Crop insurance changes might be one short-term solution for drought-hit
regions, farmers told the Agricultural Producers Association of
Saskatchewan at its mid-term convention in Saskatoon June 14.
Producers suggested new rules to allow poor annual crops to be written
off by crop insurance before July 1, then grazed or cut for greenfeed
for livestock.
Terry Hildebrandt, APAS president, said many producers are culling
herds to get through a succession of dry years. Most have no carryover
of hay.
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Close to a dozen APAS representatives noted dry conditions in their
regions.
They described poor hay and pasture conditions, a lack of germination
among crops like canola, little or no snow or spring runoff, low prices
for culled animals, the dumping of cow-calf pairs and lower stocking
rates in community pastures.
Hildebrandt said APAS is trying to collect this information from all
farm sectors to determine what producers need and how best to provide
it. A number of rural municipalities have been declared disaster areas,
he said.
“When you get two inches of rain when there’s been none for two years,
it’s not growing you much of a grain crop,” said Hildebrandt.
“If you’re to the point of declaring a disaster, a half-inch or four
inches of rain is not enough.”
Alex McDonald, APAS representative and a councillor in the RM of
Mervin, said his district has been declared a disaster area.
“We need some assistance right away,” he said, citing fires at Turtle
Lake that destroyed 50 cabins and two homes.
Area farmland is going into its fourth dry year, with many old-timers
saying it is worse than the 1930s dustbowl due to the lack of snow and
runoff.
McDonald said farmers are scrambling to care for animals on overgrazed
pastures while also dealing with night frosts. They are rotating
animals through pastures, selling cow-calf pairs and hauling water for
animals.
Crops have not all emerged and some farmers are waiting for moisture
before seeding.
“It’s a real mess,” McDonald said.
“We like to see the rain, but a lot of it was too late. I think a lot
of people will go under this year. Even if we get good prices, crops
will be poor.”
McDonald said crop insurance changes would help, but most compensation
does not cover the cost of putting in the crop.
He asked for help from all levels of government, noting local
government could help by reducing the education portion of property
taxes.
Groups like APAS have to stand up and tell others what is happening
with the drought, global pressures, spiralling costs and falling
revenues, said McDonald.
If farmers had banded together long ago to speak out on their issues,
as teachers’ unions and others do in other sectors, he said the
producer predicament would not be as dire.
Hildebrandt said APAS takes the Saskatchewan story to meetings with
groups like the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
“The more unified you are in that push, the more ability you have to
get results instead of allowing governments to divide and conquer,” he
said.
