September 25, 2023

 

Wildfires, drought put British Columbia, Canada beef producers in precarious position

 

 

 

Beef producers in British Columbia, Canada, are dealing with the most destructive wildfire season in the province's history and are tallying their losses in terms of cattle and infrastructure such as fences, said an industry leader.

 

"It's been one of those summers," said Kevin Boon, general manager of the BC Cattlemen's Association. "Between fire and drought and water shortages, it's been crazy."

 

Most of BC's water basins were at drought level 4 or 5 as of September 14, said a provincial statement. Five is the highest level and marks the point when creeks are running dry.

 

The province has been in drought since June 2022 and the situation has continued to worsen, with producers who raise forage facing further shutdowns in irrigation, said Boon. Some areas have lost the third and final cut of the hay needed to get cattle through the winter, he said during an interview on September 14.

 

The provincial government provided $150,000 earlier this year to help beef producers find other sources of feed, including south of the border in the state of Washington. However, the cost could become prohibitive for ranchers in northern BC, said Boon.

 

"It's just with the cost of fuel and everything else, every hour that it's got to be on that truck is another $250 or so, so it adds up very, very quickly," he added.

 

Although cattle have been killed due to this year's wildfires, there isn't yet a solid estimate of the numbers, said Boon. Most of the pasture in the summer grazing lands used by beef herds in the province consists of Crown land that is often rugged and mountainous, and the animals are typically rounded up in mid-October through November.

 

The number of wildfires in BC this year totalled 2,178 as of September 17, with 401 considered to be currently active and 10 rated as wildfires of note. About 5.6 million acres have been burned so far this year, up from the next highest total of 3.3 million acres in 2018.

 

A rancher liaison programme launched in 2021 by the BC Wildfire Service and the BC Cattlemen's Association has improved communication with beef producers, likely helping to minimise cattle losses this year, said Boon.

 

"We have seen some cattle perish, but not nearly to the extent we've seen in the past."

  

The most significant loss in terms of property damage for BC beef producers from wildfires is usually fences, he said.

 

"We have no idea at this point what it will be," he commented.

 

The industry is still working to replace about 1,500 kilometres of fences destroyed in 2021, which will likely take until at least 2026, said Boon. It took until 2021 to replace fences lost due to fires in 2017, and until last year to replace fences destroyed in 2018, he added.

 

Although beef producers had previously dealt with wildfires, they have never experienced the magnitude of the fire seasons that have occurred in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023, which are the four largest in BC's history, he said.

 

"We're out there where the fires are at, and that's why we lose so much of that infrastructure is the forest and grassland fires are exactly what it takes to burn the fences."

 

Boon expected the intensity of this year's wildfires will continue to decrease as BC moves into the fall and lower temperatures.

 

- The Western Producer