Alberta farmers race to bring in $3B of unharvested crops
Combines have sat idle For weeks due to unusually wet, cold and snowy Fall
Cloudless skies and warm temperatures are bringing a measure of hope to Alberta farmers, as they race against the clock to harvest $3 billion worth of crops still in the fields.
An unusually wet, cold and snowy fall has significantly slowed or even halted the progress of the 2018 harvest, which — if weather conditions were normal — would be wrapping up about now. However, according to the Alberta government’s most recent crop report, less than 50 per cent of the province’s seeded acres had been harvested as of Oct. 9.
In many regions, combines have sat idle for more than 40 days — an “unprecedented” situation, according to farm groups. Snow has flattened standing crops in some areas, while in other regions crops are frozen and shrivelled.
“We sat from about September 5 to Thanksgiving weekend. That was a very long break to take,” said Hannah Konschuh, who farms east of Calgary near Cluny and sits on the board of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “I have never seen a fall like this in my farming career and neither has my dad, who’s been farming a lot longer than I have.”
Two rural counties, Stettler and Lac St. Anne, have already declared states of agricultural disaster. While producers have not yet requested financial assistance from the government, farm groups spoke with Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier and other provincial officials last Friday to inform them of the “dire” situation.
Jason Lenz — chair of Alberta Barley and a farmer in the Bentley area, north of Sylvan Lake — said the situation this year is much more severe than 2016, the last time an early snowfall interrupted harvest and left a significant number of acres unharvested over the winter months. He said farm groups are asking the government to be prepared to expedite crop insurance claims this time around.
“In 2016, we had that difficult fall harvest and then when spring 2017 came around, there weren’t enough adjusters available to get out to the fields. Farmers were delayed in getting out seeding in some cases, because they couldn’t get an adjuster there,” Lenz said.
This week has brought improved weather conditions to most parts of the province, and if the weather holds until the end of the month, it could go a long way toward getting the majority of the crop off. But even if farmers are able to finish harvesting before winter sets in for good, Lenz said crop insurance claims are likely to be significantly higher than normal.
Yields and quality across the province have been affected, not just by the snow but also by dry conditions in July and the forest fire smoke in August that obscured the sun and inhibited plant growth.
“The majority of the wheat that comes off now will be downgraded to feed quality, so that’s a severe hit financially,” Lenz said.
The Agriculture Financial Services Corp., which provides producers with crop insurance, is prepared to respond to whatever the outcome of this year’s harvest may be, said Carlier. He added he has asked the Crown corporation to be ready to “streamline” its processes if necessary.
However, Carlier said the weather forecast has him increasingly confident that the 2018 harvest can be salvaged.
“Some places are going to see (temperatures) in the low to mid20s. It’s going to help a lot,” he said. “Several weeks ago it looked grim, but I think things are looking up.”