Weather woes and road closures continue to plague BC farmers, who entered the new year facing disruptions due to snow and ice. Arctic inflows sent temperatures across BC plummeting to record lows at the end of December, just six months after the province shattered high temperature records. Growers in the Lower Mainland still reeling from …
weather
BC blueberry crop down 30%
BC Blueberry Council estimates point to a 30% reduction in this year’s harvest. The council collected levies on 185 million pounds of berries last year. This year, it expects to collect levies on just 135 million pounds. “Crops are estimated to be down approximately 30% due to various factors, including the [late June] heat dome …
Fruit growers face hard choices
Crop insurance adjusters are now dealing with “well over 1,000” notices of loss following the late June heat wave, and tree fruit growers face tough decisions come harvest regarding which fruit gets shipped. To prepare them for the choices and the financial relief available to them, the BC Fruit Growers Association and BC Cherry Association …
Peace whipped by wild winds
The record heat wave that baked many parts of BC last week also created turbulent conditions for crop farmers in the Peace region, where temperatures exceeded 36 degrees Celsius. The high pressure system unleashed dramatic winds of more than 100 km an hour that swept down from the mountains. By the time the winds reached …
Heatwave stresses livestock
BC became the hottest place in Canada ever on Sunday, and again Monday and Tuesday as temperatures in the Fraser Canyon and elsewhere kept breaking records. Lytton soared to an all-time high for Canada of 49.5° Celsius. New records were also set in the eastern Fraser Valley as temperatures hit 42.9° C in Abbotsford on …
Balanced conditions in 2020
Climate variability has hit BC farmers and ranchers hard in recent years, between wildfire, flood and drought. Conditions in 2019 were such that 52 census subdivisions became eligible for the federal government’s livestock tax deferral program. The program provides relief to farmers in areas where forage shortfalls due to excessive drought or moisture total 50% …