The rain in the late May and early June has had a devastating effect on farmers in the area. As a result, provincial political leaders from both parties have been touring the province to see and hear what effects the rain is having on area farmers.
In a rare case of both parties agreeing, both NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter and Minister of Agriculture Bob Bjornerud believe that this spring is potentially the wettest in memory, and that the Foam Lake area in particular is hard hit.
"We've been wet here in the Yorkton area before, we've had years where it has been difficult to get the crop in, and sometimes we didn't get the crop in. But, in the Foam Lake area, they're at the point now where it will be July or August before it even starts to dry now, let alone get much more crop in. It's just a very difficult situation," Bjornerud says. "It's a real mess, there's probably only 20 per cent of the crop has been seeded, and about half of that has been flooded out... Nobody's seen anything like this, farmers who have been in the business for forty years have said they have never seen a spring like this where less than 20 per cent of the crop gets seeded," Lingenfelter says.
Bjornerud notes that their tour is extending to the northeast corner, in the Tisdale and Carrot River areas, where a state of emergency has been declared. Bjornerud notes that this was an effort to ensure all levels of government were paying attention to the difficulties.
Bjornerud says producers who are affected by the flooding are advised to take advantage of the $50 an acre crop insurance coverage for unseeded acres, payment from which can start arriving in July. Bjornerud also points out that producers can participate in the Agristability program as well to get some payment in order to mitigate the losses.
Lingenfelter believes that number should be increased to $100 an acre in order to better support farmers who have been unable to finish planting their crop this year, and is calling on the provincial government to work with the federal in order to make that possible.
"We think Canadians and Saskatchewan people are generous, and there would be a lot of support for helping out the farm families that are faced with this problem. And it's not just the farm families, many of the small businesses in the towns will suffer as well if we don't get that kind of a payment," Lingenfelter says.
Lingenfelter believes that with large sums of money being spent on security at the G20 summit and other large federal expenditures, there should be enough room for the federal government to support an increased payment.
Bjornerud believes that Lingenfelter's requests are inconsistent with his own record while the NDP was in power.
"It's kind of odd that he would ask for $100 an acre when the most that he did as a previous NDP government was $10."
Bjornerud notes that any expanded coverage would depend on consultations with the federal ag minister Gerry Ritz, and he hopes to show him the devastation both in Foam Lake and in the Tisdale area in order to emphasize the importance of the support.
A statemement issued by Yorkton Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz
"Through phone calls from producers, media reports and recent correspondence from many rural municipalities, I have been closely following all events related to the tremendous amount of rainfall and flooding our constituency has experienced over the past several of weeks. Combined with snowfall in early May, areas of Yorkton-Melville have had in excess of 12 inches of precipitation since May 1. The impact of this amount of water hitting and then sitting on farmland is horrendous.
To date, I have received correspondence from four Yorkton-Melville R.M.s - the R.M. of Porcupine, the R.M. of Orkney, the R.M. of Elfros and the R.M. of Foam Lake. Councils of all four R.M.s have stated that their areas are agricultural disasters, and I am aware that many more R.M.s will declare the same within the coming days. I believe these declarations underscore the severity of the situation in many areas of Yorkton-Melville.
I have been in contact with local Saskatchewan Party M.L.A.s who have seen the devastation firsthand, and I have also advised federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz of the crisis facing our producers. Minister Ritz knows first hand how weather is key to the success of farming and always takes these situations seriously. I have been informed that both federal and provincial Ministries of Agriculture have been in consultation regarding the rainfall and flooding our region continues to experience.
I truly appreciate the terrible conditions our farmers have experienced this spring. Moreover, I am well aware of the financial impact that this is having on our producers, knowing that many are already facing bills for fall and spring anhydrous applications that have now been washed away.
I will continue to work closely with my Saskatchewan Party colleagues, Members of Parliament, and with those affected rural municipalities to ensure that an appropriate federal response is enacted."
