After experiencing extremely dry conditions since the spring, Westlock County has joined a number of other Alberta municipalities in declaring a state of agricultural disaster.
Councillors unanimously supported the motion at their July 28 meeting after weeks of careful consideration. The municipality’s manager of agricultural services Jacolyn Tigert gave an overview of the current state of the county during the meeting.
“Westlock County has experienced extremely low precipitation levels,” Tigert explained.
“The lack of precipitation and hot weather has resulted in low soil and subsoil moisture levels.”
As a result pastures and hay crops are being depleted, as there is very little re-growth said Tigert.
“Producers from the county have reported one to three inches of rain from May to July 18, depending on the area,” she said.
“We do have a weather station located at Dapp and that indicated 2.65 inches of rain as of July 18. On average Westlock County receives 10 inches of rain from May to July.
“This combined with hot dry weather, insect outbreaks, and spring frosts has invoked serious growing conditions for our producers.”
Councillors also did their own research including a flyover of the municipality just to see how bad the damage is. The flight reaffirmed the need to declare a state of agricultural disaster.
“You can see the devastation, especially in the canola fields,” Tigert said. “You could really see the changes in the colouration of the fields, the changes in the development of it, the different growth stages and the bald patches.”
“I’ve seen going down on Highway 44 towards Busby quite a few fields like that,” added Coun. Ron Zadunayski.
Reeve Bud Massey said the flyover was an eye-opening experience.
“For those of us who were on the aircraft that day I think the general consensus was ‘Wow, this is worse than we thought,’’” Massey said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t areas where there’s a reasonable crop, but there are no bumper crops.
“You can’t make a blanket statement that the whole area is (bad) there’s going to be a farmer here and there that got a lucky break.”
Massey said the hope is that declaring a state of agricultural emergency it will help in efforts to lobby the provincial and federal governments and insurance companies to declare a no crop year. He said the county has done its analysis and says it is the appropriate measure to take.
“Our staff and our council have done due diligence. We’ve walked, we’ve talked and we’ve flown,” Massey said.
“So I feel very comfortable that we’ve done due diligence and it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. We’re not just following the example of other counties, we’ve actually done our own research.”
Massey said provincial ag minister Oneil Carlier is scheduled tour the municipality Aug. 25 and he would like to take the minister on a flyover of the area, time permitting.
Before making the declaration council heard a presentation from Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) senior manager of operational strategies Glen Snethun.
When asked by council Snethun said, as far as AFSC is concerned, the disaster declaration has no affect on how they handle the situation.
“AFSC will do everything possible to promote the facilitation of progressing with procedures as they exist,” Snethun said. “We’re not going to stand in anyone’s way, we’re not going to — and we never have — forced people to combine, we’re here to facilitate.”
He said AFSC will support the farmers in every way possible.
