2 RECOVERY presents opportunities


being sent to Ottawa shortly after.


Speaking in Vancouver on


August 15, federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay pointed to existing business risk management programs as options for producer supports in the wake of the devastation. “We’d be very open to applications and dealing with them as fast as possible,” he said, referring to the AgriRecovery program. “There’s a process that has to take place, and when that takes place, I can assure you that the government of Canada will be moving as quickly as possible.” BC agriculture minister


Lana Popham is optimistic. She also pointed to the announcement of $6 million from the ministries of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to replace highway fencing. This boosts the $2.2 million announced earlier this summer by the BC Ministry of Agriculture. “Because it’s such a


massive disaster, we just have to start in the areas that need it first, but I think that the cattlemen’s association is extremely happy with the support that we’re showing and the speed at which we’re responding.”


Thinking ahead “The application will look


at this year and next year’s needs,” explains Boon. “Things like feed and vet costs are expected to be covered, as well as some costs for getting some of the infrastructure in place for animal health and welfare needs like getting water supplies back into these places and rebuilding handing centres.” Replacing irrigation infrastructure, assistance with transportation costs for feed, costs to reestablish breeding herds, and compensation for mortalities are all included in the proposal. “We also put in some labour costs for rebuilding some of the private fences due to the extent of these fires and the amount of fencing lost,” he says, noting that fencing was built over


years, and rebuilding them right away will be physically and financially difficult. “We don’t know if that will be accepted or not, but we’re optimistic.” Overall, Boon is pleased with the provincial government’s response. “The staff have been absolutely amazing to work with. There are so many different aspects we’ve been dealing with, and they all have our best interest at heart,” he says. “Part of this will be post-fire recovery. We need to look at how we can make it so we can better adapt to the future, and make it worthwhile for these producers to re-establish their businesses.”


Big picture recovery


As the province looks at the longer-term recovery of


the millions acres that have burned, there is an opportunity for consulting with groups who have interests on that land, including agriculture, forestry, mining and recreational interests to rebuild and replant strategically. “In this and in every crisis


we feel there's an opportunity,” says Boon, pitching a landscape-level planning approach. “We've seen where irrigation, agriculture and hay has been a huge asset on stopping the movement of some of these fires. We should be doing some strategic planning on how to reestablish the grass and create protective green spaces and rebuild our herds.”


Boon pitched the


approach in a recent meeting with Delta MP Carla


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2017 nfrom page 1


Qualtrough, who is overseeing federal recovery efforts for this year’s BC wildfires. “When I started explaining some of our thoughts on proper placement of grass and trees, she was extremely interested,” he says. “We're enthusiastic that we are being listened to. This is something that we start working on now. I think it will be extremely beneficial to us.” However, the ranching


sector can’t go it alone. “We need to be at the table as well as everybody else and plan this properly,” he says. “How are we going to plan with the stakeholders at the table providing input for that land for next 100 to 150 years and set out a plan for it? This is the future of our industry.”


With files from Peter Mitham


Local knowledge and premise ID earn credibility in fire fight


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provided a unique opportunity for learning for everyone from producers to emergency response managers. “With past fires, we’ve always said we should sit down and discuss how we’ll do things differently in the next fire,” says Kevin Boon. “These fires aren’t going out soon, so we’ve had the opportunity to make changes and test them as we go. There’s still stuff that we’re going to have to change, but I think we’ve made some significant improvements.” One of the biggest improvements for


livestock owners has been getting access to evacuated areas to care for their animals. After a number of confrontational situations early in the fire season, the BC Cattlemen’s Association got a representative in the Williams Lake Emergency Operations Centre to help manage the permitting and tracking of producers who needed access to care for their animals. Mike Doherty raises sheep at Spokin Lake


Farms. His farm was under a mandatory evacuation order for 40 days in July and August. Doherty initially left, then worked his way home on the back roads to protect his land and livestock before the military shut them down. “We were three weeks without power,


and two weeks without being able to go to town because we couldn’t get back in,” he recounts. “Nobody was getting a pass to move, then Reg Steward came in and things started to happen. He got us a pass as livestock owners that allowed us to come and go.” The retired RCMP officer and WorkSafeBC


representative has earned the gratitude of many producers for getting the system working. One of the key tools in managing the permits has been getting landowners registered in the Livestock Premise ID program. “The wildfires have really shown the benefit of Livestock Premise ID,” says Boon. “They need to be able to track all of these


guys so if they have their name or premise ID, they can find out who is where and what they are doing. It takes the guess work out of it. Pretty much everyone in a fire zone is registered now.” Physically and emotionally exhausted


after weeks of uncertainty and fighting to protect his property, Doherty says he’s surprised at how well the sheep have managed. “We haven't lost one sheep as a result of


the fire,” he says. “We weaned them and weighed them and weights were quite good. We had the guardian dogs with them, and I think that really made the difference.” Early tensions between the ranchers who


stayed behind to fight fires and officials managing the fires appear to have improved as the fire season progresses. “It has really become evident that ranchers out there are an asset and not a liability,” says Boon. “You have guys out there third or fourth generation; they have experience, equipment, and they know the lay of the land. It's proving to be a huge asset because they know where the escape routes are and how the wind patterns work through some of the valleys and corridors.” Grant Huffman was one of the ranchers


that stayed to protect his family ranch at 153 Mile. He says he’s glad that he stayed. “With so many fires burning, there either


wasn’t adequate equipment to get out to some areas right away or there were tough decisions to make about priorities,” says Huffman pragmatically. “There were a considerable number of ranches in these fires that saved themselves.”


Huffman is concerned that ranchers are getting hit on so many levels: lost cattle; lost grazing opportunities on Crown range that may take years to recover; lost crops in fields that have been burned or heat damaged and lost timber values on private woodlots, among them. Despite the losses, he says agriculture may end up providing some economic stability in communities where the future of timber companies will likely be in question.


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