1973: A Pivotal Year
The legislation for the preservation of agricultural land and the activity it generated will long be remembered not only as the top news story of the year [1973] but also as the cornerstone for the building of positive agricultural policies. (Executive Report, 1974 B.C.F.G.A. Convention.)
The year 1973 was one of tumult and turmoil for members of the British Columbia Fruit Growers’ Association. The Report of the Executive for 1974 referred to it as “another turning point in the history of our Association.” The provincial government passed its controversial Land Commission Act and the B.C.F.G.A. became actively involved in lobbying government. The year, which began with pessimism and a protest rally, ended with hopes of making tree fruit farming an economically viable way of life.
Events that made 1973 memorable for members of the B.C.F.G.A. were many: a demonstration in Victoria against Bill 42, the Land Commission Act; the submission of important background briefs to the Minister of Agriculture and the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture; skirmishes with dissident fruit growers; the Hudson Report on the tree fruit industry; promise of having a Farm Income Assurance plan; and the B.C.F.G.A. plebiscite on compulsory one-desk selling.