The Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) has streamlined inspection procedures for the province’s crop fields.
In a statement yesterday, Agriculture & Forestry (AF) Minister Oneil Carlier said he’d met with various crop commissions to address their concerns about last year’s unharvested crops.
Farmers race against time in order to get last year’s unharvested crops in before it’s too late. (Photo/CBC)
“I commend them for reflecting the views of their members,” Carlier said in the statement. “I value the farmers’ input on how we can bet address this situation.”
The commissions say that the heavy snow has already delayed seeding across the province, and that last year’s unharvested crops are threatening further delays.
“We must move away from field to field assessment and begin geographic write-offs in order to begin working on this year’s crop,” said Alberta Barley Chairperson Jason Lenz in a separate news release. “There’s simply too much ground to cover, and not enough time.”
At this point, farmers in some areas have to wait for snow to meld and land to dry out, harvest last year’s crop, repair and prep the fields and plant the 2017 crop. Experts say there’s only about six weeks left to do it.
In the same news release, Alberta Wheat Commission Chairperson Kevin Bender says they must be given the freedom to operate in order to avoid another disaster this fall.
“With killing frosts beginning by mid-September in north-central Alberta and the Peace Region, farmers are now on an extraordinarily tight timeline,” he said.
Carlier says the AFSC decision helps insured producers in completing their harvest, adding the success of Alberta’s farmers and rural communities is essential to the province’s success.
“Though existing programs and services, our government is committed to helping farmers make their lives better,” he said.
Carlier has also asked the AFSC to be prepared to move quickly if conditions don’t improve.
The minister says he’s willing to continue ongoing meetings with the commissions as well as the AFSC as spring season progresses.
– Posted by BET
