The province is offering farmers and ranchers in the Cariboo a couple of free workshops linked to drought preparation.
Angela Boss, Director of Agriculture Development for the southern part of the province, says they have offered Agricultural Water Management Workshops for at least the past 6 years.
“We’re going to be continuing to offer those workshops in more locations this winter, including a number of them in the Cariboo and along Highway 16. These workshops will assist farmers to optimize their irrigation systems, and explore options for on-farm water storage and drainage.”
Boss says they will also be offering for the first time Drought Management Engagement Sessions.
“These sessions are being offered both in-person and online. In these sessions we’re collaborating closely with water management staff to improve drought related communication, extension and outreach opportunities to best support farmers and ranchers in preparing for and responding to drought.”
Boss says they also want the agricultural community to better understand how and why drought-related decisions are made.
She says the workshops are free.
“We’re hoping to see as many people out to the workshops as possible. There are quite a few being offered in the Cariboo region and all of the information and registration is available on our ministry of agriculture website The sessions themselves are no cost, but we do ask people to register in advance so we can ensure that there are enough refreshments and seats for everybody that would like to attend.”
Agricultural Water Management Workshops will take place in Williams Lake on March 1st and in Quesnel on the 2nd.
Decoding Drought Workshops are on March 23rd and 24th in Williams Lake.
The sessions are being presented by staff with both the Ministry of Water, Land and Water Stewardship, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
