Tree-fruit growers across B.C. have launched 67 projects with support from the $5-million Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency program aimed at protecting orchards from extreme weather.
Cherry growers in the Okanagan account for the majority of the newly-funded projects underway, 49 in total.
“The B.C. Cherry Association was very pleased to see the high uptake by industry in this program,” says president Sukhpaul Bal. “After five consecutive years of extreme climate events, we needed to take a proactive approach.”
Overall, projects include 52 wind machines, 10 energy-efficient heaters, two hail netting, one shade/heat protection netting, an evaporative-cooling system and one innovative project for a freeze chamber to test bud hardiness. These projects will protect nearly 360 hectares of orchards from extreme cold and heat.
“I know from my visits to orchards and meetings with growers how much these projects can help, and I am excited to see growers using this technology to protect their crops and increase production of the renowned Okanagan fruit that B.C. takes pride in,” says Harwinder Sandhu, parliamentary secretary for agriculture and MLA for Vernon-Lumby.”