The Council for the RM of Excelsior No 166 (located 10 km east of Swift Current) declared a local State of Emergency for the entire RM due to the severe drought conditions during their council meeting on Monday.
Reeve Harold Martins says the area is now into it's second year of dry conditions and a lack of rainfall which is taking its toll on water supplies, crops, hay and pasture conditions.
"Pastures where there may have been grass for grazing are now brown due to the heat this summer as well as the lack of moisture over the last few years. Many ranchers are being forced to feed their cattle now which is sconsiderably earlier than on an average year. Several ranchers do not have suffiecient feed for the winter and the cost of purchasing and trucking feed has increased drastically and is too expensive for many."
That lack of feed means producers will have to take a harder approach when culling their herd in order to have the feed needed for the remaining livestock.
Estimates in the livestock sector suggest that could result in a loss of anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent of the national cow herd in Canada.
Martin says in Saskatchewan there's 1.2 million cows and even 40 per cent of that is between 450,000 and 500,000 cows.
"That is is going to be devastating and the reason it's devastating is because it's going to go through the system and the majority of them will have to be slaughtered. And we will be in competition with the packing plants for their cattle that they regularly receive for fat slaughter and we'll be in competition withthe feedlots. And all of that spells disaster for the price of cows."
He says cattle prices are low because of the number of cattle being sold and they will likely only decrease even more in the future as additional cattle are brought to market.
"Farmers with grain crops are also experiencing negative impacts due to the heat and the lack of moisture."
Martin notes crop conditions have deteriorated significantly and yields are low.
On Monday, the Council for the RM of Excelsior No 166 passed a motion to rebate 20 per cent of the municipal agriculture taxes.
"Each ratepayer when he comes in to pay his taxes, they'll pay the full amount of taxes. Then we will write him a check for the 20 per cent rebate on the amount of tax dollars they pay, and that's on agriculture land assessment."
Martin notes they'll be writing the rebate cheques at their regular council meetings, adding the 20 per cent rebate is expected to cost the RM about $100,000 to $130,000 dollars.
"Our farmers and ranchers are in need of financial assistance to get through this. We as an RM have taken a local lead in assisting by passing a motion to rebate 20 per cent of the municipal agriculture taxes. We are demanding both the provincial and federal governments come alongside and assist in this disaster as well."
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