Latest news with #MapleCreek
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
'As a farmer, it's depressing': Southwest Sask. sees less than 25% of normal rainfall in June
Several farmers in southwestern Saskatchewan say their crops are withering and dying before their eyes. In the rural municipality of Big Stick, there was a "half inch" of rain for the whole month, said Reeve Quinton Jacksteit, a longtime grain farmer. "As a farmer, it's depressing to go out into the hot, hot, windy days and then watch your crops deteriorate," he said. "There's really not a lot of optimism." His RM is among at least four others in the area — namely, the RMs of Maple Creek, Fox Valley, Enterprise and Waverley — that have declared states of emergency due to drought. Data from the latest national drought report confirms what farmers there already knew: the drought in southwest Saskatchewan got much worse last month. The region saw less than 25 per cent of normal rainfall, according to the report. The Canadian Drought Monitor — which is the official source for monitoring and reporting drought nationally — now classifies some areas of southwest Saskatchewan as experiencing extreme drought conditions. Extreme drought is the second-most-severe classification on the agency's five-category scale and represents a one in 20 year event. From May to June, some areas of southwest Saskatchewan saw a "three-class jump" on the drought monitor's scale up to the extreme drought classification. Swift Current recorded its 11th driest June on record, according to the report. Jacksteit said if they don't receive "any kind of substantial moisture before seeding next year," he's not sure what they're going to do. 9th consecutive year of drought Like Jacksteit, Kelly Bakanec, a fellow grain farmer and reeve of the neighbouring RM of Fox Valley, said he has watched his crops deteriorate this season. "I like to drive around and check crops every night. And every day, the crop is going backwards," said Bakanec of his farm, which has been in his family since 1912. "If we don't get any rain in the next week or two, it's just going to burn up to nothing. We probably won't even take the combines out." WATCH | Severe Saskatchewan drought threatens crops, livestock: Severe Saskatchewan drought threatens crops, livestock 5 days ago Duration 2:00 Bakanec said he knew this year's drought would be bad right after seeding for the season. It's especially disheartening, because he said this is the ninth consecutive year of drought in the area. The current crop insurance programs were never developed for long-term droughts, let alone for nine years in a row, he said. 'Cannot sustain those kinds of losses' Without decent crops and with crop insurance programs "not doing what they're supposed to do anymore," Bakanec said the majority of farmers he knows work second jobs to supplement their farms. Bakanec has an additional job in the excavating business and all three of his sons also work off the farm. "Farmers are fighters," he said. "We'll make it work, but we're breaking our backs trying to do it." In the RM of Big Stick, Jacksteit said there will be big financial losses this year and that farms could lose between $50 to $100 per acre. Some likely won't be able to afford to farm after this year, he said. "We've been saying this is coming, because you cannot sustain those kinds of losses and continue," said Jacksteit. "There's probably farms that are going to have banks knocking on their doors."
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Nothing grew': 4 southwest Sask. municipalities declare states of emergency due to drought
Several rural municipalities (RMs) in southwest Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency due to drought. The RMs of Maple Creek, Fox Valley, Enterprise and Waverly all say the lack of moisture poses a high fire risk and that many farmers are struggling to make feed for their livestock. "This spring has been the worst drought that we've lived through in our 33 years," said Corinne Gibson, who owns Six Mile Ranch near Lafleche, Sask., with her husband Clayton. Corinne said it was clear by early May that their 4,500-hectare ranch was "in trouble" from the lack of moisture. "Nothing even started, nothing grew." Corinne said. They started seeding hay over the May-long weekend. Four weeks later, "it couldn't grow anymore. It was just trying to stay alive, but it couldn't get any taller," Clayton said. He said their crops only grew to be six to eight inches tall this year, about a foot less than previous years. Crops are usually cut and bailed or made into silage to feed cattle over the winter, but in this case "that's not existent," Corinne said. As a result, the majority of the cattle have been moved to their hay land to graze the small amounts of grass left over from last winter. Other feed has to be purchased from other farms. "Financially it's challenging," Corinne said. "We're talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands, if not closer to $1 million, for us to replace all of that feed that we would normally produce ourselves." With only two bouts of rain this season, the Gibsons are now having to take more drastic measures to feed their livestock. Corinne said they have transported more than 500 cattle to a farm in Weyburn, where there is more grass available. She said a move like that is risky. "Hauling those cattle those 300 kilometres, you know, we risk them losing their pregnancies because they are bred females," she said, adding that those long trips are extremely stressful for the animals. The Gibsons aren't the only ones who have had bad production this year. Corinne said many of the producers in her community have "wasted" a large amount of their seeds, fertilizers and chemicals due to the drought. "You have to be resilient as a farmer," Corinne said. "But we don't know how many more years of this kind of situation that a lot of our neighbours and friends can actually live through." The Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) will be implementing a double low-yield appraisal process this year to support Saskatchewan producers impacted by poor weather conditions. It is also encouraging low-yielding eligible crops to be diverted to make additional feed available for silage, grazing or bales. "I fully realize the dry conditions [producers] are going through," Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Dayle Harrison said. Minister Harrison said the new low-yield threshold will allow producers to salvage the crops they do have. "That's important feed that livestock producers will require in these dry conditions," he said. Rainfall insurance is also available to eligible producers, with payments expected as early as mid-July. Harrison said these types of business risk management programs are always a "first line of defence," but that the government can make changes. "We're always open to hearing producers' concerns," he said. " We'll be here to support producers." The province's latest crop report, released Thursday, says many areas in the southern parts of the province have received limited rainfall, putting further stress on crops. The report found that all crops have developed ahead of "normal stages," even more than last week's report. It said about half of the fall and spring cereal crops are in good condition, with most of the other half in fair to poor condition. On the other hand, for pulse crops and "most" oilseed crops, more than half were in fair to good condition as of the end of June. Many producers have reported that dry conditions, heat and wind are causing the most damage to crops in the province, the report said. "More timely rain will be needed throughout July and August to sustain yield potential to harvest," the report says.
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. communities drop below freezing mark during first weekend of summer
Environment and Climate Change Canada logo can be seen in this file image. It might've been the first official weekend of summer, but some communities in Saskatchewan saw temperatures drop close to and below freezing overnight on Sunday. According to a weather summary from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Maple Creek dropped to 1.8 C, breaking a record of 2.8 C set in 1997. Further north, both Spiritwood and Collins Bay slipped below the freezing mark. Spiritwood dropped to -1.1 C, breaking the record of 0.3 C set in 2004. Collins Bay dipped to -1.9 C breaking the record of -1.2 C set in 2015. The summer solstice was officially at 8:42 p.m. on June 20. According to ECCC, the normal overnight low for Maple Creek and Spiritwood this time of year is about 10 C, for Collins Bay it's about 8 C. Overnight lows near or in double digits are expected for all three communities this week. Meanwhile, parts of B.C. and Alberta saw significant snowfall over the weekend. Precipitation was limited to heavy rainfall for much of Saskatchewan.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
ECCC retracts Sask. tornado confirmation from May
Environment and Climate Change Canada logo can be seen in this file image. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says it is retracting confirmation of a tornado reported near Maple Creek, Sask. on May 18. After initial confirmation, the tornado would have been Saskatchewan's first of 2025. 'New evidence has been shared with ECCC that refutes the initial tornado report. While a thunderstorm was present in the area at the time of the report, ECCC does not have sufficient evidence to confirm a tornado at this time,' the weather office said Tuesday on its website. ECCC says it will continue to investigate the weather event.
