‘The worst drought we have ever seen’: Ranchers, farmers brace for another heat wave

To say it has been an unusual year for cattle ranchers and grain farmers in Saskatchewan would be an understatement.

Heat waves as well as a lack of precipitation have made for a brutal 1-2 punch to ranchers and farmers in the province in what they are describing as the worst drought they have ever seen.

Hodgeville-area rancher Garner Deobald says a lack of water for his cattle along with grass drying up rapidly have created countless problems for him and his cattle this summer.

“This is probably the worst drought we have seen. This is probably the worst drought that many have of us have been through,” Deobald said Tuesday. “Right now, the 14-day forecast here is hot and dry. There really is no rain in sight.

“The only other year that I could compare things to is 1988. That year was bad, but I think this year is quite a bit worse.”

As of June 30, the Canadian Drought Monitor shows the Hodgeville region in the “severe drought” category — something that Deobald says has got much worse in the weeks since. It’s expected to get even worse moving forward.

“Whether you’re a grain farmer or cattle rancher, it has just put everybody in a tough spot,” he said. “We are just trying to work through things and figure out now how to make the best out of our situation.

“It’s a critical time here right now. Hopefully we will be able to manage our way through it and come out OK on the other side.”

Adrienne Ivey and her husband are cattle ranchers as well as grain farmers in the Ituna area roughly 140 kilometres northeast of Regina.

Ivey described this year as a “roller coaster” when it came to the conditions they have been dealing with.

“We started out with the driest conditions that we’ve seen in the 20 years that we have been farming,” Ivey said. “We have had a couple of year-saving moisture events that we are really, really thankful for that a lot of the parts of the province haven’t seen.

“The big thing for cattle and beef producers is really making sure that we have a feed supply not only for the summer for our cattle grazing but also putting up feed for the winter. We are fortunate that we still have that. There is a lot of places that not only are cows running out of feed for the summer, but also there’s no feed now for the winter.”

Many parts of the province, including the Saskatoon and Regina regions, are expected to see above-seasonal conditions with no rain in sight for the foreseeable future.

“It’s definitely very stressful when your crops are wilting and you reflect on the financial effects of what that means,” Ivey said. “But I would definitely say that it is even more stressful when you aren’t sure how you’re going to take care of these animals that that you are the caretaker of.”

Ivey says as much as they wish they could control the weather, they can’t and that leaves them with only hopeful optimism that weather systems bringing lots of rain could start to appear.

“I think that this too is something that will pass,” she said. “It’s something that we need to get through as farmers. Next year will be a new year and who knows what it will bring?”