• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Country Life In BC Logo

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915

  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Search

Primary Sidebar

Originally published:

OCTOBER 2021
Vol. 107 Issue 10

Subscribe Now!

Sign up for free weekly FARM NEWS UPDATES

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Your information will not be
shared or sold ever

Stories In This Edition

Feeling the heat on water

Good grapes

Province funds hazelnuts

Farmers left in lurch by risk-averse insurers

Fresh marketing

Editorial: A familiar problem

Back 40: Climate change action depends on political will

Viewpoint: UN Food Systems Summit sets an ambiguous agenda

Province falls short on dam safety oversight

All the elements

Orchard industry awaits government report

Sidebar: Competitiveness fund on hold

Ag Briefs: Collins wins gold for food security column

Ag Briefs: Agrologist and sector champion dies

Ag Briefs: Kelowna approves land exclusion

Ag Briefs: BC on watch for hornets

Province begins wildfire recovery payments

Beef sector sees strong demand

Thanks for the support

BC-bred females sell well in fall production sale

Sheep producers monitoring for bluetongue

Columbia River Treaty impacts reviewed

Summer weather takes toll on OK fruit

Cheesemakers felt the heat this summer

Housing rules continue to challenge farmers

National plant health lab gets new director

All’s gourd – pumpkins not squashed by heat

Female ranchers excited for mentorship opportunities

Island project establishes baseline for bugs

Show me the money!

Corn trial provides options for changing climate

High heat, low pest pressure test corn plantings

Research: Breeding a better, more nutritious apple

4-H BC: 4-H event helps develop future community leaders

Farm Story: Carrots offer a peaceful break

Plow match perseveres despite pandemic

Woodshed: There’s more than truck trouble with Delta Faye

Mesh covers control vegetable pests

Jude’s Kitchen: Fall weather calls for cool comfort food

More Headlines

Follow us on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

2 days ago

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

#BCAg
... See MoreSee Less

BC Cattlemen’s Association members gathered in Cranbrook for their 97th AGM last week. BCCA president Werner Stump welcomed upwards of 300 ranchers as he signalled a change in tone with the association’s approach to government. “We are going to be a lot more blunt in our dealings with government as we fight for our livelihood,” Stump told his audience. The North American herd size remains down, and calf prices are expected to stay strong, says Brenna Grant from Canfax. “We could see $5.50 -$5.70 this fall for a 5(00) weight calves.” Duncan and Jane Barnett and family from Barnett Land and Livestock in 150 Mile House received the Ranch Sustainability Award, which recognized their riparian management and community involvement. From left to right, Clayton Loewen with Jane, Duncan and Lindsay Barnett.

#BCAg
View Comments
  • Likes: 43
  • Shares: 8
  • Comments: 9

Comment on Facebook

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations

Congratulations <3

Congratulations to Duncan, Jane, and all the rest of the Barnett family!

Congratulations Jane and Ducan! Sandra Andresen Hawkins

Congratulation Duncan & Jane!!

Congratulations Jane & Duncan 🥳

Congratulations Jane Trott Barnett and Duncan!!!

View more comments

3 days ago

Grapegrower Colleen Ingram, who was recognized earlier this year as the 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association. “Given the devastation we have had over the last three years, I feel like this award should be given to the entire industry,” she says. Her story appears in the June edition of Country Life in BC, and we've also posted to our website.

#BCAg
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Industry champion named BC’s best grape grower

www.countrylifeinbc.com

KELOWNA – Colleen Ingram’s enthusiasm for collaboration within the BC wine industry is so great that when she was named 2024 Grower of the Year by the BC Grapegrowers Association, she wanted to sh...
View Comments
  • Likes: 6
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

1 month ago

From orchard manager to government specialist and now executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association, Adrian Arts brings a rare blend of hands-on farming experience and organizational leadership to an industry poised for renewal. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for BC fruit growers, with Arts expressing enthusiasm about continuing the momentum built by his predecessor and working alongside a board that signals a generational shift in agricultural advocacy.

#bcag
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Arts leads BCFGA forward

www.countrylifeinbc.com

A combination of organizational management and practical farming experience has primed the new executive director of the BC Fruit Growers Association to lead the industry forward.
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 2
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

1 month ago

A public consultation is now underway on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board. Key issues for dairy producers include transportation costs, rules governing shipments and limitations on supporting processing initiatives. Stakeholders have until May 31 to comment.

#bcag
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Milk board undertakes review

www.countrylifeinbc.com

A public consultation on the powers and duties of the BC Milk Marketing Board is underway as part of a triennial review required by the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Regulation.
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

1 month ago

BC wool shipments drop sharply in 2023, according to StatsCan data released in mid-April. Local producers shipped just 5,200kg at 37¢/kg, down from 18,600kg at $1.08/kg in 2022. While many farmers now use wool on-farm or dispose of it due to low market value, innovative producers like Emily McIvor point to untapped opportunities. Read more in our Farm News Update from Country Life in BC.

