Farmers in the Columbia Basin will receive another year of support from the Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors (KBFA) as the program has been extended through to July of 2021.
“We are proud of what KBFA has accomplished over the past three years and are looking forward to seeing them continue to support producers and promote agriculture throughout the Basin in the year ahead,” said RDEK Board Chair, Rob Gay.
The program was launched in 2017 by the Regional Districts of East Kootenay, Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary with Columbia Basin Trust to provide free technical extension services to agriculture businesses through the Basin.
The initial three-year contract ended on June 30th of this year, but the RDEK said funding was extended based on the ongoing success and positive feedback from food producers.
Over the summer, the RDEK said the KBFA expanded its efforts by reaching out to the local agriculture community to understand the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s great to see the program continue to evolve and expand the way it communicates and interacts with the agricultural sector,” added Gay.
The RDEK said the KBFA has engaged with 850 producers from 563 farms since June 2018. It added that KBFA Advisors have taken 1,840 actions that have directly assisted producers with relevant information and resources.