Groundwater Licensing
March 1, 2022 is the deadline to apply for an existing use ground water license. If you have questions or concerns about your groundwater licensing, please contact a water authorization staff in your district. Click here for a list.
REPORT: May 2016 (Prepared by MNP) Study of the Costs and Benefits Associated with Dams and Reservoirs on British Columbia Cattle Ranches
There are 1,501 active dams in B.C., including those associated with hydro-electric power generation, agricultural use, industrial use, municipal water supply, and domestic use, as well as structures that regulate lake or river levels. Of the active dams in B.C., approximately 60 percent, or 900 dams, are operated by B.C. cattle ranchers.
Of the dams operated by cattle ranchers in B.C., MNP estimates that 837 are currently classified under the Dam Safety Regulation.2 Of these, 712 are classified as lower risk dams and 125 are classified as higher risk dams. MNP estimates that the average annual cost to operate a lower risk dam is $1,950, while the average annual cost to operate a higher risk dam is $14,425. Consequently, MNP estimates that the total cost to operate agricultural dams in B.C. by cattle ranchers is approximately $3.2 million per year. This consists of $1.4 million to operate lower risk dams and $1.8 million to operate higher risk dams. Table A summarizes the estimated total average annual costs to operate agricultural dams by cattle ranchers in B.C.
Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation
New rules came into effect in September 2019 for open burning. Producers are urged to familiarize themselves with the new regulation, below are a number of helpful resources.
About the Regulation:
Helpful Resources:
BCCA & FRPA (Forest & Range Practices Act) - July 2019
Emergency Management Workshop Resources
BC Cattlemen's and AgSafe BC created an Emergency Management Workshop series that traveled to 12 towns across the province over eight weeks. The workshops were kindly sponsored by Imperial Oil and Horse Council of BC.
For anyone who missed the workshops or would like a refresher, the following documents summarize the teachings of the workshops and include a fillable PDF emergency plan for your ranch or farm, that was created by BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative.
2018 Emergency Management Workshops - Web Version
Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Plan
Wildfire Preparedness & Mitigation Plan Guide
Animal Health Emergency Management Handbook for Beef Producers
The Canadian Animal Health Coalition(CAHC), in partnership with with BC Cattlemen's, has produced a handbook for BC beef producers to utilize in the case of an animal health emergency. The handbook can be found here as a PDF.
Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle
The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle was released in 2013. The Code is a nationally developed guideline for the care and handling of beef cattle. The National Farm Animal Care Council leads the development of the Code.
Livestock Antibiotics - Update on Prescription Requirements
As of December 1, livestock producers will be required to have a prescription for virtually any antibiotic required to treat livestock. For more information see the following resources:
WorkSafeBC Rancher Information
Please click on the links below to find some useful fact sheets from WorkSafeBC about ranch safety considerations, as well as some frequently asked questions about workers and volunteers on your ranch.
The Western Livestock Price Insurance program, a risk management program available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is now known as Livestock Price Insurance (LPI). This change does not change the details or delivery of the Program. Producers can purchase Livestock Price Insurance on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. MT. Claims can be made on Mondays between 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. MT. If you require assistance, visit lpi.ca or call 1-844-782-5747
Facilitated by Monty Crisp of Risk Reduction Strategies, the BC Ministry of Agriculture, with assistance from BC Cattlemen's Association has developed an on-farm emergency management guide to assist ranchers in preparing for, and dealing with emergency situations such as fire, flood, animal disease outbreak, etc. Click on the link below to download an electronic copy or contact the Ministry of Agriculture for a paper copy. The guide is divided into sections for each type of emergency, in a binder format to allow producers to insert information from other sources, or insert pages from this guide into other locations, such as farm safety plans.
We've also added a page 7b for information on brand inspection.
Download Emergency Management Guide for Beef Producers
Page 7b - Livestock Brands Registry & Inspection Service
Premises ID & Traceability
The Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging all beef producers to register their home site into the Provincial Premises ID system. The Premises ID system:
If you think you may already have a premises ID, but want to verify its validity, please use this National Premises Lookup tool. Simply type in your premises ID number - it will indicate VALID (everything is up to date), CONDITIONAL (you may need to check with Ministry of Agriculture to verify), or UNCONDITIONAL (you don't yet have a valid BC Ministry of Ag premises ID -follow registration instructions above.
For more information, visit the BC Premises ID Program page.