A vineyard at Naramata in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. (File photo by Dave Bedard)

B.C. again waives ag income threshold for farm properties

Some farms otherwise risked property tax reclassification

British Columbia farmers who’ve taken pandemic-induced losses in farm income will be able to keep their farm properties classified as such for another tax year. The province on Monday announced that for the second year running, it will waive the minimum farm income thresholds normally required for B.C. properties to be classified as farms for

Agricultural workers gather on Dec. 2, 2020, whilst blocking the Panamericana Sur highway at Villacuri, Peru, during a protest over a long-standing but controversial agrarian law. (Photo: Reuters/Sebastian Castaneda)

Peru farm protests grip country, turn deadly

'There are no harvests, there is nothing'

Lima | Reuters — Protests by farm workers demanding better wages in Peru raged on for a fourth day Thursday, spreading north into key agricultural areas of the Andean nation, derailing harvests of some crops, snarling transport of produce and leaving at least one dead. Peruvian interim President Francisco Sagasti called the death of a


drone pilot in cornfield

Young farmers spurred by fundamental human reasons: study

Land access the No. 1 obstacle to starting or continuing farming

Land access the No. 1 obstacle to starting or continuing farming

Young farmers’ motivations to farm despite the obstacles they face are striking and important, says an author of a new study from the University of Manitoba. Researcher Annette Desmarais said she was glad, perhaps a bit surprised to see young farmers wanted to farm so they could spend time with family, be closer to nature, and feel

(OntLA.on.ca)

Ontario investigating 17 temp agencies after virus outbreaks on farms

"We stand firm against exploitation in our province"

Toronto/Winnipeg | Reuters — Ontario is investigating 17 temporary recruitment agencies, the province’s labour ministry said, after health officials warned that agencies that move workers from farm to farm could be contributing to COVID-19 outbreaks. Canadian farms rely on some 60,000 people who come to Canada on temporary work permits every year, typically living and


Ottawa announced details of CETA assistance

Transition programs will assist farmers adapt to an expected influx of European cheese

With the European free trade deal CETA set to launch next month, Ottawa is smoothing out a few wrinkles. The federal government has backed down a bit in a dispute with the European Union over the allocation of new tariff-free cheese imports. It also said it would start accepting applications Aug. 22 from dairy farmers

Visitors to Newest Poultry Farms Inc. don protective footwear on Open Farm Day.

Opinion: How open is Open Farm Day?

Livestock industry is risking its social licence

In many ways, Open Farm Day is an oxymoron. As much as it tries to help the public understand modern farming, it often reinforces just how inaccessible it has become. Lured by the promise of a chicken farmer’s barn and broilers, I headed out early on Sept. 20 to see the only poultry operation on


Winter Derange (r) and Maeve Partyka (l) show off goats to visitors at Aurora Farm. Nearly 40 farms participated in the annual event, which is in its sixth year.

Open Farm Day a success

Warm weather and sunny skies drew droves of urbanites to Manitoba farms

Gravel roads and farm lanes were packed with vehicles last Sunday, as Open Farm Day brought out what might be a record number of visitors in its sixth year. Just south of Winnipeg, Aurora Farm was literally crawling with visitors of all ages, eager for the opportunity to feed a goat, touch a chicken or

Chantelle Genkow walks with daughter Chyler and son Conner at Grenkow Holsteins during Open Farm Day 2011.

Ag societies take the lead on Open Farm Day

The Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies can help widen scope of farms involved

Open Farm Day Sept. 20 marks the last time Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development will be directly involved co-ordinating the event. The association representing this province’s 59 agricultural societies will take the helm for future events, and will look after finding host farm families, co-ordinating and promoting what has become a popular one-day trip


MASC estimates Manitoba farmers planted more canola, wheat and soybeans this spring

MASC estimates Manitoba farmers planted more canola, wheat and soybeans this spring

Acres too wet to seed down dramatically from 2014

Plantings of Manitoba’s three biggest acreage crops — canola, wheat and soybeans — are all projected to be higher in 2015, according to the Manitoba Agricultural Service Corporation’s (MASC) latest estimate. Based on assessing 94 per cent of farmers’ seeded acreage reports filed for crop insurance MASC estimates Manitoba farmers this spring sowed 3.2 million

dairy cattle being milked

Milking it: Israel leads the way in dairy tech

China, India, other Asian countries, now look to Israeli expertise

Decades ago Israeli dairy farmers confronted a quandary — how could they provide milk to a fast-growing population in a country that is two-thirds desert, with little grazing land? They turned to technology, developing equipment that boosted output — from cooling systems to milk meters and biometrics — and have made Israeli cows the most