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Thompson Nicola Edition
Regional Newsletter
July 2025
Welcome to the July 2025 newsletter! We have several July learning opportunities to highlight and some big funding programs opening for applications soon.
The July newsletter includes:
Feature Of The Month
- Updated B.C. silvopasture resources
Upcoming Summer Events
- July 9: Pivot irrigation field day at River Ranch Farm in Merritt
Drought and Wildfire Preparedness
- Thompson-Okanagan regional drought update
- 2025 quick guide to drought resources
- Emergency management for agriculture - Is your BCPID info up to date?
- BC AgriWeather
- Snow survey and water supply bulletin
- Information regarding temporary foreign workers on-farm
Program and Funding Opportunities
- Summer intake - Buy BC Partnership Program funding
- Highway Fencing Program
- Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program
- Introducing: Climate Agri-Solutions Fund
- Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program
- BC Crop and Livestock Reporter Program
Resources
- *NEW* "Enhancing soil water holding capacity through bale grazing"
- Updated BC silvopasture resources
- Is your business market ready?
- New local food literacy resources
Updated: B.C. silvopasture resources
Check out the recent additions to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's Agroforestry webpage including:
Silvopasture in British Columbia Information Series
A modular series covering basic, intermediate, and advanced silvopasture planning, implementation, and management topics. Thirteen of the sixteen units have been posted as PDFs and narrated presentations.
Silvopasture Case Studies: Producer Perspectives – Silver Hills Ranch
A new AgriService BC video showcasing silvopasture use at Silver Hills Ranch, near Vernon B.C., illustrating how it’s been integrated into the ranch production cycle. Highlights include discussion of maintaining and enhancing forage values, ecosystem values, and timber values on the ranch.
Pivot field day at river ranch farms in Merritt, B.C.
Join us Wednesday, July 9th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM for a Pivot Irrigation Field Day hosted by Southern Irrigation at River Ranch Farm in Merritt, BC. You’ll learn how to best manage a pivot over forage crops and boost yields while conserving water.
RSVP by July 4th.
Thompson-Okanagan regional drought update
An early freshet this year has resulted in unusually low streamflows across many regions. The Similkameen Watershed, for instance, is approaching historically low levels for this time of year. In the Okanagan Watershed, several smaller tributaries have dropped below critical environmental flow thresholds, potentially limiting water availability for both ecological and human needs. The Nicola Watershed is also experiencing flows lower than those observed at this time in 2024. Early snowmelt can lead to prolonged periods of low flow, increasing the risk of water shortages later in the season.
2025 quick guide to drought resources
The quick guide to drought resources has been updated for the 2025 drought season. This guide is available through our Drought in agriculture - Province of British Columbia webpage.
The guide points you to the Drought in Agriculture webpage, where you’ll find easy-to-use resources like:
- Factsheets with practical advice
- Financial support options
- Workshops and videos
- Tools like the BC AgriWeather service and the Evapotranspiration Calculator
It covers important topics such as:
- How to manage your farm during a drought
- Tips for irrigation and forage planning
- Ways to ensure livestock have enough water
- The “Farm Water Fix” video series
- Links to drought-related info from other government departments
*IMPORTANT* : The QR codes in last year’s version are no longer valid.
Emergency management for agriculture - Is your BCPID info up to date?
If you keep livestock, poultry, or bees, its time to update your BC Premises ID — it could make all the difference in an emergency. Take five minutes to login to your account and confirm your details to make sure you are prepared in the event of an emergency.
Not sure if your animals require registration?
Check the BCPID brochure for a full list of species that need to be reported.
Your animals rely on you. Help us support you—keep your BCPID info current.
Register or Reconfirm your account now!
Have a Premises ID, but no online access?
Click "Get Access" under the Access Paper Account section and enter your account number and phone number.
Trouble logging in? Questions? We’re here to help: BCPID@gov.bc.ca | 1-888-221-7141 (Ask for Premises ID)
BC AgriWeather
The BC AgriWeather website, developed and operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, provides weather station data and hosts weather-based decision-support tools for public use, at no cost to users. Producers can access more than 230 weather stations throughout B.C. to view and download current and historical weather data, analyze crop water demand, and track thermal units via desktop and mobile devices.
BC AgriWeather helps agricultural producers make informed decisions in their daily operations as weather conditions change. Please visit our Tools Webpage to explore additional online water tools that the Ministry operates to support the agricultural sector.
Snow survey and water supply bulletin
The June 15 Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin is now complete.
The PDF is the opening page of the report and offers a detailed summary. The full report PDF (19-pages, 2.7 MB) is available online.
An online version of the current snow basin indices map can be found here.
Information regarding temporary foreign workers on-farm
With wildfire season upon us, it's important to be prepared for evacuation alerts and orders. For producers with temporary foreign workers living on-site, it is important that you and your workers know your rights and responsibilities in the event of an emergency. An updated document providing information regarding On-Farm Temporary Foreign Workers is available on the Ministry website.
Summer intake - Buy BC Partnership Program funding
Cost shared funding is available for B.C. producers and processors to support local marketing activities that increase consumer awareness and sales of B.C. agriculture, food, and beverage products.
The application intake for Buy BC Partnership Program funding opened on June 27 and closes on July 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM PST for projects to be delivered between October 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
Note that to be considered eligible for cost-shared funding, all applicants must first register their food and beverage products for Buy BC logo licensing. The Buy BC logo allows eligible businesses to promote their local food and beverage products right away and without having to apply for cost-shared funding.
