Several Sask. municipalities declare state of emergencies over drought conditions

WATCH: Frustration is growing for producers in southwest Sask. as several RMs have declared states of emergency due to drought. Jacob Carr reports.

The Rural Municipalities (RMs) of Maple Creek, Fox Valley, and Enterprise have joined the RM of Big Stick in declaring a state of emergency due to extreme drought – that continues to plague regions of Saskatchewan’s southwest.

“Yeah, we’re in a desperate situation, we have had only received maybe about an inch of rainfall, would probably be the average for our municipality from spring until now,” said Big Stick Reeve Quinton Jackstreit. “Our fire hazards are high, and guys are trying to salvage what they can to make some feed for livestock, but we’ve got community pastures where the grass is drying up.”

Cyle Stewart serves as the director of District 3B for the Saskatchewan Cattle Association. He’s also a rancher – his operation based near the town of Morse. Stewart told CTV News that he moved to the province in 2017 from B.C., and it’s been dry ever since.

“My wife and I are kind of the primary producers here; we ranch with my wife’s parents. But for a young couple trying to get going here, it’s tough. All these setbacks and the drought. It makes it hard to get ahead financially, we’ve been having to cut back for the last number of years,” he explained.

“We need rain to make things grow and we need grass to keep more cattle around, so it’s making things difficult.”

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To offer support, the federal and provincial governments announced that the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation is implementing the double low yield appraisal process. It encourages acres of low-yielding eligible crops to be diverted to make additional feed available to graze, bale or silage.

Jackstreit says that is not enough to offset the current expenses producers are facing.

“The crop insurance, the way it’s set up, they tell you what your maximum coverage is, which is just insufficient at this time,” he added.

“Because farming is different nowadays, we’re no longer half summer fallow and half crop. It’s all continuous cropping with lots of fertilizer going down and additional chemicals. So, our costs have gone way up from what was traditional farming.”

And it’s not just the financial strife that is affecting farmers during this drought. Stewart, a mental health advocate in the Saskatchewan farming community, said that help is available if needed.

“I think something to make sure producers don’t overlook is their mental health during this ongoing drought. There are resources out there, Sask Ag Matters, that provides producers with six free counseling sessions,” he explained.

The Do More Agriculture Foundation and the Ministry of Agriculture also have mental health resources available.