Farming in British Columbia

Hosted by Jordan Marr

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Sep 2026

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About the show

Interviews with BC-based farmers, food processors, academics and others who contribute to food production in BC in one way or another.

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60 recent

October 14, 202637 min

Please enjoy this audio pumpkin pie

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Belatedly. Herein: a hodge podge. It's fun. LISTEN TO IT.

September 30, 20261 hr 9 min

Chris Bodnar's Bold Plan For BC Ag

This episode: my interview with Chris Bodnar, a University of the Fraser Valley professor and long time Abbotsford-based farmer. Chris is the primary author of a recently published report titled Farming at the Edge , commissioned by the BC Agriculture Council and BC Dairy. In it, Chris presents a financial analysis of our sector that tells a different story than the one that Statistics Canada has told in its most recent report on BC’s Farm Economy. This analysis led Chris to a bold set of policy recommendations for our sector that he shares in the report. Chris joined me on the phone in mid-September to talk about his findings. Here’s that conversation. Also featured: a visit to the Farming in BC tradeshow to learn about a conference Holistic Management Canada is hosting in Kamloops November 20-22.

September 16, 202645 min

ADHD as a Strength & Weakness in Our Efforts to Preserve Seed Diversity

Today on the show, a conversation with Richard Hebda about seed security and seed conservation. Richard is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Victoria and an expert in botany and paleontology, and a curator of botany and earth history at the Royal BC Museum. Richard has published research for decades on many topics, but what’s worth noting here is that much of his research has focused on the impacts of climate change on natural and human-influenced ecosystems. Richard joined me to talk about a project aimed at preserving and adapting heritage seeds in the context of a changing climate, although mostly we talk about what's going well, and what's lacking, in our collective efforts to slow down the loss of our seed diversity. You can learn more at heritagepotato.ca , although the URL will soon change to cropclimate.ca

September 3, 202618 min

Your Thoughts on ALR Reforms

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. I've already produced two episodes about this; in this one I'll share some listener feedback about this topic. ******* The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

August 19, 202647 min

Food Processing in the ALR part two

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. This is part two of my coverage. Part one dropped Aug 17th, 2026. Herein: four more perspectives on the proposal. The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

August 17, 202657 min

Boon or Boondoggle? Weighing proposed changes for food processing in the ALR

The BC Ministry of Ag has proposed rule changes for food processing in the ALR that would make it much easier to build food processing facilities on classes 4-7 land, with a much lower requirement for the use of BC-produced food. I'm devoting two episodes to this topic. Herein: two perspectives about these proposed changes. The proposed rule is as follows: On class 5-7 soil (and class 4 if the parcel is serviced by the date this rule is implemented), ALC approval is not necessary to build food processing plants in the ALR, so long as 5 percent of the primary product used in the processing is grown or raised in the province. Read the Ministry of Ag's proposal and discussion paper here. You can tell the government what you think of this proposal by emailing Ag Minister Popham at AF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

July 22, 202636 min

Fair Finance for Small-Scale Farmers

Today on the show, you’ll hear about a new opportunity for small-scale food and farm entrepreneurs in BC to access loans for capital and infrastructure. Learn more about the Fair Finance Fund here.

July 8, 20261 hr 11 min

Peace Country Grain Grower Les Willms

My guest this episode is Les Willms, one half of the ownership of LH Willms Incorporated, a 3000 acre grain farm in the Peace Country. If you’ve been a listener of the show for a while, you’ll already know Les, since he was a regular participant in last year’s Farming in BC Yearbook project. Mentioned in this episode: an interview I conducted in 2023 with Public Health Scientist Bruce Lanphear.

June 24, 202651 min

The Public Good Could Be Bad for this Farmer in Sumas Prairie

The show today has two segments, both concerning undesirable amounts of water. In segment one, Dave Russenberger wrestles with a public plan that carries serious implications for his dariy farm in the Sumas Prairie. In segment two, greater Vernon farmers talk about the impacts of a mandatory 70% reduction to their annual irrigation allocation. Some believe this sacrifice could and should have been avoided, but I'm not so sure. Links: Sumas River Watershed Flood Mitigation Plan The modern history of water planning in Greater Vernon

June 10, 20261 hr 3 min

BC Agriweather (Or: Evapotranspiration as a Drought Mitigation Revelation)

For this episode I wanted to explore the value of a good agricultural weather network, and to learn about an online resource for our sector called BC Agriweather . The person I invited to speak to this topic is Andy Nadler. Andy is an agricultural meteorologist with a company called Peak HydroMet Solutions who has worked closely with the BC government to improve and maintain a province-wide network of weather monitoring stations that provides vital data for and about BC’s farming sector. Andy’s work has supported the creation of a website called BC Agriweather, which was the main focus of our conversation.