Are you a buyer looking for food and beverage products from B.C.?

Are you a producer or processor with B.C. products for food service, retail or wholesale?

The new Feed BC Directory is a searchable, online B.C. food and beverage product directory that connects B.C. institutional and commercial food buyers with B.C. producers and processors.

Developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in collaboration with industry and buyers, the Feed BC Directory supports new business opportunities for B.C.’s food and beverage sector and makes it easier for institutions, retailers, distributors and other large buyers to find B.C. products that meet their needs. The directory features B.C. products that are ready for food service, retail or wholesale.

Join our upcoming virtual info sessions for an online demo and a chance to ask questions.  
Session 1: Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 5:00-5:45pm Pre-Registration Required.

For further info, contact us at Feedbcdirectory@gov.bc.ca

The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food is pleased to announce that the 2022-2023 Spring Intake for the Knowledge & Technology Transfer Program (KTTP) is NOW OPEN! The program will be accepting applications March 31 to April 22, 2022 for the spring intake period through an online application process. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please visit the Knowledge and Technology Transfer website to download the Program Guide for full details as some changes have been made.

The objective of the KTTP is to increase the competitiveness, resiliency, and innovation of the British Columbia agriculture and food sector through facilitated knowledge and technology transfer. If you have any questions, please email Knowledge.Transfer@gov.bc.ca

Funding for the KTTP is provided by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a joint funding agreement between the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food has worked with a contractor to develop food safety guidance to help producers assess and address the risks to food safety from the November 2021 floods in the Fraser Valley. All flood-impacted producers are encouraged to carry out an analysis of potential food safety hazards to their operation and to keep records as part of a detailed risk assessment. This should be done regardless of whether an operation is formally certified to a food safety standard. A risk assessment will help determine the impact of the flooding on the entire operation, including the farmyard, fields, buildings and equipment, water sources, and existing and future crops. Producers will need to consider their own operations and neighbouring activities to determine potential sources of contamination.

The risk assessment document, BC Good Agricultural Practice Guidelines, Risk Assessment for natural disaster flood events can be downloaded, and filled-in electronically by producers. 

As we move into spring freshet and summer wildfire season we would like to encourage producers and farming operations to take some time to review or create their Emergency Preparedness Plans. Creation of a plan can help ensure that your operation is prepared in the event of an emergency incident. 

-Industry-specific guides and templates (B.C. Small Mixed Farms, Pork, Small Lot Pork, Beef, Dairy and Poultry) are available to help you plan. 
-Is your farm insurance up to date? A new checklist is available to help you prepare to meet with your insurance provider. 
-Toolkits with worksheets to help producers prepare for and recover from flooding and on-demand workshop videos to help farmers and ranchers prepare for wildfire are available from the Climate Change Adaptation Program.
-Flooding and Wildfire resources from AgSafe can also help producers build an emergency response plan for agriculture operations in BC. 

Presented by AgSafeBC, BC Wildfire Services and BC Cattlemen's Association, with funding from the Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund.

These workshops go beyond emergency preparedness planning to sharing information on what happens once an evacuation alert/order are in place and what funding and programs are available to support producers during emergency and recovery phases. 

Participants will have a roundtable discussion to hear what works and what could improve to better assist rural and ranching communities during an emergency.  Registration is required. Sessions include a free lunch and a chance to win a Wildfire Protection Kit from WASP. 

The B.C. Agricultural Labour Survey is being distributed to businesses and organizations within the agriculture and seafood industry to collect important information about their workforce and their experience with recruiting workers. B.C. agriculture, aquaculture and fishing operations will receive a postcard invitation to take this voluntary survey online. If you did not get a postcard and are a primary producer in agriculture, aquaculture or wild fisheries, you can complete the survey now online. The survey should take around 20 minutes to answer. It will be open until April 15, 2022.

The survey is being conducted by BC Stats in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The purpose is to get a more accurate picture of the agricultural labour market and needs in B.C., to help develop workforce policies.

 Want to see more webinars to support that could support your business? Visit our AgriService B.C. Past Webinars library to view other recorded webinars.