Heavy rains drench fields, destroy crops

Lac Ste. Anne declares state of agriculture emergency for second straight year

The summer of wet weather in north-central Alberta has caused Lac Ste. Anne County to declare a state of agriculture emergency over soaked fields and destroyed crops.

The county made the declaration on Wednesday, marking the second year in a row the area has faced an agricultural emergency.

Stacey Berry, assistant manager of agricultural services with the county, said the past four years have presented troubling weather for producers in the area.

The county declared an emergency last year over early snowfall affecting crops.

“We’re seeing major amounts of crop death, some fields we’re seeing upwards of 80-per-cent crop death,” said Berry.

“A big issue is hay-like livestock feed. Farmers are having lots of difficulty either accessing their fields, it’s too wet to get their equipment, or they can get their equipment in but the hay doesn’t dry enough for them to safely and properly bail it.”

Barry said every type of crop has been affected with every producer in the region being impacted.

Berry said parts of the county have received 406 millimetres of rain between mid-june and the end of July, which has caused major problems for the county that is particularly prone to water pooling due to its naturally low-lying area. Earlier this summer the county issued a state of local emergency over flooding on roadways.

Berry said calling an agriculture emergency was done to get the attention of the province and to make it easier for farmers to file insurance claims for their crops.

“We also wanted to let our producers know within the county that we care, that we know they’re having a tough time and we aren’t just sitting here twiddling our hair,” said Berry.

Requests for comment from the province were not returned as of press time.

“It’s just a rough go, so to the non-farmers out there, extend a little bit of kindness and patience for your fellow farmers when you see them driving their equipment down the road,” said Berry.

“My heart goes out to everyone that’s been struggling the last few years.”