The provincial state of emergency triggered by this year’s wildfires is over. Originally declared July 20, the state of emergency officially ended at 11:59 pm on September 14. “Cooler seasonal weather and precipitation, combined with the hard work of firefighters from BC, Canada and abroad to contain and extinguish fires, means that BC can allow …
drought
Province announces wildfire recovery funds
With close to 870,000 hectares burned across BC this year to date, the province has announced $20 million in financial assistance for ranchers and farmers hit by drought and wildfire. “This year’s drought and fires have been incredibly difficult for many BC ranchers and farmers,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham said in a statement announcing …
Farmers take issue with water restrictions
GIBSONS – With a growing number of watersheds reaching Level 4 drought restrictions or higher, some farmers say regulators need to make greater allowances for food production. Sunshine Coast Regional District recently implemented Level 4 drought restrictions which prohibit all outdoor water use, including for agriculture. That doesn’t sit well with Raquel Kolof of Hough …
Province pledges emergency funding
BC has announced emergency funding to support farmers and ranchers impacted by wildfires, heat and drought this year. While the exact amount is undetermined and several details have yet to be worked out, the province has taken the immediate action of invoking the late participation provision of the AgriStability program. The original deadline was June …
Drought puts focus on livestock nutrition
Cattle producers asked their drought-related nutrition questions to a panel of experts during a Beef Cattle Research Council webinar on July 29. The panel stressed the importance of feed testing during drought conditions. Tests shows if a crop is safe to feed on its own or whether it needs to be mixed with other feedstuffs. …
Flooding hits Chilcotin
The latest issue of Country Life in BC had no sooner hit mailboxes across the province last week when a series of weather systems arrived to counter our report of widespread drought. Severe flooding swept through ranches in the Chilcotin west of Williams Lake after nearly 100 mm fell in four days. A flood warning …