Sukhdeep Brar, who has worked on his family's Summerland fruit farm for decades, encountered unprecedented conditions in March 2024. Following a freeze that brought temperatures down to -30 degrees across the Okanagan Valley, Brar inspected an 18-acre peach orchard that showed no signs of buds. "We were like, 'This is not going to be good,'" recalls Brar, who holds a vice-president position at the BC Fruit Growers' Association. "There's nothing here."
The orchard's cherry trees experienced only slight improvements, where leaves emerged, yet fruit failed to develop. "I was looking at the blossoms, and they were all dead inside," says Brar. Despite efforts to harvest the surviving cherries, costs outweighed returns, leading to an early termination of the harvest. This inability to recover fruit left Brar facing maintenance and operational expenses without yield income.
Brar reports financial losses estimated "in the seven figures," describing the mental burden as extensive. This sentiment is common among Okanagan fruit growers, many of whom suffered losses in the hundreds of millions. Already impacted by previous climate events and the pandemic, growers contended with a cascade of challenges. Reduced fruit volumes prompted the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative's dissolution, exacerbating economic pressures.
Dr. Kirsten Hannam, an agro-ecologist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, identifies "compounding damages" as a significant issue. She describes scenarios where various stressors, such as cold snaps, pest infestations, and bacterial invasion, combine to gradually weaken trees. "Eventually, you have a tree that's got so much damage on its stem that it struggles to pull water up," explains Hannam.
Research efforts are directed towards selecting climate-resilient rootstocks, evaluating orchard configurations, and using protective measures. "We're realizing how urgently we need to figure out which of these are the most practical and effective," Hannam asserts. The financial stakes are high, with considerable upfront investment required for orchard establishment.
B.C. Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lana Popham, notes accelerated climate change impacts, stressing government financial support initiatives since 2020 totaling more than $225 million. Recovery remains challenging for growers who cannot pivot plantings as readily as field crop producers. "I'm not a canola grower who can switch to soybeans," Brar states, underlining long-term investment concerns.
Consolidation trends are apparent as smaller operations exit and larger farms absorb them. Still, maintaining sustainable production remains difficult amid escalating cost pressures and inadequate insurance compensation. Brar expresses optimism for a return to stability in the upcoming season. "This has to be the year," he says.
Source: BC Business
