Sask. farmers plagued by scorching drought, destructive grasshoppers

MENDHAM, Sask. -

Farmers and ranchers in southwestern Saskatchewan say they are seeing the worst drought in generations. Like the roots in the dry ground, they are barely hanging on.

“I have not seen it this dry before,” Leader-area farmer Randy Schneider said.

The Schneider family has been farming in the area for four generations and say 2023 is a year like no other.

“There’s not enough moisture to keep [the crop] growing,” Schneider said.

Schneider said the year started with a lot of optimism as a significant amount of snow created plenty of moisture early on.

Early spring rainfall also made seeding season favourable and allowed for crops to quickly sprout.

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However, due to an almost complete lack of moisture since, the dirt has turned hard, crumbly and dry. Crops are stunted and now turning brown.

“It should be a lush green and thick enough that you can’t walk through it,” Schneider described.

At this point in the growing season, Schneider expected his durum wheat growth to be hip or even shoulder height. Instead, it’s only grown to around his ankles.

“The head isn’t even coming out of the boot,” he explained. “There’s no stools growing.”

On top of that, anything that is growing is quickly being chewed away by grasshoppers.

“The crop was up and by night, the grasshoppers had cleaned it off,” Schneider said.

“For every step you take, if there’s more than one or two hoppers, you’re going to have major damage. There are more than one or two hoppers,” he added.

RANCHERS

Further south near Maple Creek, Sask., rancher Roy Martin said his cattle ranch has also been deeply impacted by the drought.

The farm relies on spring snow melts and summer rain to supply wells and fill dugouts.

“When it doesn’t rain, your dugouts tend to go down,” Martin said.

In pastures, grass and hay have struggled to grow and weeds called ‘Poverty Weed’ have started to take over fields.

“The old-timers called it that in the ‘Dirty 30s’ because when nothing grew, this would grow,” Martin explained. “The cows don’t eat it.”

Hay is the Martin’s largest source of cattle feed.

“This year, we got around 1,500 pounds, or one round bale per acre,” Martin said. “In good years, we’ll get two bales per acre.”

“Last year we only got about a half bale [per acre],” he added.

If the farm doesn’t grow enough hay in the summer, the winter food supply needs to be found elsewhere.

“The cost of fuel on trucks really starts to add up,” Martin said. “The price of trucking almost equals the price of the feed.”

Martin said it takes between $200 and $300 to feed one cow in the winter, currently, they have a few hundred head of cattle.

“Probably 50 per cent of our gross income goes to feeding our cows in the winter,” Martin said.

That number used to be closer to 10 per cent, Martin said.

“You’re just trying to keep your head above water,” he said.

LONG-TERM IMPACT

Schneider said the cost of production continues to increase.

“The cost of living, inputs, diesel, equipment and fertilizer all are going up,” he said. “It’s hard for farmers to live on the farm when you can’t grow crop.”

Schneider wants those who live in the city to know not all fields look as good as they do when driving past them on the highway.

“If it rains, we all look good,” he said. “If it doesn’t, even the farmers that do their best don’t look good because the crops don’t grow.”

As the price of production continues to rise for farmers, Schneider believes the impact could be much greater.

“You’ll see less family farms,” he said. “There’s less interest [in farming] because interest rates continue to climb.”

“It’s handed down through the generations,” Schneider added. “People want to hang on but it comes to a point, how long do you hang on?”

But for now, the small family farm continues on the best it can.

“We’ll try our best at harvesting,” said Schneider. “I don’t think there will be much there. Then we’ll put it in again and keep going.”

If you are a farmer or rancher experiencing conflict or crisis, Saskatchewan's Farm Stress Line is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week toll free at: 1-800-667-4442.