AG COORDINATOR UPDATE
The longer daylight hours mean we are turning back towards the sun and spring slowly approaches... False springs aside, it looks like we are heading into a fairly stable weather pattern for the end of February, early March. Good news for people who are in the process of calving and/or lambing!
We are in the thick of Annual General Meeting season - our local agriculture associations and organizations and the people who keep them going are unsung heroes when it comes to advocating and supporting our local agriculture production. Farmers' Markets provide spaces for people to sell their farm products, cattle organizations play a huge role in advocacy, farmers' institutes are a collective voice for all agriculture producers, and 4-H organizations help to teach and mentor younger generations. These and other grassroots organizations (e.g., Nechako Valley Food Network, Groundbreakers Agriculture Association, our local beekeeping organizations) support kids having access to local food in schools, community gardens, mentor new producers, and so much more. In addition to all of the above, our local agriculture associations and organizations provide opportunities for networking between farmers - connecting and comparing notes on crops, livestock, and other common ground (pun not intended) is not only good for the soul, it helps everyone adjust and improve their own farm management.
In addition to these meetings, there are a few workshops, Seedy Saturdays and other events on the horizon (see below). Finally, there are many programs offered by the BC provincial government and Agriculture Canada that may help you with either improving your on-farm infrastructure and/or managing your risk. I've put some links in the newsletter below if any of the information or programs catch your interest.
