The BC Cattlemen’s Association has followed up its six-part “Coffee Shop Talks” webinar series with a fall webinar on the new Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEM Code).
The webinar gives ranchers an opportunity to get up to speed on their responsibilities under the new code, which took effect February 28.
“We had a very good turnout at the webinar – 91 participants – which is really good,” says BCCA general manager Kevin Boon. “There are questions and concerns, but it shows that a lot of ranchers are wanting to understand it.”
Geoff Hughes-Games of the BC Agriculture Council was the special guest. He covered topics such as new soil testing requirements, record-keeping, changes to set-back distances from water courses when applying nutrients, nutrient spreading, composting and deadstock.
The code is being phased in across the province, with producers in the Hullcar Valley being the first affected. As of October 1, producers farming five acres or more need a risk assessment if they plan to apply manure or other nutrients to land located in a high-precipitation area during the shoulder season of February, March or October. Producers in Cobble Hill, Langley, Abbotsford, Osoyoos, Grand Forks and Spallumcheen must complete plans as of July 15, 2020.
The phased-in approach to code implementation means producers must know their requirements.
“There is a lot of information there and I would encourage anyone to go to our website and watch it,” says Boon.
The 55-minute presentation is available for viewing at [https://youtu.be/2Ciic9s-ez4] or via the BC Cattlemen’s site at [https://www.cattlemen.bc.ca/coffeeshoptalks.htm].
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