The first few weeks of the growing season have seen BC farmers face unseasonal heat, wildfires and flooding. The events have underscored the importance of the Extreme Weather Preparedness for Agriculture program, which the province piloted last summer. The pilot is continuing this spring, with an additional infusion of up to $2.5 million. The new …
climate change
Producers take steps against heat
This summer’s high temperatures have yet to match last summer’s heat dome, but producers and the provincial government aren’t letting their guard down. “So far, the animals are holding okay in terms of production but … we’ve been watching the forecast carefully,” says BC Dairy vice-chair Sarah Sache, who farms in Rosedale. Temperatures in the …
Province funds weather preparedness
This week may have marked the official start of summer, but for many growers, cool damp weather continues to delay crops in sharp contrast to 2021 when the end of June brought scorching temperatures and dramatic wildfires. This year, berry and cherry growers are reporting harvest delays of 10 to 14 days. While the spring …
ACARN hosts largest-ever workshop
The BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network (BC ACARN) annual workshop December 7-9 was the network’s largest-ever workshop to date. The fully virtual event attracted 338 attendees. The majority were from BC, but attendees also joined in from Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories as well as the US and Europe. The provincial network …
Bison could be key to climate change resilience
MERRITT – How do you design a cow for the evolving Canadian climate? That’s the question Thompson Rivers University associate professor John Church asked the BC Bison Association in late October, noting the estimated increase in global temperatures could see cattle regularly exposed to summer heat approaching 40°C. Countering the effects of heat stress is …