Happy September from the ACS team!

We are pleased to let you know that we are moving ahead with work on Phase Two for the Agricultural Climate Solutions (Livings Labs) program. We have been busy conducting background research and tools to help us engage with farmers, ranchers and researchers this fall. We know everyone’s time is valuable and we want to make sure each engagement we have is meaningful and well thought out. The work that we have currently underway includes:

• A review of climate change-related BMP research in BC. This is being led by the BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network (ACARN) and will be used to provide each commodity group identified in our application an overview of the available research capacity and experience. This is an important step because we want to make sure that our Living Lab application builds on shovel-ready work that BC producers find valuable.
• A survey asking producers which BMPs they currently use and, if they are not using them, why not. The survey is geared towards producers from the three commodity groups identified in our ACS application: cattle & forage, fruit & berries, and field vegetables. To complete the survey, please visit: IAF-BCAC Beneficial Management Practices Survey.

A project steering committee is also being assembled and plans to meet on September 23, 2021. This meeting will give us the opportunity to work directly with our key project partners to finalize our project objectives, determine the best way to engage with each commodity group, and confirm the work plan for this fall.

We want to thank everyone for their continued interest in our ACS project. This work will be advancing quickly so we look forward to providing you with another update soon!