B.C. cranberries are a key part of our province's fast-growing agriculture sector.
Image Credit: Province of British Columbia
January 25, 2020 - 9:42 AM
Beekeepers looking for new ways to produce more honey and cranberry producers seeking more pollinators are two examples of the 28 projects receiving $2.7 million in support.
"An innovation project proposed by the University of the Fraser Valley and the Worker Bee Honey Company was selected to receive $170,320 to help create an automated honey extraction information system to improve honey harvesting in B.C.," a provincial government release said.
"The proposed system will increase efficiency, reduce processing time and help address the shortage of skilled labour in the honey industry by automating harvesting through improved technology. The system will be able to monitor each hive’s honey yield and provide insight into superior breeding stock of male and queen bees, hive diseases and the impact of environmental variables, such as climate and weather on each hive. The results of this project will help beekeepers better care for their hives and improve honey yield."
An innovation project submitted by the BC Cranberry Marketing Commission was also selected to receive $10,725 to support a study on pollination on different varieties of cranberries. Researchers are looking into how to increase cranberry yield through artificial pollination. They will monitor how often pollinators visit different varieties of plants during peak bloom, which will help growers plan for future seasons, the release said.
"Projects under the Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation Program have received more than $5.3 million in funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The partnership is a five-year federal-provincial-territorial agreement that includes $2 billion in cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories, and $1 billion for federal programs and services through March 2023."
To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2020