A Saskatchewan government package to help livestock producers cope with dry conditions was greeted with general producer approval last week.
Several farmers attending the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina said they were pleased the government acted quickly, before things worsened.
The province announced it would allow grazing on about 50,000 acres of provincial wildlife land and change the crop insurance program to help producers who want to seed for greenfeed.
Agriculture minister Clay Serby called on Ottawa to do its part by making federal parks and pastures available for grazing.
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He also asked the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited to open up as much land as they could.
Serby asked the federal government to quickly designate the areas where producers would be eligible for tax deferrals for selling breeding stock because of drought conditions, and to provide interim Canadian Farm Income Program payments for this year. There is no provision for interim payments now.
Saskatchewan also wants a review of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration water programs and resources.
“We have a problem with the capital allocation to long-term water projects,” Serby said.
“All of (PFRA’s) money this year has been allocated.”
PFRA allocates its money by region, and Serby suggested that money be moved around this year to help areas most affected by drought.
Generally the southwest and northwest have been the hardest hit, but most regions of the province are reporting poor moisture conditions.
As of last week, 29 percent of the cropland had poor topsoil moisture, while more than half the hay and pastureland was rated poor.
Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association president Bob Stewart said producers were hoping for this kind of package.
He said water projects are sustainable forms of assistance that will help producers for decades. But he said PFRA is always out of money.
“That’s one area the province could lobby the federal government, to get more money into it,” he said. “It’s not trade distorting.”
He suggested the province could participate in cost sharing water projects that are now paid one-third by PFRA and two-thirds by producers.
Stewart also said the decision to open up wildlife land is probably the best thing.
Land will be available west of Highway 6 from Watson to the American border, northwest to Rosthern, north along the west side of Prince Albert National Park and across to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border south of the forest fringe.
Producers who want to use this land need grazing permits and will pay the Saskatchewan Agriculture rate. Temporary fencing and water improvements will be required, and producers will have to decide if it is economically feasible to provide them.
At the legislature, agriculture critic Bill Boyd said the initiatives are a step in the right direction, although he criticized the government for higher education tax on pastureland.
“It seems somewhat disingenuous for a government to be concerned about drought conditions for livestock producers here in Saskatchewan at the same time they’re raising their property taxes 28 percent,” he said.
The increase is a result of reassessment, he said, and the government should take responsibility for that.
Boyd said the government should be looking at further measures, such as feed and freight assistance. The stock growers do not endorse that type of help.
Boyd also questioned whether Ottawa would answer Saskatchewan’s call for help.
“Unfortunately, this government’s track record in terms of securing any resources from the federal government is very, very poor and most of the time they’re not at the bargaining table when it comes to discussions. So if we don’t get anything, I guess it should be no surprise.”
