EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

These past weeks, I’ve been working with local farmers on emergency planning. Some interesting issues have emerged. It’s not surprising that in our part of British Columbia, Canada, the number one natural threat facing farmers is fire – wildfire and barn fire. Our area contains a patchwork of forests and pasture, with a growing number of homes sprinkled in – creating an ‘interface’ situation. In a wildfire, all efforts are directed toward saving homes. My reminder to the farmers is that the priority of the local or provincial government during a wildfire response is not toward the farm, the crops, the barns, or the livestock. The farmer may get some assistance but don’t count on it!

Most farmers fortunately have thought somewhat thru the scenarios, which basically means either livestock ‘sheltering in place’ or ‘relocating’. Of course the type of farm animal and numbers narrow down the options. In our large commercial farms, the ability to move animals is limited. In reality, poultry in barns can’t be moved. We’re probably looking at a batch of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The same with swine, and also dairy herds.

Milking herds are a case in point. Most dairy cows on today’s farms move their entire adult lives from a ‘loafing barn’ where they are fed and sleep, to a ‘milking parlor’ where they are milked 2, 3, or more times per day. They are creatures of habit and never leave this simple world. In an emergency where evacuation is considered, here are some farmer’s challenges. Can I move milk cows quickly? They are slow moving, methodical animals, stressful, and difficult to move anywhere. How do I move them? Even if I have a trailer, I can only carry 4-6 in a load, and the dairy herd in the area averages 100-120 milk cows, and another 150 young stock and “dry cows”. This could take many hours. Where do I move the herd? Another dairy? A central facility? Either way, I have to milk them, either by machine or by hand, which is hardly feasible. Vacant dairies are not common, and another dairy can’t absorb my herd. Even if moving to another ‘buddy farm’, there are issues with co-mingling the herds (i.e. biosecurity), milk testing and marketing (i.e. who gets paid for what), etc.

Dairy and poultry producers conclude that efforts should be placed on disaster prevention or preparedness at the farm level, rather than energy spent on animal relocation. Such preparedness for wildfires might include buffer zones around barns; having equipment at the ready for creating fire breaks, (i.e. tractors and plows, or irrigation piping); and, soakers moveable or in place to saturate barns and houses threatened by fire.

Hobby and small mixed farmers – those with various livestock in small numbers – are more likely to move their animals for a couple of reasons. The numbers are more reasonable to load onto trailers; their land is usually not as large so a ‘fire buffer’ may not be feasible; creating a firebreak may not be possible due to lack of equipment; and farm animals are usually accustomed to pastures and can be moved ‘on foot’ if necessary. Some challenges are that trailers may not be available, and the co-mingling issue remains.

These are some of the complications that I have encountered when discussing emergency preparation with local farmers. And this just addresses the topic of wildfire. Maybe in the next blog, we can consider earthquake, barn fire, and other risks that these farmers face.

Thanks for reading.