Farm groups warn Alberta about bad harvest

They say agencies need to be prepared to respond promptly to unharvested claims

EDMONTON A coalition of farm groups is warning the Alberta government to be ready to respond quickly to an expected poor harvest.

The groups, which include Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola, Alberta Pulse Growers and the Alberta Wheat Commission, call themselves “Team Alberta.”

They say more than $3 billion worth of crops remain in the fields and government agencies need to be prepared to respond promptly to unharvested claims.

Cold weather, including snow, has led to some crops being harvested wet or left in the fields, which affects quality.

The coalition estimates only 26 per cent of canola, 57 per cent of wheat and barley and 34 per cent of pulses have been harvested so far.

Team Alberta says conditions at this point in the fall are worse than in 2016 when weather caused many crops to remain unharvested.

“Farmers need an early and clear indication of what the next steps might be in dealing with severely downgraded and high moisture crops,” Jason Lenz, chairman of Alberta Barley says in a post on the organization’s website Thursday.

“Agriculture Financial Services Corporation needs to make prompt decisions to deal with claims and communicate information to farmers in a timely manner.”

Kevin Bender, chairman of the Alberta Wheat Commission, says producers will take a major financial hit this year.

“Much of the wheat crop left in the field will be downgraded to feed, even after drying, resulting in losses of up to $240 million from milling quality,” he says.

“We remain hopeful farmers can get back to harvesting soon but 2018 will be a major hit to the bottom line.”

Team Alberta says it wants to remind producers who are stressed by the situation that there is help available, including the Alberta Health Services Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642.

The Canadian Press