Farming

The North Saanich Flavour Trail Harvest Lunch returns this weekend after being cancelled in 2020. Here, attendees gather at the gala dinner at Deep Cove Winery in 2019. (Photo courtesy Kelly Schaecher/Mark Taylor)

North Saanich lunch celebrates flavours of the region

Kildara Farm on Chalet Road playing host Sunday to North Saanich Flavour Trail Harvest Lunch

 

Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes (left) and Katie Underwood enjoy a sunny September day at Peas n’ Carrots, a Saanich farm. (Megan Atkins-Baker/News Staff)

Saanich farmer encourages area residents to get closer to their food

Peas n’ Carrots on Prospect Lake Road offers farm fresh vegetables and eggs

 

A farmer harvests her hay on a farm near Cremona, Alta., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. Livestock producers in Saskatchewan facing hot, dry conditions this growing season and a feed shortage have another problem to contend with -- hay fraud. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

RCMP warn of rise in hay fraud in Saskatchewan

High demand for hay this year is fuelling the scam

 

A two striped grasshopper infected with Entomophaga grylli, a fungal pathogen which only kills grasshoppers, is seen on a plant near Lethbridge, Alta., in a July 2021 handout photo. A pattern of dry, hot weather across the Prairies over the past few years has resulted in a grasshopper infestation of epic proportions, with some experts saying the nuisance is negatively affecting every part of the agriculture industry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Johnson, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Booming grasshopper populations plague Prairie farmers

Higher than usual number of grasshoppers inhabiting grassy areas and feasting on crops

A two striped grasshopper infected with Entomophaga grylli, a fungal pathogen which only kills grasshoppers, is seen on a plant near Lethbridge, Alta., in a July 2021 handout photo. A pattern of dry, hot weather across the Prairies over the past few years has resulted in a grasshopper infestation of epic proportions, with some experts saying the nuisance is negatively affecting every part of the agriculture industry. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Dan Johnson, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
The B.C. Farmers Market Guide helps locals and travellers find fresh produce markets near them. (Black Press Media file photo)

B.C. Farmers Market Guide helps Greater Victoria residents find nearby sites

Market operators encourage residents to shop local as social restrictions ease

The B.C. Farmers Market Guide helps locals and travellers find fresh produce markets near them. (Black Press Media file photo)
Kristy Sivorot and her son Griffin with Juniper, a lame, pregnant cow she bought from a large dairy operation to nurse back to health. Juniper gave birth to Junior, a bull calf, on July 21 and is doing well. (Zoe Ducklow - Sooke News Mirror)

Women hobby farmers are part of a food revolution

Raising livestock and families: the young women farmers of Sooke

Kristy Sivorot and her son Griffin with Juniper, a lame, pregnant cow she bought from a large dairy operation to nurse back to health. Juniper gave birth to Junior, a bull calf, on July 21 and is doing well. (Zoe Ducklow - Sooke News Mirror)
On Aug. 3, Pender Island residents Chris Hall and Stef Lowey will have officially completed a year of only eating what they can grow, harvest, catch or raise themselves. (Courtesy of Chris Hall and Stef Lowey)

From salt to stevia: Pender Island couple nears year of producing everything they eat

Chris Hall and Stef Lowey haven’t bought a food product since Aug. 3, 2020

On Aug. 3, Pender Island residents Chris Hall and Stef Lowey will have officially completed a year of only eating what they can grow, harvest, catch or raise themselves. (Courtesy of Chris Hall and Stef Lowey)
Ben Glassen working with turkeys on a farm in the Westwood Road area of Nanaimo. Glassen wants to establish a poultry abattoir on a site on Jingle Pot Road. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

With meat-processing site numbers dwindling, Vancouver Island farmer seeks abattoir

Ben Glassen has ALC application for small-scale facility in Nanaimo

Ben Glassen working with turkeys on a farm in the Westwood Road area of Nanaimo. Glassen wants to establish a poultry abattoir on a site on Jingle Pot Road. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)
B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham. (Screen shot)

Government to allow ‘more residential flexibility’ in agricultural lands, says B.C. minister

B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham was guest speaker Friday during Surrey Board of Trade-hosted Zoom meeting

B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham. (Screen shot)
Farm hand Connor Hunt bales a hay crop near Cremona, Alta., Monday, July 17, 2017. Farmers are calling for emergency relief as drought ravages crops across the Prairie provinces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Prairie farmers pray for rain as drought, grasshoppers ravage crops and pastures

