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Peace producers break ground

Some BC Peace grain producers are getting an early start to the growing season to take advantage of what little moisture is available after a dry winter. File photo | Matt Odermatt

The soil is dry, but Peace producers are optimistic about the season ahead.

“We’ve had a very mild winter up here. We hardly had any snow and typically, when we’re this far north, we’ll have a foot and a half of snow in the field at some point and this year we had two to three inches,” says grower and BC Grain Producers Association president Malcolm Odermatt.

Generally, Peace Region producers start planting during the second week of May, but some are taking advantage of warm, dry conditions to get make an early start.

“There’s considerable acres put in around Rolla and Dawson Creek,” Odermatt says.

But early seeding boosts the risk of frost kill. The area recently received three inches of snow, underscoring the dangers, but producers are also trying to use what little moisture is in the ground to get crops started.

“We are going to have to rely on rains and showers to water our crops for the growing season, which is kind of scary because normally we can rely on the snowpack,” Odermatt says.

The region entered the winter at Level 5 drought, and the most recent snow conditions and water supply bulletin estimated the Peace snowpack at 65% of normal for April 1.

With the various issues facing producers, the Peace River Regional District has rolled out a survey to gauge public interest in renewing a local Agricultural Advisory Committee.

A previous committee had existed from 2002 to 2018, but the group dissolved due to a lack of participation.

A key impetus for reviving the committee, which serves as an advisory body to local government, was the strong opposition many producers expressed to a land-sharing proposal local First Nations brought forward through a consultant to the regional district last summer.

“They were going to do more consultations,” Odermatt says. “But when it was going for a second reading with the regional district, and when all the landowners found out that this was being proposed and talked about, they were up in arms.”

The experience underscored the need for better communication with local landowners and farmers, prompting the regional district to propose reviving its agricultural advisory committee.

The online survey is open from April 10 to May 3 at 4pm. Regional district staff will then review feedback and present findings to the regional board.