Cypress County declares a local agricultural disaster

By Medicine Hat News on July 8, 2023.

DUNMORE

Cypress County has declared a local agricultural disaster, a largely symbolic designation meant to signal other levels of government for the needs of local ag producers and that relief programs should be developed.

“We have a situation where native grasses didn’t even wake up,” said Coun. Keith Ritz, who farms near Suffield.

“They are still dormant. It has not sustained growth in crops.”

The designation from council was put in place at the regular council meeting Wednesday following a recommendation from the county’s ag services board.

The Alberta Crop Report pegs soil moisture as low to moderately low compared to averages over the past 50 years.

Just 36 per cent of major crops in southern Alberta are rated in good to excellent condition at June 27. That’s compared to 64 per cent of all crops one year ago, which was near the 10-year average.

A fire ban has been in place since last week, following fire restrictions since the mid-spring.

Cypress County follows other counties in Alberta, including Stettler, Vulcan, Foothills and Paintearth, in declaring a local state of emergency.

County officials warned that with food production sector already challenged, prolonged drought would put stress on ground-level producers.

“It gets depressing,” said Coun. Shane Hok, a rancher whose ward includes areas north of Redcliff. “If we start selling our cows, it’s going to have a ripple effect.”

Cypress County and most of southern Alberta is already on an initial list of regions where special federal income tax provisions allow producers to carry forward income from herd reductions to future tax years.

The county has been included in the standing program for six of the last seven years.

Irrigation levels

The St. Mary’s River Irrigation District says it should be able to maintain its allocation to members this year, but is stressing that as much conservation as possible is needed to secure longer-term supply.

This spring the Eastern Irrigation District reduced deliveries by up to one third over concerns about reservoir and river levels on the Bow River system in the Brooks region, but has since loosened those reductions.

On Wednesday, SMRID general manager David Westwood stated the allocation in the district stretching between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat will remain at 14 inches per acre, one-sixth more than an acre foot, which equates to 1.2 million litres per section.

“Based on current storage and demand, we do not believe that we need to reduce the water allocation this year,” reads a statement, but the district expects storage levels at lower than average in the fall without significant rainfall before September.

“Any wasteful irrigation practices will reduce the water available next year,” it concludes.