Hay North initiative delivers 5.8 million pounds of hay

The initiative providing much-needed forage to drought and forest fire-stricken farmers in Northern Ontario has wrapped up. 

“When we work together, we can accomplish great things,” said Rob Lipsett, Beef Farmers of Ontario president. “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of all of our partners and donors who played pivotal roles in providing an incredible amount of hay to the producers of Rainy River and Kenora in such a short time.”

Why it matters: Swift action by the provincial government, industry and farmers ensured that animals in drought-stricken areas of Ontario received enough feed. 

Over 60 days, the Northwest Livestock Emergency Assistance Initiative (NLEAI) provided 5.8 million pounds of hay to 129 Rainy River and Kenora District farmers allowing feed 11,000 head of goats, sheep, beef, and dairy cattle to be fed amid a devastating drought. 

Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the initiative during a July 27 tour of the area.. 

“I very much appreciate the impact this drought has had on farmers, as well as their candour when discussing this issue,” said Thompson. “Certainty is paramount when people work 365 days a year to produce quality food close to home, so when the farmers in Northwestern Ontario needed assistance, we listened and took appropriate action.”

Lipsett was part of the tour and said that although he was glad he went, witnessing such devastation and emotion was incredible, which made the farming community’s response meaningful. 

“Everyone was very willing to pitch in whatever way they could, and I think that’s the farming way,” he said. “None of us want to see friends, neighbours, and peers suffer needlessly. I’m just thankful to be part of that lifestyle that we look out for each other.”

The whole program was streamlined and efficient right from the start, said Chris Martin, president of Marhaven Agri Inc. 

Martin was one of three people in charge of procuring hay and transportation for the BFO. 

He was impressed how quickly the BFO got their ducks in a row, government funding arrived, and hay began rolling in for transport. 

Logistically speaking, one of the most effective decisions made was having farmers come to the hay instead of trying to deliver to specific farms, said Martin.

“The centralized unloading is such a huge bonus for the transportation side,” said Martin. “Just logistically, some of the farms aren’t set up for big trucks.”

The BFO received an additional $64,000 in financial donations from the agriculture community, allowing them to purchase and transport more feed to the area above and beyond the government funding. 

Given the increased extreme weather events, Lipsett hopes the government shelves the program next to the set-aside program to be utilized quickly when the need arises.

Lipsett said initiating government discussions around the drought in May, allowed them to focus on solutions when the situation became dire in July. 

“We’re going to have to put a real focus on how to deal with situations earlier,” he said. “I think that’s our responsibility as producers and commodity organizations to be ahead of the game and make sure that everyone that can help us, and feels they should, are aware, prior to the extreme events happening.”

Lipsett said there’s a need to look at the broader growth cycle science rather than specific aspects, like rainfall, to mitigate the impact of weather events proactively. 

“I think we’re going to look at things like a soil test subsidy program maybe, so those people wanting to rebuild forage and pasture aren’t just throwing a dart at a wall,” said Lipsett. “They will have some real answers, some science to make the proper decisions.”

Producers need to do personal research, but the industry needs to provide research results to determine a proper plan for drought or flood mitigation for producer operations, said Lipsett.

The government’s fencing and water program for Northwestern Ontario were good but lacked provisions for drilling wells or developing underground cisterns for water, said Lipsett. However, he added, the government quickly initiated a separate well programs when the shortfall was brought to its attention. 

“We just need to raise the awareness to partners, whether they be government or non-government organizations, that we can work together and solve some of these problems,” he said. “We’ll never fix the environment completely, but we certainly can reduce our risk.”

Farmer mental health mitigation also comes into play when solutions and programs, including share cost programs for water storage, provide viable options when extreme situations arise. 

“If producers knew they had those options available, I think it makes it a lot easier to sleep at night,” he said.

One producer Lipsett and Thompson visited was very emotional when he expressed how timely the hay supplied through the NLEAI and BFO was to save his farm because he was contemplating exiting the business. 

“It was devastating for him. He talked about genetics that he had built over 30 years and how they were all going to have to go,” said Lipsett. 

Lipsett said the drought was a travesty, but if it weren’t for the efforts of all involved, the agriculture community could be discussing far more severe and personal tragedies.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to do that,” he said. “I don’t think they (donors) understood how much this meant to the producer.”

For more content related to drought management visit The Dry Times, where you can find a collection of stories from our family of publications as well as links to external resources to support your decisions through these difficult times.