Producers in Saskatchewan are facing the devastating consequences of drought. Most areas have recently experienced nine consecutive years of below-normal precipitation. The ongoing crisis has put family farmers such as Quinton Jacksteit and Don Connick in jeopardy of losing their way of life. Local agricultural producers are calling on the federal government to act urgently. They’re calling for long-term capital planning to address the existing state of constant crisis.
Quinton Jacksteit, an affected area farmer, expressed the harsh truth that many are living. He’s filed crop insurance claims on the large share of his crops that he won’t be able to bring to harvest, owing to the long-running drought. “They’re not going to be able to make much of a yield,” Jacksteit said, highlighting the severity of the situation. His plans now entail only salvaging crops, and only for animal feed.
The Extent of Drought’s Impact
Don Connick, who farms in the area around Gull Lake, has been hit hard by the drought. He stressed the importance of coordinated, holistic approaches to address this historic drought. Drought is one of those things that year after year…,” Connick said. This sense of despair is shared by most in the ag community. As climate specialist Trevor Hadwin put it, this year southwest Saskatchewan is dealing with “a terrible moisture deficit.” For eight years now, this lack of water has devastated crop production and long-term farm viability.
Local farmer Virginia Maier expressed her concern for the upcoming pea crops. Without timely rain, she worries they won’t even make a single pod. “When (drought) goes on for so many years, it’s starting to get depressing,” Maier noted. Christine Strube has further delineated that a dry spring is ahead. As a result, climate change may cut hay production in the province’s northern farming zone by as much as half.
Yet then the reality changed, quite dramatically. Municipalities such as Big Stick have passed emergency declarations, with the characteristic drought ruining agriculture and local economics.
Long-Term Planning and Support Needed
Jacksteit and Connick know the threats from drought are not over. Yet they call for long-term planning to better address and reduce the impacts of the practice. Jacksteit expressed a sense of urgency, stating, “I’m going to scrape through and maybe be able to go another year, but I have a couple of boys that want to farm, and it’s not something that I would recommend to them at this particular time.” He further warned that continued drought could signify “the end for them,” referring to family farms that have been in operation for generations.
Recent moves by the provincial government have provided some respite for farmers. They are free to sell crops as animal feed without incurring penalties on their insurance. Strube praised this move, calling it key for producers working through these challenging conditions. Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry has signaled its willingness to collaborate with Ottawa to enhance insurance programs specifically for drought-affected farmers.
Nevertheless, according to Jacksteit, this is not enough. He has proposed other radical reforms to crop insurance, such as per-acre payments or salvage seed programs. “We’ve just gotten into a state where expenses are climbing and at the same time, our insurance coverages have dropped to a point where they no longer cover the cost of that farm,” he stated.
Uncertain Future Amid Changing Climate
Environment and Climate Change Canada is calling for a summer that’s hotter than normal across all of Saskatchewan. Further precipitation of unknown magnitude and intensity may exacerbate current damages. Bill Merryfield succeeded in human pollution, especially in affecting the hotter summers, directly aiding in these droughts we face right now.
Farmers are already hard at work addressing these challenges. Hadwin’s message was clear, though — all is not lost and some regions are still capable of recovering. For the worst-hit regions, time is quickly running out to get back on track. Most will probably struggle all through the summer.” Though these words offered a note of hope amid the bleak situation, he said, —
