‘There’s nothing there’: Sask. farmers face worst drought, growing season in a decade

Saskatchewan is dealing with 68 active wildfires, heat warnings in the southwest and states of emergencies due to drought. Allison Bamford has more.

In the southwest corner of Saskatchewan, farmers are facing growing conditions comparable to the extreme drought of the 1930s.

Several rural municipalities (RM) have declared states of emergency due to the dry conditions that have persisted for nearly a decade in some areas.

“This is the third year we’ve done this,” said Kelly Bakanec, reeve of the RM of Fox Valley. “And this is by far the worst year.”

Tyson Jacksteit farms near Golden Prairie, Sask., in the RM of Big Stick — the first to declare a state of emergency this season.

He stands in a field of lentils where just as much dirt is visible as there are plants.

“It’s very troublesome to see a crop like this,” he said.

The plants that are standing are just inches tall when they should be several feet by now.

“What makes it worse is we’ve had this kind of crop for nine years consecutive now,” he said.

Jacksteit has a box of small glass jars filled with seeds that belonged to his grandfather, with handwritten labels that note the crop yields.

The collection is a reminder of just how tough the “Dirty Thirties” were for farmers trying to grow crops on drought-stricken land.

In 1932, there were 25 bushels per acre that sold for 37 cents a bushel, according to the log. By 1936, yields dropped to three bushels an acre, which is what some of this year’s crops are expected to produce.

“I believe this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Lots of guys are going to exit the industry and get out while they can,” Jacksteit said, adding he and his brother stand to lose $750,000 on their farming operation this year.

Many others in the area face the same uncertainty. Farmers aren’t sure what they’ll do with their crops.

Several fields have already turned yellow and gold, about a month ahead of schedule.

Virginia Maier, farmer and reeve of the RM of Enterprise, says not even rain will help at this point.

“It’s done. It’s not going to produce anything. There’s nothing there,” she said of her durum crop.

Multiple years of drought have also been bad for her livestock.

A few years ago, she reduced her cattle herd from about 45 cows to 30. Dry conditions and a lack of green pastures made it unsustainable. Now she’s trying to conserve as many feed sources as possible.

“We need to be able to think about next year and make sure that we have enough grass and hay for next year,” she said.

New changes to Saskatchewan’s crop insurance programs aim to address some of this year’s feed shortages.

Producers can turn poor-performing crops into livestock feed without impacting their future coverage.

But farmers staring down a decade of drought want more protection.

“We need a revamp of the crop insurance system. I’m not looking for any handouts. I just would like some modernization” said farmer Arlen Herter, adding his crop insurance guarantee per acre won’t even cover the cost of production this year.

The provincial government says it recognizes the challenges producers are facing and has adapted its programs to support farmers

Jacksteit would like to see financial support to help producers make it through this year. Additionally, he wants changes to the way existing insurance programs are calculated, as well as farmers having the ability to salvage their seed without getting dinged on their coverage.

“Seed is expensive and it’s going to be hard to come by if nobody combines anything,” Maier said.

For now, hope is keeping these farmers in the fields, along with optimism that next year will be better.