VANCOUVER — British Columbia is enduring a record-breaking dry spell, but farmer Amir Mann says the drought is far preferable to other recent weather extremes.
“You can always apply more water, but it’s hard to get rid of water,” he said, referring to B.C.’s historic floods last November.
Mann and others involved in agriculture say the downside of the drought, which has required some crops to be irrigated, is offset by benefits such as a longer harvesting period and little rot.
BC Agriculture Council president Stan Vander Waal said fall’s dry spell had been useful to many farmers, after a wet spring.
“There’s nothing better than having a dry fall for farmers to get crop out of the field and to manage crops,” he said in an interview.
“We had very adequate moisture, actually a little too much in the beginning. As long as they can get enough cover on the crop before the conditions start drying up, the moisture will retain enough to finish the crop off.”
Mann, who runs Mann Farms in Abbotsford, harvests a variety of crops including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pumpkins, corn, gourds, squash and grapes.
“Because it’s been so dry, we have very little rot and the quality is amazing,” he said, pointing to his pumpkin crop as an example.
“It’s beneficial in regard to having no fungus and we don’t have to spray pesticides. It’s the end of the season and what we’ve noticed is the pumpkin quality has been exceptional — nice, hard pumpkins (that are) bright orange, the stem is nice and strong, and there’s very little fungus.”
However, he said, irrigation is essential. Farms without sophisticated irrigation systems, that instead rely on rain to water their crops, have likely fared worse, he added.
Sean Smulker, an associate professor in the faculty of land and food systems at the University of British Columbia, said the impacts of a drought depend on its timing in the crop production cycle.
“What farmers are looking for is the total number of productive days over the summer period, and if it’s been impacted in the beginning or the end, that’s shaving away from that productivity and potentially impacting their yields and profitability,” he said.
“Ideally, you’d be dry on both ends (of the season) and you’d be able to compensate much easier with some irrigation.”
Vander Waal said he doesn’t foresee any major long-term impact on agriculture unless the drought extends through the winter, which is too early to predict.
“Our biggest concern would be what’s going to happen over the winter. The snowpack is critical in that it provides irrigation water for a lot of areas,” he said.
Vander Waal noted that government-imposed water restrictions could be a concern in some areas of the province, saying farmers should be prioritized.
“If we want to keep the food supply alive, we also need to make sure we have water for the food supply,” he said.
Mann said there are risk mitigation strategies farmers should adopt to prepare for extreme weather events. For instance, he said unfavourable strawberry yields led to the farm finding an alternative growing option: a strawberry greenhouse, which now allows the farm to harvest berries for 10 months of the year.
“Price fluctuations, market conditions and costs are all ever-changing, weather is always ever-changing, so as a farmer, you have to be able to provide either a consistent crop or high quality and you can’t do that based off the weather that we’re having. You have to be able to just do something a little bit above and beyond,” he said.
Smulker said farmers are working to “build farm resilience” to extreme weather events caused by climate change, including improved trench yard drainage and irrigation systems.
“Certainly there are a suite of technologies that can be deployed to make the farming system more efficient terms of labour, in terms of nutrients, and those all helped build resilience as well,” he said.
Vander Waal agreed, adding that the government should also adopt a more sustainable water storage system.
“In agriculture, the key to success is ultimately recognizing that these climate change events are real, and they continue to happen. So, if we recognize the fact that we have surplus water at certain times of the year, the importance is to make sure we’re storing that water so we can use it when we need it,” Vander Waal said.
“There’s this balancing act, and this is where government, from a policy point of view, can really, really can help.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2022.
Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Sentencing hearing continues for University of Waterloo gender studies class stabber
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio making a difference off the pitch as well as on it
Inequality has broad impacts on the health of Montreal children, report finds
Liberal majority victory shifts political landscape in New Brunswick
Thomson Reuters acquires AI accounting assistant developer Materia
Legault ‘shocked’ by Montreal teacher scandal, pledges to toughen secularism measures
Ontario aiming to become energy superpower, Energy Minister Stephen Lecce says
Sonia Furstenau staying on as B.C. Greens leader in wake of indecisive election
