Drought causes damage in agriculture throughout the province.
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July 24, 2020 15: 40
Updated at 22h02
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The drought is spreading desolation among the farmers
Johanne Fournier
Special Collaboration
MATANE — While the drought in 2018 had been considered the worst in the last 150 years, especially in the East-du-Québec, now the situation hits again this season, but in the province of Quebec.
According to the regions, drought causes damage in agriculture even more catastrophic as two years ago.
The warm weather and lack of rainfall in June has affected the crop at the beginning of their growth, resulting in a first harvest of hay anemic. As the first cutting of hay is 45% to 55% of the total volume which a firm needs, a number of companies will be in lack of fodder to feed their animals.
“Many producers are wondering if they should sell their animals for slaughter in the fall because they will not have enough inventory to feed them during the winter,” laments the first vice-president of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), Martin Caron. “I’ve had echoes of producers of bison who sell their herd.”
The three regions which, in order, are included in the sad list of winners of the shortage of rainfall are the Mauricie region with a water deficit of 63 % compared to the same date last year, followed by Lanaudière with 62 % and the North Shore with 52 %. Then comes the National Capital with 51 %. This last is subdivided into three sub-regions, Portneuf, with 59 %, the Charlevoix region with 49%, and Quebec, including the Côte-de-Beaupré with 46 %. The Bas-Saint-Laurent is a shortage of rain of 41 % less than the previous year. In Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the deficiency is 40 %. “This is really exceptional, this year, is that the lack of water is everywhere in Quebec, confirms Mr. Caron. It has impacts on the hay for the animals, in addition to the cereals.”
The UPA has revived the Operation Hay put up in 2018, which this time, will take on a dimension of a province. “Currently, there is a topo with each of the regions with which we have discussions, described Mr. Caron, who is in charge of the dossier for the UPA. Asked the minister of Agriculture to set up a crisis cell with The Financière agricole, which has been done.”
A bit like two years ago, a coordination centre has also been established with the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) to provide assistance to agricultural producers. It has for mission to identify sellers of hay and to make the mesh with the buyers. “Usually, one is able to cope with the province of Quebec, says the spokesperson of the UPA. But, with the major impact in the province in full, it may need to look in the neighboring provinces or the United States to make purchases of hay.”
Producers of bison must sell their cattle for lack of fodder to feed them.
Special Collaboration Johanne Fournier
The rarity leads to a higher bid. The price of the hay of lesser quality can rise to $ 300 a tonne, excluding transportation. Martin Caron believes that the sellers of hay, however, cannot exceed a certain price because, otherwise, producers will look to other plants to feed their animals, including corn silage. “We are working on this with consultants to propose to the producers of other plants that could be used and that would be more profitable. It also has a role to bring our merchants of hay to be reasonable on the price, to have a vision of solidarity. There are also sellers of hay, here in Quebec who sell to the outside, including in the United States. We would like to prioritize our territory before exporting the hay elsewhere.”
On the side of producers of horticultural crops and horticultural crops, some have seen their water supplies depleted. “You have to look with them what are the alternatives on the transportation of the water,” he says. The artesian wells that are dry are another concern for the crisis cell. Some of the farmers have more water for the watering of their beasts. Therefore, the coordination centre attempting to find a solution to a water supply to certain bodies or to find services which could be made available to the farmers.
The UPA would like to take advantage of a financial support from the federal government program, agrirecovery. However, the request must come from Quebec and the minister of Agriculture closes the door. “The Agri-recovery, when it is triggered, it really is in the event of a disaster,” explains André Lamontagne. Once it is triggered, it cannot be retriggered, I think, before the age of 15. In 2018, when I came into post, we had just experienced the worst drought in 150 years. Finally, we found solutions and ways to address programs that are available to producers. It is enough to see how these programs may come in response to the difficulties.”
Up to this day, The Financière agricole du Québec has received 1560 notices of damage for all of Québec.
“There are 86 % of these damages, which are, in Montérégie, in Lanaudière, in the Centre-du-Québec and Capitale-Nationale”, indicated Martin Caron. The damage has mainly been caused to grain crops and processing vegetables.
