Title
Declaration of Agricultural Disaster
Proposed Motions
1. That Council declare a local state of Agricultural Disaster due to the hardship that weather conditions and excessive moisture have placed on local farmers.
2. That Parkland County notify provincial and federal governments of the state of Agricultural Disaster and request a disaster recovery program be set up to address it.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Administration supports the proposed motion. Given that the recent weather has increased the moisture in the fields, very little progress has been made in the harvest. Staff have been monitoring harvest progress which has gone up by 5 percent in the last week.
Purpose
To declare a local state of Agricultural Disaster.
Summary
The November 8, 2016 Alberta Crop Report (Attachment 1) states that harvest progress, particularly in the North West region is struggling as the percent completed is well below the provincial and annual averages. Excessive moisture is the significant issue in the Parkland County area and it may result in significant crop abandonment due to inaccessibility. The area has received between 2.5 - 9 millimeters of precipitation within the last two weeks.
In Region Four, which includes Parkland County, the Alberta Crop Report provides the following summary:
- Overall, 18 percent of the crops are still standing, 22 percent in the swath and 60 percent harvested.
- About 66 percent of the spring wheat, 60 percent of barley, 49 percent of oats and 99 percent of dry peas have been combined. Almost 55 percent of canola has been harvested, while 38 percent is still in the swath and 7 percent standing.
- Some sprouting in the swath and even in standing cereals has been noted.
The Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) has developed a Guide for Declaring Municipal Agriculture Disasters in Alberta (Attachment 2), it is currently in Draft form. There is a Condition Statement Tool in the guide which is inte...
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