MONEY raised through the Say Hay charity concerts last fall was recently allocated to producers in need of help.
At the same time, greater availability of feed has led to suggestions that last year’s drought and feed shortage was not as desperate as initially thought.
These situations tell only part of the story. It’s true that more livestock feed has become available than most people predicted last spring and summer when drought continued and widened in large parts of central Alberta and Saskatchewan. But most of it came as a surprise.
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Late-season rains encouraged forage growth. Early frost and wet weather in late summer and early fall downgraded other crops, many of them already drought-stunted, which meant more of it was put up for feed instead of being stored for other markets. As well, some farmers facing drought-reduced yields fed their crops to livestock because it made economic sense.
Last year, Saskatchewan’s seeded acreage was 34.3 million. Only 25.6 million acres of that were harvested. The rest were either abandoned or used for feed.
In Alberta, 24.2 million acres were seeded, while 15.1 million acres were harvested.
The numbers generally reinforce the assumption that a desperate drought-induced feed shortage was eased somewhat by late-season surprises.
On the distribution of $934,000, which was part of the total raised through Say Hay concerts and other donations, the 4-H Foundation of Alberta seems to have made a genuine effort to be fair.
Any formula to distribute aid money will leave somebody out. And if the money is spread among more people, with each getting a smaller share, the process is open to criticism that the amount given to each recipient is too small to provide real help.
In the end, the 4-H Foundation formula seems sound. Perhaps problems could be avoided next time – although we hope there isn’t a next time – by ensuring the distribution formula is explained more fully to the public.
As for the Hay West campaign, its outcome also fosters ideas for next time, should the worst occur.
Hay bales donated by producers in Eastern and Atlantic Canada were shipped to drought-stricken regions in the West. Producers who donated feed acted from a genuine desire to help and they deserve our gratitude.
But in hindsight, federal government resources used for hay bale fumigation and freight under the campaign could have been better directed. Co-ordinating a regional approach that identifies hay sources closer to the region in need and spends money to buy and transport bales from those areas to the areas in need, would offer a more efficient means of assistance.
