take effect June 25.
Mushroom workers unionize
The mushroom sector represents the largest employer of farm workers sourced through the federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program, and now 150 of those workers at Highline Mushrooms in Abbotsford have unionized. The vote this week saw the workers join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518, in what the union says is a first for migrant workers in BC. The union says health and safety issues were key concerns of workers.
BC farm income plummets
The final numbers are in, and they’re worse than forecast. BC’s agriculture sector posted a net loss totalling $263.7 million last year, the biggest ever, trumping last year’s loss of $194 million and the previous record loss of $252 million reported in 2008. While the total loss includes paper losses such as depreciation, even net cash income was at its lowest in a decade, totalling $383.6 million on record farmgate receipts of $4.9 million.
Illegal dumping surges on Fraser Valley farmland
HATZIC – A rocky outcrop on Stave Lake Road east of Mission offers a panoramic view of the Hatzic Valley, the flat land and alluvial soils ideal for blueberries, nurseries, livestock and poultry farms. But in 2021, the valley also began attracting other kinds of operations. Dozens of trucks hauling fill from across the Lower Mainland began arriving, offering local property owners free fill and contracting with others for ongoing deposits.
Grand Forks flood resilience announcement, May 27
An additional $7.5 million has been put towards flood mitigation projects in Grand Forks, bringing to $39.1 million the total investment in the community since the devastating floods of 2018.
Cherry growers face smaller crop
Soft fruit growers are facing the prospect of a smaller crop this year following January’s extreme cold event and a spring frost in April. While the cherry sector will see a crop this year – unlike most other stone fruit growers, including peach and apricot producers – yields will be down significantly. “We are expecting cherries, but in small volumes,” says Laurel Van Dam, vice-president, grower relations and corporate affairs with BC Tree Fruits Cooperative.
Farm compensation benchmarks set
Results of a new Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council wage study highlight opportunities to improve on-farm compensation practices. The study, released May 22, drew on 609 employees across 140 organizations. It indicates that the highest-paying commodity group across all job categories was grain & oilseed while dairy and apiculture ranked among the lowest. “The weighted average for the farm manager role ranged from $29.56 to $37.95 and the median ranged from $30 to $39.90.
Senate report on TFWs
Ongoing concerns regarding the treatment of temporary foreign farm workers have prompted a federal committee to recommend the creation of a national migrant workers commission.
Premier boosts fill enforcement
Dumping on Lower Mainland farm properties has prompted action by the premier. Hatzic Valley residents who gathered for a community meeting at McConnell Creek hall on May 13 were told Premier David Eby has approved the deployment of additional Agricultural Land Commission staff to address dumping in area and throughout the Fraser Valley.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with byPeter
Contact byPeter, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack