Peace leads province in ranch growth
by: David Schmidt
DAWSON CREEK – Ranching in B.C. is not in decline, says Ken Long of
Forest Policy Services.
"The industry has grown 35 per cent from 1986 to 2001," Long told the
B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting in Dawson Creek, June 7.
Long was reporting on a recent FPR survey commissioned by the BCCA. The
survey was intended to determine whether and why ranchers are abandoning
the industry and whether formerly productive ranches are now idle.
He noted that while areas of high land cost which rely on Crown range
(the Kootenays, South Okanagan and Kamloops areas) are in difficulty,
other areas such as the Peace are growing in leaps and bounds.
"The Peace outperforms the rest of the province due to the price of
land, " Long said. "Together the Central and Peace region account for 66
per cent of the increase in the B.C. cow herd."
Cow numbers in the Peace have increased almost 100 per cent in the
past 15 years, much greater than in any other area of the province. Long
attributed that to the fact most Peace beef production occurs on private
rather than Crown land, giving operators many more options.
Long noted Peace producers are also generally much younger than the
provincial average. While over 70 per cent of beef producers in the
Kamloops, Cariboo and Kootenay regions are over 50, over half of Peace
producers are under 50.
High hopes in the Peace
Peace producers also appear to have greater expectations for the
future. Sixty-three per cent of Prince George/Peace River producers
expect to expand their herd while almost 80 per cent of Kamloops
producers either plan to continue at their present production level or
downsize.
"The Peace is strikingly free of policy-related concerns," Long said.
"The region also has the lowest departure rate, the highest expansion
rate and the highest expansion rate and the highest use of private lands
for grazing," Long said.
That is critical as Long believes the cost of doing business on Crown
land will continue to increase as cash and manpower-starved government
ministries download more forest land use planning responsibilities.
As a result, Longs says a full-service beef operation may soon need a
minimum of 500 cows, although smaller operators can offset by sharing
equipment or pooling their resources to deal with Crown land management.
July 2002 - Country Life In BC
