Peace Edition Regional Newsletter
June 2026 | Feature of the Month: Upcoming Events: Accepting Applications: Business Risk Management Programs: Flood, Drought, and Wildfire Preparedness: Resources and Services: | Fertilizer Cost Calculator | Use the Fertilizer Cost Calculator to compare fertilizer prices. Fertilizer costs, particularly for nitrogen-based fertilizers, have risen dramatically over the past couple of months. To help you compare fertilizer costs and plan nutrient applications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has developed a Fertilizer Cost Calculator tool. The Excel-based tool allows producers to enter current fertilizer prices, their crop's nutrient requirements, and the application rate of each fertilizer to determine the overall cost of fertilizing each field and compare different fertility options. You can find the tool on the Ministry’s Nutrient Management webpage at gov.bc.ca/NutrientManagement. | 2026 Peace River Forage Association (PRFA) Summer Pasture Tour | When: June 18, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Register by June 16. Where: Near Hudson’s Hope, Venator Ranches Register here | | Join the Peace River Forage Association of B.C. for a great day of all things forage in their summer pasture tour! The tour will discuss pasture rejuvenation, pasture pipeline watering systems, irrigation, meat packing plant, value-added farm products, and direct marketing. Lunch will be provided. | Webinar: Indigenous Agricultural Development Network | When: June 23, at 10:00 AM (PT) Where: Online (Zoom) Register here | | Join us for the Indigenous Agricultural Development Network, hosted by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Starting June 23rd, 2026, on the fourth Tuesday of each month, we will share knowledge with agricultural experts on a wide variety of topics pertaining to Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems. The June 23 session will host Jacqueline Jennings from Ispahcâw Consulting and Ione Smith from Upland Agricultural Consulting as they present Stewarding Food Systems Projects:, A Decision-Making Guide for Indigenous Communities. Indigenous food and agriculture projects often navigate layered systems: community priorities, governance processes, land use considerations, operational capacity, and capital constraints. Clear structure helps prevent delays, strengthen decision making, and support food sovereignty outcomes. Stewarding Food System Projects: A Decision-Making Guide for Indigenous Communities is grounded in years of Indigenous leadership, partnership, and collective learning across British Columbia. Indigenous Nations and organizations have consistently affirmed that food systems are inseparable from Indigenous laws, cultures, economies, and responsibilities to land and water. Food is not simply a sector or service, it is a living system that sustains community wellbeing, governance, and self-determination. | 70th Annual Beekeepers’ Field Day | When: June 26, 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM (MST) Where: Beaverlodge Research Farm: Beaverlodge, 100038 Township Road 720, AB Join the Beaverlodge Research Farm staff to learn about current trends and techniques in beekeeping with industry professionals, researchers and specialists, including featured speaker, Dr. Pierre Giovenazzo. This event is free to attend, for more information contact Steve Pernal at steve.pernal@agr.gc.ca or 780-354-4270 | BC Grain Producers Field Tour and AGM | Mark your calendars and save the date! The BC Grain Producers Association will be hosting their annual field tour and general meeting on July 9th. Keep an eye on their website for further details as they are announced: https://bcgrain.com/ | Traceability Adoption Program | Traceability Adoption Program (TAP) applications are now open! Receive cost-shared funding towards the purchase and installation of traceability systems, practices, technologies or infrastructure to help you meet new and existing regulatory requirements for the traceability of food, animals, and seafood products. Learn more and apply | Beneficial Management Practices (BMP) Program | Submissions are open for: - Extreme Weather: Plans & Assessments
Book a Call:
If helpful, book a 10-minute phone consultation about your application. Prior to booking an appointment, please start your draft application and provide the ID number (similar to: BMP-202425-0####). Learn more The program is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. (IAF). Funding is provided in part by the governments of Canada and British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. Additional funding has been provided by Clean B.C. | Disease diagnosis in smallholder pigs, sheep, goats, and poultry | Do you have less than 100 pigs, poultry, sheep or goats on your premises? The province offers a program for disease diagnosis in smallholder (<100) poultry, pigs, sheep and goats in B.C. The purpose of the program is to support producers and their veterinarians in managing their animal's health, and to monitor for regulated diseases. Learn more | Insurance and Income Protection Programs are an important part of a farmer's overall risk management strategy. AgriStability and Production Insurance work together to provide the best coverage for producers. | The Statement A submission deadline has changed! - Deadline: June 30, 2026 (was September 30)
- Final deadline: September 30, 2026 (was December 31)
To be eligible for payments, participants must complete and submit a Statement A every year. Learn more about How to file your Statement A. Our new online forms make it faster and easier to participate, and if you ever need help, just give us a call — we’re here to support you! AgriStability helps stabilize farm income by managing the risk of large income declines. The AgriStability program is based on the income and expenses of individual farms. Learn more | Production Insurance helps producers manage their risk of crop losses caused by hail, spring frost, excessive rain, drought, flooding and other extreme weather events. In British Columbia, Production Insurance is available for: Need Help? Production Insurance Representatives are available to help with claims, application and renewal process. Learn more | Drought monitoring has begun: Monitor conditions and make a plan for limited water | The May 15 Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin reports the regional mountain snowpack at 120% of normal. This contrasts with the province overall which is at 71% of normal, with lower percentages throughout Southern B.C. Due to the broad geography of the Peace region, some areas have started to experience level 1 drought conditions while others have experienced heavy rainfalls and snow melt. With conditions evolving across the province, the B.C. River Forecast Centre is now actively monitoring drought conditions.