Scorching temperatures have left crops in poor condition across wide swaths of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Farm hand Connor Hunt bales a hay crop near Cremona, Alta., Monday, July 17, 2017. Farmers are calling for emergency relief as drought ravages crops across the Prairie provinces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Last year, Satnam Dheensaw of Gobind Farms planted 50 per cent less strawberries in response to a shortage in foreign agriculture workers. The annual report from Peninsula and Area Agricultural Food Commission described the lack of domestic and foreign workers as the biggest obstacle during 2020. (Black Press Media file photo)

Ag report finds growing challenges, opportunities for Saanich Peninsula farmers

Demand for locally grown food increased up to 300 per cent in 2020; land becoming more expensive

Last year, Satnam Dheensaw of Gobind Farms planted 50 per cent less strawberries in response to a shortage in foreign agriculture workers. The annual report from Peninsula and Area Agricultural Food Commission described the lack of domestic and foreign workers as the biggest obstacle during 2020. (Black Press Media file photo)
Tom Michell of Michell’s Farm shows damage that heat caused on his raspberry crop. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)

Saanich Peninsula farmers face significant crop losses due to excessive heat

Local berry patches sustain extensive damage; high temperatures a benefit for corn growers

Tom Michell of Michell’s Farm shows damage that heat caused on his raspberry crop. (Wolf Depner/News Staff)
Eric White’s roadside farm stand in Metchosin sits stocked with produce. (Photo courtesy of Eric White)

Fledgling Metchosin farmer frustrated by thefts from stand

Eric White said every dollar made at the roadside helps sustain his farm

Eric White’s roadside farm stand in Metchosin sits stocked with produce. (Photo courtesy of Eric White)
Rob Galey holds one of his strawberries at Galey Farms’ Wilkenson Road field location in early June after they started their first pick of the year on May 30. (Jake Romphf/ News Staff)

Hot days have Greater Victoria strawberry growers hastily picking to meet demand

Growers across the region say recent hot weather quickly readied the berries for harvest

Rob Galey holds one of his strawberries at Galey Farms’ Wilkenson Road field location in early June after they started their first pick of the year on May 30. (Jake Romphf/ News Staff)
Pumpjacks draw oil out of the ground as a deer stands in a canola field near Olds, Alta., Thursday, July 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Canadian farmers have spring in their step from strongest commodity prices in years

Canola recently hit a 13-year peak after stubbornly low prices, gaining 52 per cent year-to-date

Pumpjacks draw oil out of the ground as a deer stands in a canola field near Olds, Alta., Thursday, July 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Volunteers with the Esquimalt Farmers Market will be on hand at Bullen Field to direct attendees and clarify public health protocols. The market runs Thursdays now through Sept. 16, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Facebook/Esquimalt Farmers Market)

Esquimalt Farmers Market continues tonight at Bullen Field

Award-winning market features farm-fresh products, food trucks, COVID-19 protocols for safety

  • Apr 22, 2021
Volunteers with the Esquimalt Farmers Market will be on hand at Bullen Field to direct attendees and clarify public health protocols. The market runs Thursdays now through Sept. 16, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Facebook/Esquimalt Farmers Market)
A mink sniffs the air as he surveys the river beach in search of food, in meadow near the village of Khatenchitsy, 65 kilometres northwest of Minsk, Belarus on September 4, 2015. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is the latest group to speak out against mink farming in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Sergei Grits

Union of BC Indian Chiefs latest group to call for moratorium on B.C. mink farming

With other countries phasing out mink farming, time is now for province to follow suit, says union VP

A mink sniffs the air as he surveys the river beach in search of food, in meadow near the village of Khatenchitsy, 65 kilometres northwest of Minsk, Belarus on September 4, 2015. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is the latest group to speak out against mink farming in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Sergei Grits
A hand-painted roadside sign points to a farmstand. The District of Sooke’s proposed business bylaw is “confusing and ambiguous” when it comes to farmstands, according to a local farmer. (Lauren Krohn - Metro Creative)

Farmstand operator scrutinizes Sooke’s proposed business licence bylaw

Bylaw makes it difficult for local farmers to compete with businesses outside Sooke

A hand-painted roadside sign points to a farmstand. The District of Sooke’s proposed business bylaw is “confusing and ambiguous” when it comes to farmstands, according to a local farmer. (Lauren Krohn - Metro Creative)
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Province invests $2M in three Vancouver Island food hubs

Hub network provides shared-use processing facilities to small agri-businesses

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A Nanaimo chicken breeder came home to discover a gruesome scene Monday after a neighbour’s dog got loose and killed 28 of her chickens. (Photo submitted)

Dog kills ‘showgirl’ chickens at Vancouver Island farm

Breeder in Cedar upset at deaths of more than two dozen chickens

A Nanaimo chicken breeder came home to discover a gruesome scene Monday after a neighbour’s dog got loose and killed 28 of her chickens. (Photo submitted)