This year has taken its toll on farmers in southern Alberta.
Heavy rain, compounded with the hail from two weeks ago, has had a significant impact on crops.
For Gary Tokariuk, more than half his fields have seen damage from the cold wet weather. “We have some crop insurance that will cover some of that, but you know it just puts you behind another year,” he said.
Tokariuk grows barley, sugar beets, hard red spring weed and faba beans. 600 of his 900 acres have been impacted by the weather, downgrading the quality of his crops.
“Two years ago we received very good prices for our crops. We have been sliding price wise. Now you slide price and quality that just keeps setting you back again.”
Agronomist Lindsay Fletcher said not only has there been crop damage due to cold rainy temperatures, but it is also delaying harvest for several farmers. “Harvesting conditions are nowhere near what we had last year, so yields will be down quite a bit from last year,” she said.
If the cool damp weather continues, Fletcher explained it will make farmers lives even more difficult.
“Each day that passes and each storm that comes through the crops quality of has gone down, their yields have gone down and their really having to adjust their expectations.”
Even though his crops have suffered extensively this year, Tokariuk said the experience just prepares him for next year. “If it bothered us, we wouldn’t be farmers, because we are a resilient bunch and we adapt,” he explained.
“Things happen that are out of our control and we just roll with the punches and find a new way to attack it the next year.”
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