Hot and dry conditions could produce ‘catastrophic’ situation for Alberta ranchers

Southern Alberta ranchers have hit a crisis point due to the continued hot and dry conditions this spring, according to the vice chair of the Alberta Beef Producers.

By mid-June, Darwin Randle’s fields east of High River should be filled with green barley. This year, they’re dusty. Many seeds haven’t even germinated.

“We’re optimistic but preparing for the worst,” Randle said on Monday.

Randle grows barley, alfalfa and corn, and has 150 head of cattle that rely on rain to grow the grass they eat.

“We’re starting to look for some hay and straw. My reserves are pretty depleted. So hopefully I can sell some of the older livestock off. Prices are good at the moment. That’s a good thing,” Randle said.

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“It’s devastating. There’s literally crops not germinating, grass pastures with nothing left and there is a water is a situation as well for the cattle,” said Sheila Hillmer, vice chair of the Alberta Beef Producers.

She said ranchers in southern Alberta depend on rainfall and snowpack to replenish the water supply but it’s not happening.

“We are in a crisis now in what we call Feedlot Alley.

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“These crops, even if they have irrigation, they are having problems with irrigation and they’re not able to access water,” Hilllmer said.

“The drastic affect on grain and hay production in general is going to have an effect on ranchers. Limited feed supply already, all-time high pricing, it’s just going to be catastrophic.”

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“Yes, we have good prices for cattle but that always seems to be offset with some type of dramatic challenge and this for sure is part of it: the drought and access to good feed,” Hillmer said.

While some ranchers may have to move cattle if they run out of food and water, a worse scenario could lie ahead when producers determine they’ve had enough.

“The worst nightmare that could happen, in my opinion, is that we lose more of the cow-calf industry and the cow-calf herd. We’re already at an all-time low with high beef demand,” Hillmer said.

“Some are looking at either selling as much as they think they have to for now to try to limp through. The cost of feed and finding feed will be very challenging.”

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Hillmer said it’s not practical to move water to the cattle.

“Sometimes you’re just forced to move the cattle. Trying to haul water to cattle doesn’t work. You can’t keep up to it so water will be your limiting factor if you can’t access other ways to get the water to them,” Hillmer said.

“Economically, it’s a massive impact,” said Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

“A couple of years ago, when there was a drought across the prairies, many beef producers had to cull some of the herd and some cases, all of the herd. Now it’s a matter of trying to find more feed, which is expensive,” Currie said.

“Let’s not forget about the stress this is putting on our farmers and ranchers. It’s tremendous, and I don’t think enough people understand how tough that is for farmers to get through this,” Currie said.

The president of the National Farmers’ Union is calling for government action to help farmers and ranchers adopt technology that will enable them to adapt to extreme conditions.

“Farmers are facing unprecedented stresses with drought conditions and fire that’s making it difficult for livestock to calve and to care for their young and farmers are facing relocation and straight up burning of our crops,” said Jenn Pfenning.

“It’s not getting better. It’s getting worse with more of the country facing that and we need to have government at our side to help us cope and adapt,” Pfenning said.

1:55 Alberta ranchers struggling to feed cattle amidst extreme drought

According to the Alberta government, agriculture analyst calf and feeder cattle prices have reached highs not reported since 2015 and prices continue to climb.

At the start of this year, the Canadian beef cow herd was approaching the lowest level since 1990. The U.S. beef cow inventory is the lowest level it’s been in nearly 60 years.

The continued contraction was attributed to drought conditions and record-high prices for feed.

“We are seeing record prices already, but if these numbers keep shrinking, you thought the price of steak or hamburger was expensive today? It’s only going to get worse because we just can’t keep up with the demand for it and we need to keep our ranchers and the cow calf producers in business,” Hillmer said.

“This has been an industry that’s been around for generations and we can’t afford to lose more.”