$5M in provincial funding to protect Okanagan’s tree fruit from extreme weather

The Okanagan tree fruit industry was hit hard by extreme weather last year and the provincial government is providing $5 million to help orchardists prepare for future extreme cold weather events.

The $5 million Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency program will provide 80 per cent cost-share funding for eligible projects up to a maximum of $100,000 per farm business, according to a Ministry of Agriculture media release issued today, Jan. 30. Although it has been a relatively mild winter in the Okanagan so far, there is ample time left for a cold snap.

“The Okanagan is home to B.C.’s iconic tree-fruit sector and through my conversations with growers, I know how hard it has been for them to deal with the effects of extreme heat and extreme cold,” Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu said in the release. “Climate change is a real challenge for our farming communities and this new program will help growers with projects and equipment that support their farms’ profitability, resiliency and sustainable food production for the years ahead.”

The cold snap last winter, heat waves in the summer and the closure of BC Tree Fruits Cooperative made 2024 a particularly challenging year for a lot of farmers. The provincail funding is supposed to pay for things like protective covers, energy efficient heaters and wind machines for the winter, and canopy sprinklers and shade protection for the summer.

The program is also open for people working on innovative projects to help the fruit industry resist the effects of climate change.

“Last summer, British Columbians saw almost no local cherries available and missed out on having delicious Okanagan peaches to enjoy,” Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham said in the release. “We know these climate impacts will continue, which is why we’re helping growers with a new program so their crops and businesses become more resilient in the face of increasingly challenging growing conditions.”

The program allows farmers to make a joint application for a project that would help multiple farms like a wind machine that could be used on several properties.

The B.C. Fruit Growers Association and B.C. Cherry Association gave input on the funding program.

“As one of B.C.’s largest cherry producers, we are seeing an increasingly volatile climate stretching the ability of growers to adapt,” Jealous Fruits CEO David Geen said in the release. “Climate mitigation strategies, such as frost-control materials, installation of wind machines, and researching and developing hardier genetics and varieties can all contribute to a more stable cherry industry. It is great that the B.C. government is listening to grower concerns and providing funding for these industry endeavours.”

Farmers can start sending in their applications today, and applications will be accepted until all the money has been committed.

Go here for more information.