Fingers crossed for farmers

Photo: B.C. government - Flickr

While cooler temperatures this Easter weekend may not be preferred by most people, Okanagan farmers are pleased.

“We're a little closer to normal (temperatures) this year,” said Fred Steele, president of the BC Fruit Growers Association.

Warm weather early in the year confuses fruit trees, which start to bud. Then a spring frost can cause havoc.

“I had to bring bees in a month early last year but the cooler weather lately has closed the gap a little bit,” Steele said.

Fruit growers are looking forward to some more profitable times.

A Canada-China agreement and more frequent orchard inspections should allow the Valley's cherry growers greater access to the massive Chinese market.

“Cherries are definitely in the (international) market place,” agreed Steele, who also pointed to the region's apples, where growers saw an upturn in that market last year for the first time in 32 years.

“Ambrosia (apples) are the top of our list and cherries as well.”

He said growers are excited about future trade deals with Asia, including one with South Korea which could end tariffs on fruit.

As well, a replant program in B.C. is allowing growers to replace any fruit tree taken out within the past five years increasing an orchard's yield. The B.C. initiative is so popular that the idea was put before the Canadian Horticulture Council two weeks ago in an effort to make it a national program.

“The federal govenment only looks at national programs so they do not favour one region over another,” explained Steele. “We're tried for two decades to get a federal program. Working with the council we should be able to develop a program for growers' across the country.”

In the Kootenays, Steele said the Columbia River Basin Trust is working to fit agriculture back into the region in a renegotiation of the Columbia River treaty. The fruit growers' association has members in Creston.

“Before the dams, we produced 12 million boxes of apples a year. Now we produce 3.5 million and Washington state produces 130 million boxes,” said Steele, “They got all the water for irrigation.”

The BCFGA boss said agriculture should not be discounted in the Okanagan. “The tree fruit industry, in spin-off jobs, generates $550 to $600 million a year.”