With flooding forecast for parts of the Prairies this spring, the Canadian Wheat Board has developed plans to allow farmers to move grain out of farmyard bins in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The CWB announced it would move additional rail cars to several regions to ensure there is enough space in elevators for producers to deliver grain.
The CWB’s 2011 flood program applies to:
• the Red River Valley between Emerson and Winnipeg;
• Manitoba’s Interlake from Winnipeg to Arborg;
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
• from the Assiniboine River south to the U.S. border;
• from the Red River Valley west to Deloraine, Man.;
• from Kindersley to Prince Albert in northwestern Saskatchewan;
• from Lucky Lake to Yorkton and from Weyburn to Melfort in southeastern Saskatchewan.
It’s common to move grain from farm storage in spring in the flood prone Red River Valley, but the board said in a news release that Manitoba flood forecasters are predicting a high risk of flooding around the Assiniboine River in western Manitoba this year.
As well, the Saskatchewan government is forecasting potential flooding in the province’s northwest and southeast because of excessive soil moisture and above average winter snowfall.
The wheat board’s flood program will begin in late February.
