SARM Asks for Assistance for Producers Dealing with Severe Drought Conditions
With Canada’s agriculture ministers set to hold a Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) call this Thursday, SARM is asking both the Provincial and Federal governments to fully fund programs (and existing safety nets) as drought impact increases across Saskatchewan.
“Producers in Saskatchewan are experiencing severe drought conditions this year that are affecting both the crop, and livestock, sectors,” said SARM President Ray Orb. “There is a real need for financial assistance, and we are asking both Federal and Provincial levels of government to step up.”
With excessively high temperatures during the heart of the growing season, it is expected that several rural municipalities will soon consider disaster status as both pasture and crop land are being affected by drought. Extreme conditions will inevitably result in significant reduction to both the yield and quality of grains and oilseeds; diminishing prospects of positive farm revenue.
“Current programs are not sufficiently funded to cover these impending losses,” said Orb. “We will need to get money in the hands of producers, as quickly as possible, if current weather trends continue.”
SARM strongly encourages fully funding current agriculture programs and is committed to working with all levels of governments towards a long-term strategy for disaster safety nets.
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For more information please contact:
Corette Mihalcea
Communications & Marketing Coordinator
communications@sarm.ca or (306) 761-3931
