Newfoundland (Rural Roots Canada) – Brenda Aylward started feeding her sheep their winter hay on July 31. Three months earlier than normal.
“I usually don’t feed hay until the end of October,” said Aylward, president of the Sheep Producers Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
By October, she had already used one-third of her winter supply of hay. She’s not alone. Farmers across Newfoundland and Labrador are burning through their hay after this summer’s severe drought. Many didn’t get a second cut and will run out of feed before winter ends.
“What do we do?” said Christa Wright, industry development manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture.
“If they don’t have food for their livestock, the next step for a livestock producer is to cull their animals and put the flocks down. Then we lose years of genetics and breeding.”
The crisis isn’t only in Newfoundland and Labrador. At a recent meeting, federation representatives from all four Atlantic provinces said they experienced severe drought as well.
The federation is researching emergency programs and potentially sourcing hay from Ontario and Quebec, but the cost would be substantial.
Aylward also grows root vegetables, which she sells commercially when her back field dries up.
“We lost the entire three acres. We just had to give up,” she said.
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“Usually it’s the other way, right? We get too much water, too much precipitation,” she added.
She’s never seen a year this hard.
The federation has written to the provincial agriculture minister, making them aware of the dire situation, but Wright said provincial funds likely won’t be enough.
“I think we’re going to have to go to the federal level,” she said.
The federation plans to work with the province to approach the federal government for disaster relief.
“It’s not about them making money, it’s about their survival,” she said. “We want to grow agriculture, not put it out.”
The impact varies depending on the type of farm. Chicken and egg producers will see higher costs, but should maintain feed supply since it is shipped in. Sheep and dairy farmers who depend on local hay face the biggest threat.
Crop farmers face their own challenges. This is their season to sell crops and generate revenue for the year, but many have nothing to harvest.
The federation is racing to put support programs in place before January, when many farmers will hit a breaking point.
“We can’t wait till we get to that point in January. The last thing we want is farmers putting down their animals,” said Wright.