As drought levels are set, now is a good time to be planning for the possibility or reality of limited water and to be looking for opportunities to use water more efficiently. Staying informed and planning ahead for water scarcity, can all help reduce stress on local water sources through the summer. Small actions do add up. Actions to help you plan for drought: - Bookmark the B.C. Drought Information Portal where you'll find current drought levels and monitoring information for your area, or subscribe to the weekly B.C. Drought and Water Scarcity Bulletin for current conditions, local impacts and emerging water scarcity risks across the province.
- Visit our Drought in Agriculture page for drought management resources and tools to support you with water storage options or information on livestock management during drought.
- Use the BC AgriWeather dashboard to inform on-farm decisions. The dashboard provides near real-time weather data from more than 250 agricultural weather stations across the province and weather-based decision support tools for evapotranspiration, degree days, and spray conditions so producers can stay a step ahead in their daily operations.
- The BC AgriWeather dashboard also links to the Peace Agri Weather Network, which has its own tools such as Fusarium Head Blight risk and Wheat Midge emergence.
| BC Wildfire Service Spring 2026 Seasonal Outlook | “High Drought Code values indicate an increased potential for extreme fire behaviour.” - BC Wildfire Service Spring 2026 Seasonal Outlook Take steps to prepare now: - Sign up for local emergency notifications
- Register to receive emergency alerts from your local community (regional district, municipality, or First Nation) so you can act quickly. Find more info on their website.
- Plan to protect livestock
- Do you need a “buddy farm” where livestock could be relocated temporarily? Or will you move animals to another range or safer pasture?
- Register for Premises ID to help local responders provide efficient support to protect livestock.
- Reduce risk of wildfire damage to farm structures
- What’s the leading cause of structure ignition from wildfires? Find out here
- Small steps to reduce chances of structure ignition:
- Avoid storing items leaning against structures; store items inside a structure or in a pile at least 10m away from buildings.
- Close in openings that embers could enter through (such as soffits, or gaps in siding) with 3mm non-combustible metal mesh.
- Create a 1.5m non-combustible immediate area around buildings using gravel, concrete, or just digging down to mineral soil.
- Get custom recommendations to reduce wildfire damage to your structures with a free FireSmart Farm & Ranch Assessment to identify practical changes. Learn more at firesmartbc.ca/farm-and-ranch/
Small actions now can make all the difference during wildfire. For a comprehensive, made-in-B.C. preparedness checklist, check out the Farm & Ranch Wildfire Preparedness Guide & Workbook at firesmartbc.ca/farm-and-ranch/ | New AgriServiceBC video series: How to Stage Your Forage Crop | This video series demonstrates the importance of staging and understanding growth patterns in forage crops to make informed management decisions including nutrient management, pesticide applications, and harvest timing. The video series features three forage crops including corn, grass, and alfalfa. Watch the videos using the buttons below. | Seeking Farmers for 2027 Dry Farming Trials | Targeted Grazing Resources | Targeted grazing is the intentional use of livestock and enhanced grazing to meet specific site or landscape management objectives (e.g., weed management, wildfire risk reduction). As a wildfire risk reduction tool targeted grazing reduces fine fuels such as grasses and other forages that influence wildfire behaviour. A pilot led by the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) in collaboration with the province shows that targeted grazing can be an effective tool in the risk management toolbox. Targeted grazing can lead to less fuels on the landscape, decreasing risk and improving landscape defensibility.
A project technical report and a site selection guide have been posted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food silvopasture section of the Agroforestry webpage. Additional factsheets and guides will be posted online as they become available. Learn more | B.C. Indigenous Pathfinder Service | Looking to start or grow an Indigenous food systems initiative?
The B.C. Indigenous Pathfinder Service offers free, personalized, concierge-style support to Indigenous farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, businesses, economic development corporations, non-profits, and communities across British Columbia.
We’re here to help you navigate and access:
- Programs, services, and funding opportunities
- Government systems, processes, and pathways
- Project planning and development support
- Connections to partners, organizations, and collaborators
Whether you’re just getting started or scaling an existing initiative, the B.C. Indigenous Pathfinder Service can help you navigate available resources and supports.
Get in Touch
Email: IndigenousFoodSystems@gov.bc.ca
Phone: 236-426-5024
Funding for the B.C. Indigenous Pathfinder Service is provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. Learn more | Contact your local Regional Agrologist Brenna Schilds Email: Brenna.Schilds@gov.bc.ca AgriService BC connects farmers, food processors and new entrants to agricultural services, programs and information that can help them succeed. | | | | | |
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