Prairie livestock producers facing shortage of feed, water as winter sets in

'I'm hearing stories from auction markets about herds of cattle coming up for sale that just haven't been up for sale before,' the Canadian Cattlemen's Association president said.

The consequences of last summer’s searing drought are being felt on farms and ranches across the Prairies, where some livestock producers are heading into a long, cold winter with dangerously low supplies of feed and water.

On his ranch near Nanton, in southern Alberta, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Bob Lowe said he’s fortunate for the late-season rainfall that allowed him to salvage some sort of hay crop. But he said many producers haven’t been so lucky.

“Some people haven’t got anything,” Lowe said. “And water is a huge concern.

The summer of 2021 will go down on record as one of the worst and most widespread droughts in North America in years.

Months of extreme heat and little rain left crops withering in fields across the Prairie provinces and into Western Ontario. In B.C., farmers were also affected by wildfires and heavy smoke.

Now that harvest season is complete, the damage is being tallied.

According to a report from the government of Saskatchewan, crop yields in that province were “well below average and moisture conditions remain a concern, with significant precipitation needed this fall and winter to replenish soil moisture levels and watering holes.

“Many areas in the province will have inadequate winter feed supplies,” the report said.