Governments are lending a hand drought-impacted Prairie producers and now so too are other farmers.
With farmers in the Prairie provinces facing a dire hay shortage due to devastating and prolonged drought conditions, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has begun work to facilitate a “Hay West” initiative to send surplus hay from farmers on the East Coast to those struggling in the West.
Canada’s farmers have supported each other in similar ways in the past. The first Hay West initiative occurred in 2002 when Prairie farmers were facing similar circumstances. Ten years later the situation was reversed, where Western farmers sent hay east to help farms stricken with drought.
“CFA is currently in the initial stages of facilitating a new Hay West program. We have our staff as well as a third-party working towards determining how much of a hay surplus is available, and are looking to work with the railways and the government to help these farmers that are in dire need of feed for their animals,” said Mary Robinson, CFA President.
CFA will provide more information on the Hay West initiative as the details become available, and will be working closely with the government and other stakeholders to ensure that farmers are supported and surplus hay reaches those that need it.
On Sunday, the federal government announced a further $400 million in AgriRecovery funding for Canadian farmers hurt by dry weather. The funding is in addition to the $100 million Ottawa committed earlier this month, bringing the total government money to $500 million.
Click here to see more...