Drought 2021 | The Western Producer
These are trying times for many Prairie producers, with withered crops and parched pastures across wide swaths of the growing region.
To help keep you informed about the issue this page will be continually updated with the latest drought-related news and solutions you can use produced by The Western Producer’s team of professional reporters and editors from across the region.
If you would like to share images of the drought conditions in your area that we can display on this page, send your images to The Western Producer Facebook page, tweet @westernproducer, or email us at readerphotos@producer.com.
Drought may significantly slash western herd
The Canadian cattle herd is likely to shrink significantly as a lack of feed and water forces producers to sell off breeding stock.
During a town hall meeting organized by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and provincial associations July 19, leaders said cows are already moving to market as producers evaluate how many they can maintain on depleted pastures and with poor hay yields across the Prairies and northwestern Ontario. In British Columbia, fires have hit the main hay producing areas.
Ottawa to trigger AgriRecovery to provide drought help
Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau will initiate AgriRecovery now that formal requests have come in from provinces affected by heat and drought.
All three prairie provinces have asked for assessments, and British Columbia and Ontario are expected to do the same.
https://t.co/rUj0a9OUnL pic.twitter.com/NCjCdG82Ec
— Kurtis Wandler (@12Wandler) July 28, 2021
No time for foot-dragging as drought gets serious
There’s nothing much worse than drought when it comes to agricultural afflictions.
Floods, insects, disease and low market prices aren’t fun either but when the rain stops falling and the mercury soars, nothing grows.
And when nothing grows, there’s not much that can be done.
Farmers need to make the drought matter – to urbanites
With his voice cracking with emotion, Tyler Fulton described a farm family forced to sell-off their cow herd, a herd produced by years of family effort.
For thousands of farmers, this summer’s drought is destroying not only their family’s hopes and dreams, but also their ability to survive on the farm. Without a cow herd they have no way to make money an provide from themselves.
Lentils, Warner County, AB pic.twitter.com/4Sn0g4mzuM
— VossGroupAg (Adam Vossepoel) (@voss_ag) July 28, 2021
— Travis Brisebois (@TBrise17) July 28, 2021
Source: producer.com