About seven per cent of crops in Mountain View County (MVC) were not harvested this fall, due primarily to very poor conditions throughout October, the county's agricultural service board heard last week.
In his monthly report to the board, Alberta Agriculture forage business specialist Grant Lastiwka said the region actually faired better than some other areas, particularly around Edmonton, where about 15 to 20 per cent was not harvested.
Improved weather in early November was very welcome in the region with producers being able to get in much more of the crops than was anticipated in late October.
According to the last Alberta Agriculture Crop report of 2016,
less than 70 per cent of the crops were harvested as of Nov. 1, and by Nov. 15 that number had risen to over 90 per cent.
“We were pretty blessed because we never thought we'd get that much off,” Lastiwka told the Gazette following the board meeting. “At present we are looking at seven per cent (not harvested) for this region.
“The window that we were given was God-sent for many people to push hard to get the crop up. In some areas it was just too wet in the fields so it was not a possibility. The snow now is making it too big a challenge.”
Looking forward to spring 2017, he said, “We've got good to very good soil moisture. What spring is going to bring is trying to tidy up some of the fields that weren't done, so it will be a little more of a high-pressure spring season.
“On top of that, depending on how some of those areas that were more wet are dried, and depending on how winter goes with snowfall and April goes with cold or heat, we are looking at a spring that is going to be started a bit behind the eight ball. Hopefully it will be a good one but we don't know of course.”
Lastiwka also gave the agricultural service board an update on the TB situation in southeastern Alberta.
“All I said is that the same number of cattle are slated for disposal and it is still the same number of animals that have been found (to have TB), no extra,” he said.
“There are more herds quarantined. The number of herds went up, but at the same time there were no new cases found.
“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is being very careful and conscious of the situation. With those thoughts in mind it is going to be awhile before it gets sorted out.”
The annual Ranching Opportunities Conference is slated for Feb. 9 at Olds College, he said.
The agricultural service board also reviewed a draft of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC)'s new municipal agriculture disaster declaration guide.
The guide will be a tool that AAMDC members (including Mountain View County) could use to help guide decision making in future instances of agricultural disasters, AAMDC's Kim Heyman said in a letter received by the board.
“Through the use of information provided in the draft guide, municipalities can bring awareness to a situation as it is developing, and ensure all levels of government and local residents are aware of the situation, without immediately declaring it as a ‘disaster',” Heyman said.
The guide provides direction for consistent and clear messaging, identification of tools available to arrive at condition statements (for specific areas or municipalities), access to technical data to support condition statements, and timeline documentation of conditions.
“AAMDC members are encouraged to utilize this guide throughout the growing season and harvest,” Heyman said.
The AAMDC – which represents 69 rural municipalities – is gathering input from stakeholders about the draft guide.
"We were pretty blessed because we never thought we'd get that much (crop) off."Grant LastiwkaAlberta Agriculture in Olds
