‘Urgent support now’: Farmers in southwest Sask. want assurances from government after 9 years of drought

WATCH: Wayne Mantyka has more on how producers in the southwest are coping with continued drought conditions.

The only thing that seems to be growing in southwest Saskatchewan is concern. Some producers say they are dealing with the most severe drought they’ve seen in decades. Their concerns are prompting calls for the province to make changes to its ag-assistance programs.

Fields are extremely dry in many parts of southwest Saskatchewan – with the latest crop report showing that 32 per cent of crop land is short or very short of moisture in the province.

Producers say there was virtually no rain until recently and what rain may be in the forecast will come too late to save crops.

Government officials met with producers last week. The Official Opposition will tour the area this week to receive input on what assistance is needed.

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“If you look at the southwest, utter devastation caused by drought,” NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon told reporters Tuesday.

The Rural Municipality (RM) of Big Stick has declared a state of emergency due to extreme drought.

It’s the ninth year in a row that the area has been dealing with dry conditions. The RM took the action to get the government’s attention and to begin conversation about better financial assistance programs.

“Our whole insurance program was designed, I believe, in 1961 and it’s still based on the same principles it was back then, but farming has changed dramatically over that period of time,” explained Quinton Jack Steit, the reeve of the RM of Big Stick.

The opposition is calling on the government to make decisions on additional assistance.

“Producers need to be involved in building out those programs,” Wotherspoon said. “They need some urgent support now and they need to know what structures are going to be in place so they can make very challenging decisions with respect to their farm operations.”

Some producers say current crop insurance programs are not enough to cover their expenses.

They say their situation is dire and they would like to know what can be expected from the province.