Starland County has joined a list of many rural municipalities in declaring an Agricultural State of Disaster.
At the Wednesday, July 26 Starland County Council Meeting, the Council passed a motion to make the declaration. According to a press release, the decision was based on the impacts extreme heat and prolonged drought conditions have had on crops, forages, and pastures throughout Starland County.
“The County Council is aware of the hardships facing Starland County residents, and this decision is meant to raise awareness of the problems facing the agricultural industry both in our County and throughout the province of Alberta,” it states. “Low growing season moisture and intense heat during critical growing periods have further depleted initially low soil moisture reserves. This has led to severe impacts across all sectors of agricultural production. Livestock production has been and will continue to be significantly impacted by shortages of surface water, significant decreases in pasture growth, and reductions in forage production.”
When looking around the countryside, many farmers are already taking crops off, often for feed. Hay crops are also sparse, which could further increase demand on feed.
When coupled with the reduction in annual crop production in the County and throughout western Canada, the high cost of livestock feed could lead to substantial reductions in livestock breeding herds.
Agriculture Financial Services Canada (AFSC) has increased the Low Yield Allowance threshold for salvage crops, and this step will allow more producers to harvest what little crop is available as livestock feed.
On Friday, August 4, The Government of Alberta and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced it has reopened the AgriStability program recognizing that wildfires and extremely dry conditions have affected many farmers and ranchers. The initial program enrollment closed on April 30.
AgriStability protects Canadian producers against large declines in farming income due to production loss, increased costs and market conditions.
“Our government has listened to farmers and ranchers who have been impacted by wildfires and drought. We know they need support options to make it through this growing season. Allowing late participation in AgriStability will enable them to reassess their business risks and make an informed decision about signing up to protect their operations and livelihoods,” said RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.
In Alberta, producers sign up for AgriStability and access benefits through AFSC. AgriStability can provide producers with access to other credit options like the federal Advanced Payments Program, which offers low-cost cash advances.
For more information contact the Starland County Agricultural Services department at 403-772-3793 or email asb@starlandcounty.com.
