Let's get back to the business of growing food
Relief funding urgently needed for fence replacement
With at least 30 miles of fencing destroyed in the Stoddart Creek fire alone, farmers and ranchers are pleading with the Provincial and Federal governments to provide relief funding, so the fences can be replaced, and they can get back to the business of growing food.
It’s not just the farmers and ranchers themselves trying to organise assistance for producers in the North Peace. Community members have rallied together to donate supplies and manpower, and both the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce and the Peace River Regional District have reached out to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food, requesting funding to get the fences replaced.
“Cattle should not be grazing on hay land, they need to get back to pasture,” said Thomas Stahl, who is spear-heading the efforts to both rebuild the fences and get relief funding from various governments.
There are 15 different ranches affected by the Stoddart Creek wildfire. Stahl said that’s just a portion of the farms and ranches that need help, as there are more in the Boundary Lake and Goodlow areas.
Normally, cattle spend the summer months grazing on dedicated pasture lands, while hay for the winter is grown in other fields. With the fences burnt, not only have the livestock wandered at will, but they’re grazing on that hay supply. If the fences aren’t restored in short order, so that hay can be left to grow, farmers and ranchers will see a shortage of winter fodder for their animals.
“It’s an astounding loss,” said Stahl. “People have worked their entire lives on these farms and ranches. In many years they don’t make a profit, but they continue because they’re doing what they love.”
But without hay for the winter, the losses caused by the fires will continue to grow. Time is of the essence, as the growing season is very short in the North Peace – hay is usually harvested in July, less than two months from now. The health and welfare of the animals is at risk, as well as the economic stability of agriculture in the region.
Stahl said he has reached out to his contacts in government regarding a distaster relief fund, but both the Federal and Provincial governments claim that the situation doesn’t meet the threshold for relief funding.
Volunteers and donors throughout the Peace region have stepped up to help the farmers and ranchers affected by the wildfires. A quarter-mile of fencing material was donated to the Kohuch ranch at Mile 74, Stahl said, by a farmer in Dawson Creek. The Peace River Regional District arranged for the supply of some electric fencing.
Stahl is grateful for all the donations, but says they need to get a commitment from the government for funds.
“The Province has an obligation. There’s a reason we pay taxes,” he said.