A wet fall and early blast of winter weather has forced another Alberta county to declare a state of agricultural disaster.
Late Wednesday night, the council for Lac Ste. Anne County unanimously voted to declare a state of agricultural disaster “due to the weather conditions hampering harvest efforts in the region this fall.”
READ MORE: Alberta county declares state of agricultural disaster due to poor harvest
“Due to the inclement weather over the harvest season, we understand farmers’ profit margins are at extreme risk,” Lac Ste. Anne County Agricultural Services Board Ross Bohnet said.
The county, located northwest of Edmonton, will notify the provincial and federal governments of the declaration and press the need for a disaster recovery program.
Brazeau County in central Alberta made the same declaration earlier this week.
In a media release sent Wednesday morning, Brazeau County said council voted unanimously Tuesday to declare a state of agricultural disaster “due to the hardship that weather conditions, specifically excessive and persistent precipitation, have placed on local farmers.”
RELATED: ‘It’s disheartening’: Quantity, quality of crops in question as early snowfall blankets Alta. farms
“These extremely wet conditions over the past few months have resulted in very low crop yields across Brazeau County,” Reeve Bart Guyon said.
According to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, about 70 per cent of Alberta’s crops were harvested three weeks ago, but it’s been status quo since the first snow.
But in Brazeau County, about 75 per cent of unharvested cereals in remain standing, as does 84 per cent of unharvested spring wheat, 64 per cent of unharvested barley and 79 per cent of unharvested oats, according to the county.
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said the province takes the issue seriously and the government continues to find ways to support farm families.
“We have taken a proactive approach by providing Alberta producers with Business Risk Management programs through the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation,” Carlier said in a statement Wednesday.
“It’s been a real heartbreaker of the year. We understand the wet and snowy conditions are delaying harvest and having an impact on the quality of crops in many parts of Alberta.”
A year of too much precipitation is a marked contrast compared to what farmers faced with last year’s drought.
During the 2015 growing season, the Alberta government declared an agricultural disaster due to the economic losses and hardship resulting from extreme weather conditions. The government’s move came after many counties declared their own regional states of agricultural disaster.
READ MORE: Alberta declares disaster after losses from drought
-with files from Caley Ramsay, Global News
Comments