2 counties in southern Alberta have declared agricultural disasters

LETHBRIDGE -

Hot weather and little rain have made it a difficult growing season for Alberta's farmers, and Vulcan, Foothills, Stettler and Paintearth counties have declared agricultural disasters as a result.

For an agricultural disaster to be declared, 50 to 90 per cent of a municipality needs to be experiencing extreme crop reduction.

In Vulcan County, 85 per cent of its total area has been impacted.

That's 1,148,412 acres.

"Due to that early really hot and dry mid-April to essentially now, crop production and pasture growth have been nil," said Kelly Malmberg, Vulcan County's director of agriculture.

Even areas without agricultural disasters declared are facing hardships.

Stephen Vandervalk, who farms outside of Fort MacLeod, believes the Municipal District of Willow Creek should declare a disaster, as precipitation accumulation is considered extremely low.

"That whole neck of the woods is pretty dry. I mean, Claresholm, which is where the centre of it kind of is, of the MD, and it's just a wreck. There's brown fields, crops didn't come up," Vandervalk said.

Despite the dry conditions, Lethbridge County has yet to declare its own agricultural disaster.

But it's something the county is discussing as they realize the challenges faced by producers in the county.

"I think those conversations are happening. Obviously, at an administrative level, they're aware of what's happening around us, they're aware of what's happening in the county," said Reeve Tory Campbell.

"Obviously, elected councillors were having those discussions with our constituents and stakeholders."

Despite some recent rain in southern Alberta, for many producers, it's too little too late, and there's an expectation that more agricultural disasters will be declared.

"I hate to predict the weather, but if it stays dry, yes, more counties will probably have to. East, around the Brooks area, Newell and that, I don't think has declared a disaster. But they're in the same boat as us," said Lynn Jacobson, president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.

Agricultural disasters do not automatically give counties and municipal districts access to increased funding, but they can serve as a first step in accessing additional funding.