SOUND OFF: After a tough summer, farmers and ranchers can access more supports
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IT HAS BEEN A BRUTALLY LONG YEAR-AND-A-HALF navigating a global pandemic, and the wildfires this summer have only added to that stress for people across B.C.’s Interior.
Farming and ranching are labours of love. Love of the land, the livestock, and the lifestyle. Long days are spent prepping, seeding, weeding and watering, caring for the animals, harvesting, processing and starting all over again. This work doesn’t stop for pandemics. And now, thousands of agricultural producers and workers across the province have been put on evacuation alert or order with the accompanying anxiety of losing belongings, homes and businesses.
Farmers and ranchers are our neighbours, friends and family. They are central to food security in our communities. These are the folks that grow the veggies we love to pick up at our farmers’ markets, the people who raise the meat, produce and eggs that many British Columbians consume, and the ones who grow the flowers that grace our tables. This year’s persistent threat of wildfires has been devastating to many farmers and ranchers as they have had to leave their homes, livelihoods, memories and animals untended.
Given the importance of this sector and overwhelming challenges of 2021, I wanted to take this chance to communicate some of the government supports in place for those farmers and ranchers suffering due to the wildfire situation across the province.
