‘It’s been very trying’: Manitoba hit with extreme drought conditions

Manitoba farmers are grappling with some of the most widespread drought in recent history. CTV’s Jeff Keele reports.

A drought this summer has triggered states of emergency in several municipalities—and farmers are feeling the impact.

In East Selkirk, the corn stalks in Doug Martin’s field are a lot shorter than usual.

“Normally this time of year, you know, it would be six to seven feet high,” said Martin.

He said this year’s dry conditions are impacting his crops, which also includes wheat and soybeans.

“It’s been very trying,” said Martin. “Since we seeded, the crop came up great, but you know it just never rained.”

It’s a similar story for wheat and canola farmer Thorsten Stanze in the RM of Morris.

“Farming is a poker game, so this year the cards are a little against us,” said Stanze.

“The yields are not great; they’re a little under par, but not great.”

David Lee from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said 70 per cent of the country is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions, with Manitoba seeing the worst of it.

“Unfortunately, Manitoba has gotten worse from a drought perspective,” said Lee.

A drought monitor map showing conditions in Manitoba illustrates just how dry things are. Much of the province is covered by a dark brown colour, indicating severe drought, which is a one-in-ten-year event. There are multiple red spots in the province illustrating extreme drought, a one-in-20-year event.

Lee said Manitoba received only 40 per cent of normal precipitation amounts in July. He says this is somewhat unprecedented.

“It’s rare that we’ve seen drought this widespread,” said Lee. “Our closest comparison would be 2023.”

But, with recent rain, Martin said there’s still time between now and harvest for improvements.

“You can see here the corn is still green and still filling,” he said.

“So, there’s potential there for this rain to help, and the same with soybeans.”