Highway Fencing Program
- Funded by and delivered in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit, the B.C. Ministry of Forests, and BC Cattlemen's Association
- Provides funds for replacement of existing fences on provincially owned highways
- Must be a B.C. livestock producer to apply
- Accepting applications until August 25th for the 2026 construction season
Learn More and Apply Online: www.cattlemen.bc.ca or call BCCA Fencing Office
1-866-398-2848 ext. 3
Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program
Funding remains available for this year’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program intake. Submit your application now to receive support for your knowledge or skill-building event.
A new infographic has been published summarizing the results from the 2024–25 Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program and the impact of last year’s funding on B.C.’s agriculture and food sector. Click the button below to learn more.
Introducing: Climate Agri-Solutions Fund
Say hello to the Climate Agri-Solutions Fund (CAF)! We are pleased to share the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund (BCCAF) has expanded into a new program, now known as the Climate Agri-Solutions Fund. CAF helps B.C. and Yukon farmers implement beneficial management practices in the areas of nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing.
Funding is available to support farmers in:
- New adoption of nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing practices.
- Expanding nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing practices to a farm area where these practices have not been previously used.
CAF also supports farmers who have previously received funding through BCCAF to continue the adoption of nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing practices.
Maximum funding amount: $100,000
Cost-shared funding ratio: 85%
Applications will be accepted on the IAF Client Portal staring on June 25, 2025 and will remain open until funding is full allocated. Don’t delay submitting your application, we anticipate funding will be fully committed within a few weeks!
APPLICATIONS OPEN ON JUNE 25, 2025
NEW! Book a call
There are now more ways to get in touch with the IAF Team! In addition to contacting IAF by email (caf@iafbc.ca) and by phone (250-940-6150), starting on June 25th you can book a 10-minute phone consultation with an IAF staff member to discuss your CAF application.
Prior to booking a call, please start a draft application, as you must provide your application ID number (example: CAF-202526-0####) when you book the call. This gives you and the IAF staff member a specific application to reference and provide support for during the 10-minute phone call.
Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program
Starting on July 18, 2025, the Stream 3: Assessments, Engineering Studies or Plans, category will have eight activities available for funding:
- Water supply assessments or feasibility studies in key agricultural areas to determine available water supply.
- Engineering studies or plans for water purveyors to assess and determine opportunities for upgrades and expansion of existing purveyed water systems.
- Dam engineering assessments, including redetermination of Consequence Classification.
- Dam emergency plans.
- Dam safety reviews.
- Other professional consultative services as required under the Dam Safety Regulation (DSR).
- Drainage master plans, dike engineering studies or design plans, or any professional consultative services for water purveyors on drainage or dikes to assess and determine opportunities for upgrades or expansion of existing diking and drainage infrastructure.
- NEW! Facilitation and strategic engagement for communities to support collaborative planning to address agriculture water supply challenges or user conflicts.
This new activity field will be available on the application starting July 18th.
Become a volunteer crop and/or livestock reporter
Are you a weather-watcher who checks the rain gauge each morning? Do you enjoy discussing farming and crop conditions with your neighbours? Would you like to contribute local information that helps develop and support B.C.’s agriculture data? The data benefits all those involved in B.C.’s agriculture industry and helps the general public to understand the challenges facing our producers.
Consider becoming a Volunteer Crop and Livestock Reporter with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food today!
Contest Alert! Crop reporters that report weekly for at least 50% of the growing season will be entered into a draw to win a basket of delicious B.C. food products valued at approximately $150!
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.
AgriStability
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.
AgriStability Enrolment Deadline Extension for 2025
The 2025 AgriStability enrolment deadline has been extended to July 31, 2025. This extension provides additional time for producers to register as they manage challenges such as production loss, increased costs, and changing market conditions.
Sign up for AgriStability using our online form or by sending the completed printable/fillable PDF to BC AgriStability.
Rapid Support Available
The interim rate for the 2025 Program Year has increased from 50% up to 75%. Farmers experiencing losses can apply for interim payments under AgriStability for quicker financial assistance.
Utilize Risk Management Programs
Producers are encouraged to use the comprehensive suite of business risk management (BRM) programs, including AgriStability, to protect their operations and contribute to a resilient agriculture sector.
Have questions about AgriStability?
- Call 1-877-343-2767,
- Email: AgriStability@gov.bc.ca, or
- Visit: www.gov.bc.ca/AgriStability
We’re available Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Service is available in English and Punjabi.
Production Insurance
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 with Production Insurance?
- Phone: 1-888-332-3352 toll-free
- Email: ProductionInsurance.Kelowna@gov.bc.ca
- Visit: www.gov.bc.ca/CropInsurance
Staff are available to help with the application and renewal process.
Photo Credit: Josh Stobbe
*NEW* "Enhancing soil water holding capacity through bale grazing"
A new factsheet is now available through the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food website
The factsheet discusses how bale grazing can increase water holding capacity, potential risks, and evidence from Northern B.C. (the Peace Region)
Stay-tuned for an upcoming video on the same topic!
Is your business market ready?
The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food market readiness webpage now features a series of how-to resources providing tips and best practices for B.C. agrifood and seafood businesses. Learn how to use market research, improve your sales pitch, sell your product, develop an e-commerce plan, and more. No matter where you are in your market readiness journey, find information and resources to help you enter or expand your market for a B.C. food product or service HERE.
New local food literacy resources
Discover free, ready-to-use local food literacy resources on the Feed BC in K-12 website—designed to connect classrooms with B.C. food, farmers, and processors!
Find posters, slideshows, and activity sheets on 10 B.C. foods, highlighting the people, places, and stories behind what we eat. Plus, explore The Great B.C. School Food Cookbook—a collection of tasty, student-friendly recipes from schools across the province, all featuring B.C.-grown ingredients.
