Farmers and ranchers in southwestern Saskatchewan continue to push the provincial agriculture ministry to help them out of a dry spot.
Representatives from the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan met with minister Bob Bjornerud Jan. 21 to present a program they think would be trade friendly and ease some cash flow pressure.
The program calls for a payment of $15 per animal unit month on pasture, based on lease or assessment field sheets, and $25 per cultivated acre, less bushels actually received.
Norm Nordgulen, who farms and ranches at Assiniboia, developed the program and presented it to APAS and the Southwest Drought Disaster Committee at a meeting last week.
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Both groups support the proposal.
Nordgulen said the crop program takes both production and losses into account. For example, a producer in a drought-affected area who gets 10 bu. per acre would qualify for a payment of $15 per acre, he said.
A different type of program is needed because crop insurance coverage has declined due to the region’s successive years of drought.
He also said the payments to cattle producers could help preserve grassland. High grain prices will tempt producers to break up pasture or hay land and put it into crops.
Nordgulen originally calculated the payments for cattle based on pasture required, either native or tame, and the estimated $100 loss per calf since last fall.
“It would be NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) friendly to just give the $100 back” based on how many acres are required to feed a cow for a year, he said.
However, with some input from others, the program was altered to make it more universal because the number of cattle that a particular field can accommodate varies widely in the drought zone.
The use of animal unit months also ensures that the proper stocking rates are used, he added.
