B.C. provides relief for ranchers as drought causes hay scarcity
Tuesday’s damp weather was a rare respite for Comox Valley cattle rancher Brad Chappell.
This summer's drought conditions have forced him to buy feed for his herd.
Normally this time of year his cattle could rely on grazing upon grass at his ranch, or he'd be able to grow enough hay himself to feed his cattle.
Neither option is doable this year because of bone-dry conditions.
“This is the toughest year for sure that we’ve seen,” said Chappell on Tuesday
The hot, dry weather has decimated hay stocks across Western Canada, making it hard for ranchers to find hay to feed their animals.
On Tuesday, the province announced it’s pairing up hay producers with ranchers in what it called a dating service of sorts.
“The program will help those who need hay by sourcing what’s available and matching them with sellers,” said B.C. Agriculture Minister Pam Alexis.
The scarcity of hay has also made it more expensive. Much of what's available is coming from the United States -- another tough truth the province is hoping to address. It persuaded Ottawa to provide more access to cash advances for struggling ranchers.
“Some producers may have immediate cash-flow challenges given the feed footages and higher than normal prices of feed,” said Alexis.
A few weeks ago, Chappell considered culling his herd. He’s since decided to bite the bullet and pay big prices for hay to feed his cattle.
He calls Tuesday’s announcements positive move, creating a streamlined system for getting hay to ranchers, but knows he's still very vulnerable to the weather.
“You know, we’ll hope for the best, that’s really all I can do,” said Chappell
With his hardest ranching year in three decades, he’s hoping August brings wetter, cooler weather.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
DEVELOPING Police begin removing barricades at a pro-Palestinian demonstrators' encampment at UCLA
Police removed barricades and began dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ fortified encampment early Thursday at the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave, about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked a tent encampment on the campus.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.