Leduc County declares municipal state of agricultural disaster

LEDUC COUNTY -- A municipal state of agricultural disaster was declared this week in Leduc County.

This came in response to the massive amounts of rainfall that hit local fields throughout the spring and summer. Between May 1 and Aug. 31, the region was doused with 367-478 mm of precipitation, with most of that coming over a two-week span in June. This resulted in the saturation of fields along with detrimental impacts to crop conditions. 

In total, one quarter of annually cropped acres in Leduc County were lost due to over-saturated soil. County staff say that for the crops that survived, 50 per cent of canola was noted to be in poor condition. 30 per cent of wheat crops, and 75 per cent of pea and barley crops, were also described as being in poor condition by the county's agricultural services board.

"These statistics all point to what Council has directly or indirectly seen this year," said Mayor Tanni Doblanko. "We've heard from producers across the County that are struggling, and I want to tell our farmers that we recognize the issues they are facing and the impact these adverse conditions are having on their livelihoods. By making this declaration, we want to draw attention to the issue and encourage other levels of government to provide support where possible."

In addition to the excessive moisture received during the growing season, producers faced harvesting challenges as well. Morning dew, frost, and cool daytime temperatures limited the amount of harvesting producers were able to accomplish each day, with many crops needing to be artificially dried to prevent storage issues.

The declaration does not automatically trigger access to increased funding from either the provincial or federal government; however, it can open access to already existing programs.