Northern BC has been locked into a level 5 drought for more than a month and if major rain events don’t happen between now and the fall, farms and ranches may be in a tight spot.

Already the drought has forced some ranchers to thin their heard, as of right now others have no secure source of hay for the winter, as this has been one of the worst hay harvests in recent years throughout Northern, B.C. The price of hay has sky rocketed in the past couple of weeks and there are calls for the federal and provincial governments to step in to help farmers and ranches through one of the worst drought in years.

There are also several water restriction orders in many communities from Vanderhoof to Terrace. These restrictions mostly pertain to watering lawn and fountains, but also over use of water for none especially needs.

And although this season pink salmon, as well as other species are doing fairly well, prolonged  low water levels and dryer conditions could spell trouble for many fish, especially Steelhead which are on track to record the worst Skeena Steelhead return ever.

Today we’ll chat with MP for Skeena Bulkley Valley Taylor Bachrach about what he’s been hearing from dairy and cattle ranchers struggling to find hay for their stock, and we catch up with Joe Hug from Health hugs Organic Farms about the dry conditions he’s experiencing on his farm, according to Joe, the worst he’s ever seen.