#bcag
... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

BC wool value, volume drop

www.countrylifeinbc.com

BC sheep producers shipped less wool for less in 2023, reversing strong growth a year earlier. BC producers shipped 5,200 kilograms of raw wool in 2023, according to Statistics Canada data released on...
View Comments
  • Likes: 6
  • Shares: 4
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Subscribe | Advertise

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915
  • Email
  • Facebook

Province falls short on dam safety oversight

Ranchers say cash would boost compliance, capacity

October 1, 2021 byTom Walker

VICTORIA – BC’s auditor general says the province has failed to ensure dam owners comply with dam safety regulations, raising the risk of failures such as the 2010 collapse of the Testalinden dam on rangeland south of Oliver that swept away houses, vineyards and farm equipment.

But the report, released September 14, stopped short of recommending the province commit more money to helping dam owners meet their obligations. It instead called on the province to boost enforcement activities. Provincial regulations give owners responsibility for dam safety while the province oversees compliance to mitigate the risk to people, property and the environment.

“Our audit concluded that the ministry has not effectively overseen the safety of dams in BC,” auditor general Michael Pickup said in releasing the report. “Dams are dangerous, and it is crucial that they be properly maintained to minimize their risk of failing. Failures can be disastrous for people, the environment and property.”

The report was based on a year-long investigation of the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) with respect to dam oversight. It found the province promoted compliance with the province’s dam safety requirements but “did not adequately verify or enforce compliance” as required under the Water Sustainability Act.

“They are not doing what they set out to do in terms of compliance,” says Pickup.

Of the 1,900 dams across the province, 1,000 are designated “high risk,” meaning a failure could kill people and damage the environment and property. The impact of failures at the other 900 dams is lower, only damaging the owner’s property.

The investigation uncovered a number of troubling facts. For example, at least 196 dams are missing from ministry records.

“The ministry should have been regulating some of those,” says Pickup.

In addition, 63% of dam records sampled lacked key information, such as emergency contacts and dam height.

Moreover, a sample of records found that 33% of operating manuals and 27% of dam emergency plans submitted to the ministry were not reviewed three or more years after submission. Reviews of high-consequence dams are backlogged. The average time to accept safety reports was 20 months; some took eight years.

Competing priorities in regional offices and a shortage of staff contribute to the backlogs.

Just three of the province’s 10 dam safety officers are full time. But those officers are responsible for a caseload that ranges from 47 to 427 dams.

Using estimates from program staff, the audit “determined that the ministry would need another five central and five regional staff to meet all aspects of the program’s mandate.”

The report makes nine recommendations for improving the province’s oversight of dam safety, including informing all dam owners of their regulatory obligations, improving processes to verify dam owner compliance, improving monitoring of compliance and enforcement activities and strengthening performance measures and targets.

The province accepted all nine of the auditor’s recommendations, however it remains to be seen what action will be taken.

“Our recommendations are not prescriptive,” says Pickup. “It is the government’s job to create detailed policy. They need to figure out, given what we have found, how they want to monitor compliance and enforcement.”

Financial burden

Ranchers own about 900 dams, or 60% the all the dams in BC. Of these, 125 are considered high-consequence. But the BC Cattlemen’s Association say the audit did not address the top barrier to compliance – money to complete the work.

“We are disappointed that there was no mention of the regulatory and financial burden that comes with dam ownership,” says BCCA assistant general manager Elaine Stovin.

Dam owners are required to comply with the regulatory requirements and cover the cost of dam maintenance and upkeep. Stovin doesn’t think that’s fair given the multiple public benefits dams provide.

“Water stored in dams provides such a range of benefits and values to a community from flood control, habitat protection, food production, fire suppression and a variety of recreation opportunities,” she notes. “But the entire cost of the dam is the responsibility of the owner.”

The costs are significant.

A study of dam costs and benefits by national accounting firm MNP for ranchers in 2016 estimated that the average cost to operate a high-risk dam was $14,425 a year while a low-risk dam cost $1,950 a year.

But the dam rating is frequently out of the owner’s control.

“A rancher, of course, has no say as to whether a housing development goes in downstream of their dam, but a development below a dam would certainly increase the consequences if the dam were to fail,” Stovin points out. “A higher risk leads to a higher consequence classification and more costs for maintaining the dam.”

The dam owner ends up paying more money to reduce a risk they can’t control. Moreover, higher risk dams must complete a safety review every 7-10 years at a cost of up to $50,000. And, as the audit pointed out, it can take years for provincial staff to review these.

Stovin says dam safety has been a very important issue for cattlemen for over 10 years.

“We have resolutions brought forward at our AGMs and this has been a key ask when we present to the province’s finance committee every year,” she says.

BC Cattlemen and Ducks Unlimited prepared a discussion document on water storage in BC that they presented to FLNORD as well as the environment and agriculture ministries in July 2020. The document made several suggestions for addressing funding challenges associated with dam maintenance.

Stovin says this summer’s unprecedented heat wave, drought and wildfires point to the need for the province to prioritize the province’s water storage capacity. Producers are telling her that the increased costs put them in a position where they are looking to decommission their dams.

“Given the summer we have just had, I don’t think we can afford to lose any water storage capacity in our province,” she says.

Previous Post: « Cheesemakers felt the heat this summer
Next Post: Feeling the heat on water »

Copyright © 2025 Country Life in BC · All Rights Reserved