Emergency Management

What is Emergency Management and why is it important to you?

Emergency Management (EM) is the coordinated approach to mitigating, preparing for, responding to and recovering from the impact of emergencies and disasters. For farmers and agri-businesses, that means having plans, resources, and supports in place to handle everything from severe weather and power outages to livestock disease outbreaks or biosecurity threats.

In agriculture, emergencies can threaten animal health, crop production, infrastructure, and your ability to operate. The right preparation can mean the difference between a temporary setback and long-term loss. Whether it’s having a plan to move animals during a wildfire or knowing who to call when you suspect a disease, emergency management gives producers the tools to protect what matters most.

Emergency management is not just about response — it’s about being ready before disaster strikes and knowing the path forward after it’s over.

Our Work

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) is leading efforts to strengthen emergency preparedness and resilience across the province’s farming community. We’re working with producers, government, and industry partners to make sure agriculture is part of every stage of emergency planning — from prevention to recovery.

Our work includes:

Developing resources to help farms prepare for a range of emergencies (livestock disease, hurricanes, extreme weather, power loss, etc.)

Creating advisory tools, such as Advisory/Watch/Warning notices and checklists

Collaborating with EMO and government agencies to integrate agriculture into broader emergency plans

Building a Producer Navigator Network to support peer-to-peer response and recovery

Offering training and tools tailored to agriculture’s unique risks and needs

Updating livestock and disease plans to reflect current risks and lessons learned

Promoting on-farm biosecurity

NSFA is here to support Nova Scotia’s farms — helping you prepare today to protect tomorrow.

On-Farm Emergency Planning

Being ready for the unexpected starts right at the farm gate.

On-farm emergency planning is all about creating a customized approach to protect your operation — your people, animals, crops, and infrastructure — in the event of an emergency. Whether it’s a disease outbreak, fire, flood, or winter storm, having a plan in place helps reduce losses and improve response and recovery time.

This section will provide:

*Content coming soon: Downloadable planning templates and how-to guides*

Step-by-step planning guidelines

Templates to help build your own emergency plan

Checklists for different types of emergencies

Tips for communicating with staff, family, and responders

We recognize that some areas of emergency planning overlap with farm safety, and we’re working to ensure content is easy to find and doesn’t duplicate effort. Our goal is to support producers with a seamless, user-friendly experience — whether you’re developing your safety plan or building your emergency preparedness strategy.

Emergency Management Best Practices & Guidelines

Looking for practical, trusted advice to help you prepare?

This section offers clear, actionable resources on how to manage risks and respond effectively in a wide range of emergency situations. From fact sheets to checklists, you’ll find information based on real farm experiences and industry best practices.

Examples include:

Avian Influenza: Fact Sheet

First 48 Hours: Fact Sheet

Hurricane Preparedness for Farms

Winter Storm Response Tips

Livestock Disease Watch Alerts

Whether you’re building your farm’s emergency kit or planning for the upcoming storm season, these resources are here to support you. They’re developed with input from producers, veterinarians, and emergency management professionals to make sure they’re practical, relevant, and ready to use.

Check back often — new fact sheets and resources are being added regularly.

There are already a number of reliable, accessible emergency management tools available to producers — and it’s important that we build upon, not duplicate, these efforts.

Resources like 511 for road closures, Alertable for real-time emergency alerts, and direct contacts for Regional EMO offices are incredibly valuable for situational awareness and response during events. The Emergency Management Coordinator is able to connect producers to these tools through our platform and show how they fit into a broader farm-focused emergency plan.

In short, our approach should be to:

Leverage existing tools where possible

Fill gaps with ag-specific guidance

Ensure sensitive content is protected

And always keep the end-user experience simple, clear, and purposeful