Two rural municipalities in the northwest of Alberta are playing the alarm on the extremely dry conditions that local officials say they threaten the sustenance of many farmers in the region.
On July 8, the Municipal District of Greenview, located about 400 kilometers northwest of Edmonton, declared a municipal agricultural disaster for its livestock industry.
With a widespread climate that persists throughout the region, neighboring County of Grande Prairie also declared an agricultural disaster on Friday due to similar concerns for its livestock herds.
In a new launch on Monday, Greenview’s MD declared that the decision was made due to unprecedented drought conditions and significant abstation of grasshoppers in the region, which are causing the lands of hay and pastures to fail.
Bill Smith, the deputy Reeve for the MD of Greenview and a fourth generation rancher, said he cannot remember a time when the region saw so many consecutive years of dry conditions.
“I have asked some of the veterans that I know, and none of them say that they have seen it so badly, because in addition to how dry it is, it is these grasshoppers that are only hitting us.”
The exceptional drought conditions are leaving ranchers worried that they don’t have enough hay to feed their cattle, Smith said.
“I should get 3,000 bundles a year, and I’m probably going to reach 500 [bales this year]. Last year, there were about 1,000. This is almost as severe as it will do for us. “
Smith said the dry conditions are being aggravated by multitudes of grasshoppers that are devouring any new growth of the plant in the area.
“Now, we have these saltamontes, and they are only flying right now, and they are like a combination that crosses the field. They are only sucking any quality [hay] we have. “
Tyler Olsen, the Reeve for the Greenview MD, said he is very worried that the local drought conditions will result in a serious lack of food for the herds of cattle in the region during autumn and winter. As a result, he said that these conditions could force farmers to prevent their herds preventively.
“There are producers who are already looking to sell. They just can’t overcome the fall with what they have,” said Olsen.
Olsen hopes that declaring this agricultural disaster helps to raise awareness about some of the needs of the livestock industry of the municipality of the provincial and federal governments.
Listening | Drought conditions result in an agricultural disaster declared in the Greenview MD
Active radioDry conditions have led a community in northern Alberta to declare a state of agricultural disaster
Parts of the province have been dealing with prolonged drought periods and that is affecting some agricultural industries. The Municipal District of Greenview in the northwest of Alberta has declared a state of agricultural disaster for cattle producers in the region. Tyler Olsen is the district’s Reeve, and Bill Smith is the deputy Reeve for the area, as well as a fourth generation rancher.
In an open letter to the Alberta Minister of Agriculture, RJ Sigurdson, Olsen requested that Greenview’s MD be included in the regions that are eligible for the Federal Program for Livestock Tax Differences.
He also requested an additional mental health support for farmers fighting with the worsening conditions of their cattle.
“It is their livelihoods that are failing now, and that will be hard for them. Their minds are part of everything, and if we cannot also protect them, then it will be even more harmful.”
In a statement to CBC, the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture declared that it provides subsidies to multiple organizations that offer specific mental health support for agriculture for farmers.
The Ministry also said that the province is committed to continuous defense efforts at the federal level on behalf of cattle producers affected by extreme climatic conditions. He said that, as a result of this defense, the most eligible regions in Alberta have been able to access federal financial support.
Smith said that many farmers in the area can be forced to abandon the livestock industry completely due to current difficult conditions.
“To face the fact that we could have to get rid of [our livestock] It’s simply heartbreaking, “Smith said.
