March 16, 2022 (Calgary, AB) – The Livestock Care Conference kicked off this week with three engaging sessions on Tuesday. Starting with a highly interactive student workshop, our featured keynote speaker and rounding the afternoon off with three speakers from the agriculture ministries in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
- Brad Andres, Director – Emergency Management Services, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development,
- Graham Knox, Director – Climate Action and Emergency Management, (Ministry of Agriculture) Government of British Columbia
- Trent Catley, Director of Emergency Response and Inspection, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
These three speakers provided great insight into how their provinces are effectively implementing new strategies for emergency preparedness and response protocols. Discussing the importance of shelter in place plans, such as being able to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours, and what that looks like in the event of an emergency, such as washed-out highways.
This session dove into the many facets that surround livestock emergencies, and how the provincial governments are working with farm/ranch owners to better communicate and handle emergencies. The importance of mass carcass disposal planning guides, relocation of livestock and even what to do during extreme weather events.
B.C. saw two extreme weather events this past year, the heat dome which helped to fuel summer wildfires and the mass rainfall and flooding last fall. Disasters like these show the incredible importance of collaboration between governments, emergency responders and farm/ranch owners.
Those who are interested in how each province addresses emergencies and what they are doing to further mitigate emergencies, predict them and respond quickly, can watch the recorded session through their conference link for up to three months.