As the February 28 deadline approaches for Fairview-area farmers to insure their pasture and hay land this year, above-average to normal snow cover across the Peace region and much of the province has livestock producers feeling hopeful about the potential growth they’ll get on their hay and pasture once the snow melts this spring.
“We had a relatively dry fall so all of the snow we’ve gotten so far this winter should definitely help kick-start growth on forage crops in the spring – depending on how slow or fast it melts and how much of that moisture soaks in. There is very little frost in the ground so that should help in terms of snow melt moving into the ground this spring,” says Calvin Yoder, a forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) in the Peace region. He adds the thick blanket of snow should also help insulate perennial forage plants, reducing the risk of winterkill this year.
Dry Soil Conditions Beneath the Snow
In the M.D. of Fairview, provincial moisture maps show that soil moisture beneath the snow as of late January is generally moderately low to low. Snow cover is generally moderately high.
Perennial hay and pasture crops depend on plenty of moisture early in the spring for healthy growth, says Yoder. “So in the end, it always comes down to spring moisture and rainfall in late May and early June. That’s what really makes or breaks our forage production across the region every year,” he says.
Last year, dry conditions in early spring and late summer triggered more than $4.4 million in hay and pasture insurance in some areas across the province, including the M.D. of Fairview, says John Kresowaty, with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC). AFSC is the Crown corporation that provides crop insurance to Alberta farmers on behalf of the provincial and federal governments.
“When the rain finally came in late May and June, we ended up with strong growth on hay and pasture in most regions,” says Kresowaty. He notes last year’s total payout is among the lowest in more than a decade due to favourable precipitation and good growing conditions in June and July. The highest payout years for hay and pasture insurance were during the droughts of 2009 when $56 million was paid in claims, and 2002 when $89 million was paid out.
Of course, nobody can predict what will happen this spring, says ARD provincial soil moisture specialist, Ralph Wright. “It could be wet or the snow could melt quickly and things could turn hot and dry. If it’s a cold spring, the snow could linger, delaying hay and pasture growth. There’s still two months of winter left. Anything’s possible. It’s really a wait-and-see game because weather is so random,” says Wright.
7.5 Million Acres Insured
Unpredictable weather is the biggest reason Alberta producers insure about 7.5 million acres of hay and pasture across the province every year through AFSC Perennial Insurance programs, says Kresowaty.
Cattle producer Glenn Leitch says deep snow on his cow-calf and backgrounder operation northeast of Fairview near Brownvale has him feeling reasonably positive about the outlook on his pastures this year. “We didn’t have a lot of fall moisture but the snow has really piled up so things are looking pretty good as long we get some rain through the growing season.” Leitch says he buys Perennial Insurance on his pasture every year so that when the rain doesn’t come, he has extra money to help cover the cost of replacement feed for his cattle. “At least you know you’re going to have that income to buy feed instead of having to liquidate the herd.” He says protecting his feed supply with pasture insurance is becoming more important as more farmers have been taking forage land out of production and seeding it to wheat or canola to cash in on commodity prices. “Not having those acres in hay or grass could be a big issue if we hit another dry spell and need to find extra forage for our cattle,” he says, explaining he had to ship hay from two and a half hours away during the last drought a few years ago.
12 New Weather Stations Added
New to Perennial Insurance this year is the addition of 12 new weather stations to the provincial network AFSC uses to determine payouts on Perennial Insurance programs for hay and pasture. “We now have 238 weather stations across Alberta that measure precipitation and other weather data,” says Kresowaty, noting one of those stations is near Hazel, northeast of Fairview. “It’s important to have as many stations as possible so clients can select stations in close proximity to their land base that best represent weather conditions on their farm.”
Farmers who take Moisture Deficiency Insurance on their pasture or include it as a rider on hay insurance select up to three weather stations, he explains. If accumulated moisture at these stations falls below normal over the growing season, a claim is triggered. Kresowaty says hay insurance also protects against yield losses caused by perils such as hail, flood, insects, disease, lightning, winterkill, and wildlife damage.
Source - http://www.fairviewpost.com/
