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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/06/17/drought-concerns.html
Drought fears on the Prairies prompt call for disaster plan
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | 3:49 PM CT
Pressure is mounting on the federal government to come up with some kind of disaster plan in preparation for what some are warning could be a devastating drought in Western Canada.
While southern Manitoba farmers have seen plenty of moisture this spring, much of Saskatchewan and Alberta have seen below-normal amounts of rain, resulting in delayed crops and dried-out pasture land.
As well, auction centres are busier than usual as farmers who are facing tightening feed supplies sell off cows and calves.
With that going on, it's time Ottawa developed a disaster plan as existing farm aid programs will not cut it, said Terry Pugh, executive secretary of the National Farmers Union.
"It's always too little, too late," Pugh said Wednesday. "When you have a disaster, you need a disaster program to be in place. All we're doing is saying, 'This is a heads up, take a good look at it and put something in place that will adequately address the needs of producers.'"
If the provinces get a good rain in the next week or two, the need for a disaster plan will diminish, Pugh said. However, if it doesn't rain, farmers will need swift action on the part of the government, he said.
According to the Canadian Wheat Board's preliminary crop forecast earlier this month, persistent cold weather during the winter and spring and very dry conditions in much of Alberta and Saskatchewan are not giving farmers much cause for optimism.
"Poor soil-moisture levels in the western half of the Prairies are the single-largest threat to crop yields, especially in the region covering most of central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan," the agency said in its June 11 report.
"Yield expectations in the dry region are well below normal, and a significant cropped area will be abandoned if timely rains are not received."
Drought fears on the Prairies prompt call for disaster plan
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | 3:49 PM CT
Pressure is mounting on the federal government to come up with some kind of disaster plan in preparation for what some are warning could be a devastating drought in Western Canada.
While southern Manitoba farmers have seen plenty of moisture this spring, much of Saskatchewan and Alberta have seen below-normal amounts of rain, resulting in delayed crops and dried-out pasture land.
As well, auction centres are busier than usual as farmers who are facing tightening feed supplies sell off cows and calves.
With that going on, it's time Ottawa developed a disaster plan as existing farm aid programs will not cut it, said Terry Pugh, executive secretary of the National Farmers Union.
"It's always too little, too late," Pugh said Wednesday. "When you have a disaster, you need a disaster program to be in place. All we're doing is saying, 'This is a heads up, take a good look at it and put something in place that will adequately address the needs of producers.'"
If the provinces get a good rain in the next week or two, the need for a disaster plan will diminish, Pugh said. However, if it doesn't rain, farmers will need swift action on the part of the government, he said.
According to the Canadian Wheat Board's preliminary crop forecast earlier this month, persistent cold weather during the winter and spring and very dry conditions in much of Alberta and Saskatchewan are not giving farmers much cause for optimism.
"Poor soil-moisture levels in the western half of the Prairies are the single-largest threat to crop yields, especially in the region covering most of central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan," the agency said in its June 11 report.
"Yield expectations in the dry region are well below normal, and a significant cropped area will be abandoned if timely rains are not received."