More than a dozen agricultural disasters now declared as Alberta's south stays dry for months

Recent precipitation may have made a big difference to a number of struggling farms across the province, but in certain areas of Alberta any relief might come too late.

According to the province's most recent moisture situation report, released Aug. 9, a series of widespread and reoccurring thunderstorms brought rain to dry areas of the province, including areas of the Peace Region and dry lands through parts of the northeast.

In sharp contrast, the report reads, most of the southern half of the southern region and many parts of the Special Areas are in desperate need of rain.

"For these areas conditions have been dry for several months now, and most significantly, through the two most important months of the year, June and July," the report reads.

This year, multiple municipalities in Alberta have declared agricultural disasters, including: 

• County of Stettler (June 14).
• County of Paintearth (June 20).
• Vulcan County (June 21).
• Clear Hills County (June 27).
• Foothills County (June 28).
• Cypress County (July 5).
• Wheatland County (July 5).
• Municipal District of Acadia (July 11).
• County of Forty Mile (July 12).
• Cardston County (July 17).
• Municipal District of Taber (July 18).
• County of Northern Lights (July 25).
• Kneehill County (July 25).
• Starland County (July 26).
• Pincher Creek (Aug. 8).

The Special Areas Board, which covers more than two million hectares in east-central Alberta, also declared an agricultural disaster, for Special Area No. 2, 3, and 4 on July 12.

Agricultural disasters are declared by municipalities as a way to signal to provincial and federal governments that the conditions farmers are seeing in their respective regions have grown dire. They don't have any actual impact in being declared aside from serving as a sort of signal flare that additional support is needed.

This year's declarations followed what was a more promising farm year in 2022. The year prior, however, multiple provincial municipalities declared agricultural disasters amid devastating drought conditions.

Vulcan County is one of the municipalities that declared an agricultural disaster this year. There are a few pockets throughout the area where crops aren't looking that bad, but overall the harvest is looking "dismal," according to Kelly Malmberg, the county's director of agriculture.

"There's some real issues here [with] respect to consecutive years of drought … it's starting to mentally wear on people, and financially wear on them," Malmberg said. 

Support options being considered

Those declarations have registered on the radars of provincial and federal governments.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith suggested that the province's crop insurance program would have sufficient funding to cover existing claims.

"We've had a lot of close calls over the course of the last couple of months. But we've also had some billion-dollar rains, which is [how they've been] described to me, because it's really just saved a lot of those operations at the last minute," Smith said.

For farmers especially in the southern region of the province, additional rainfall at this stage will have come too late, according to Danny LeRoy, an associate professor in economics at the University of Lethbridge who coordinates the university's agriculture studies program.

"Even if we had some gentle rains that absorbed well into the soil, most crops are well beyond the point now that that increased moisture is going to make a difference in terms of the yield," LeRoy said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson said a wide range of possible support options for producers is currently being considered.

The AgriStability program has reopened for late participation until Sept. 29, and other supports are also available through the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, spokesperson Callum Reid wrote.

"We have also been advocating for the federal government to include regions impacted by drought in the federal livestock tax deferral provision," Reid wrote.

A livestock tax deferral for eligible regions this year, based on weather, climate and production data, is currently being considered, according to a spokesperson with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"The agriculture and agri-food sector is a significant driver of Canada's economy and we stand in solidarity with the sector to help build a better future for agriculture in Canada. We recognize the current situation is serious and challenging," reads a statement from the federal department. 

"Our Canadian producers and ranchers are on the front lines of climate change and when extreme weather strikes — such as droughts and wildfires — it directly affects their bottom line and has a significant impact on production. Adapting to climate change while also reducing emissions is vital to ensuring the sustainability of Canada's agriculture and food sectors."

According to Invest Alberta, agriculture contributed $8.1 billion to Alberta's GDP in 2021, employing more than 58,300 Albertans.