Dawson Creek rancher raises alarm about cut to ‘very important’ Farmers Information Service

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A Dawson Creek rancher is speaking out against a cut to the Farmers Information Service. 

Talon Gauthier is currently serving as director of the BC Cattlemen’s Association. 

Gauthier was nominated as a zone one director in January 2025, and her position was officially confirmed after the association’s annual general meeting in June 2025.

She serves as a mediator between cattle farmers in the Peace River South region, which she represents, and the BC Cattlemen’s Association. 

During a recent directors’ meeting, she spoke about an upcoming cut to the Farmers Information Service, which she says is important to many of the cattle farmers she represents.

“Asking for support from the B.C. cattlemen to go to the province and say, ‘this is very important for our region and we want to see this service continued,’” she said. 

The Farmers Information Service (FIS) is a resource that allows farmers in the Peace River Regional District to research and ask questions about how they can handle interactions with oil and gas companies. 

It was funded by a number of ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, now known as the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. 

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, now known as the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions, alongside the BC Oil and Gas Commission, which is now called the BC Energy Regulator, also co-funded the FIS.  

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food told Energeticcity.ca since its introduction, the FIS has developed a range of materials and resources to help producers in those discussions, and farmers and landowners will still be able to access them through its website.

However, the ministry says it will not be providing additional funding this year. 

The service was first announced in December 2020. 

Gauthier says another big topic of concern for the region continues to be drought. She has been advocating for increased water storage for producers.

In order to optimize the amount of water she catches on her farm, Gauthier says she and her husband have been shovelling snow into piles near their dugouts, so when it melts, she is able to utilize the excess water. 

While this works for Gauthier, she says regulations can prevent other farmers from doing the same thing. 

“Because of all the regulations around building dugouts,” Gauthier said. “You have to make sure that you’re going through all the proper channels to get your permits.”

In addition to being director of the association, Gauthier is the chair for the public affairs committee within the BC Cattlemen’s Association, which allows her to help in planning events.

Gauthier will be part of the committee in charge of running the organization’s beef zone booth at Playland, something that happens every year from the end of August to September.  

Together with her husband, Gauthier runs a 300-head commercial cow and calf operation on their ranch, MT Ranch, just north of Dawson Creek. They also manage more than 2,000 acres of perennial and annual crops. 

Gauthier says she enjoys being able to voice the opinions and concerns of cattle farmers in northern B.C. in her role as a director with the BC Cattlemen’s Association.