Agricultural Drought Programs and Resources

Crop Pests

• Herbicide Residues
• 2023 Herbicide Carryover Risk Level Map - Based on rainfall from May 3 to September 26, 2022

Soil Fertility

• Fall Soil Testing in Dry Conditions

Feed and Nutrition

• Pasture Management Considerations During Drought
• Salvaging Crops as Feed for Livestock
• Processed Feeds – Company Listing

Feed Supply and Alternative Feeds

• Alternative Feeds – Quick Reference Guide
• Strategic Use of Vitamin A and E for Ruminant Livestock
• Straw as a Roughage Source for Beef Cattle

Grazing

• Pastures, Grazing, Hay and Silage

• Creep Feeding Calves
• Feeding Livestock During Feed Shortages

• Why and How to Test Your Livestock Water
• Livestock and Water Quality
• Water Supply Options During Dry Conditions

• Beef Cattle Feeding Webinar Series - Molasses and Straw, Ammonization and Liquid Protein Supplements
• Straw and Grain Rations for Beef Cattle
• Beef Cattle Feeding Webinar Series - Alternative Feeds
• Beef Cattle Feeding Webinar Series: Nitrates in Feed
• Ranch Management Forum Bonus Session: Evaluating Alternative Feeds
• Beef Fall Webinar Series - Session 4: Avoiding Winter Feeding Issues and Using Alternative Feed Sources
• Ranch Management Forum 2023 Session 3: Managing Extensive Grazing
• Grasshoppers: How to Manage this Season and Q&A with James Tansey

Agricultural producers continue to demonstrate their resilience to drought-related challenges with support from government. For the government and Ministry of Agriculture, enabling the sector’s long-term growth, including mitigating climate-related risks, is a priority. The government has put together several measures and strategies for producers to manage risk, mitigate and recover from the effects of drought conditions in the province. Examples of these measures are business risk management programs, research, monitoring and coordination response actions. Continuous improvement in genetics, innovative technologies and advances in land use management.

• AgriRecovery is a federal-provincial disaster relief framework focused on extraordinary costs producers face to recover from disasters. This program is administered by the federal-provincial government to determine what assistance could be provided to livestock producers facing prolonged dry conditions.
• The Livestock Tax Deferral Program provides producers facing potential feed shortages with more options as they consider if they need to liquidate part of their breeding due to drought.
• AgriInvest is a producer-government savings account intended to address immediate cash flow concerns since withdrawals can be made anytime.
• AgriStability helps protect farmers and ranchers against production loss, increased costs and market conditions. The compensation rate for the AgriStability payment has increased from 70 to 80 per cent starting in the 2023 program year.
• SCIC Crop Insurance provides insurance for crops which experience a loss in yield, whether due to an insurable cause of loss in the quality or quantity of the insured crop.
• The Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program provides funding to eligible applicants to develop new wells, pipelines, dugouts, small dams or expand existing dugouts. Under this program, costs related to dugouts, pipelines, and wells are typically funded at 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $75,000 over the life of the program.
• The Livestock Price Insurance program currently offers the following policies:
  • Feeder – the policy covers the price risk a cattle feeder faces when marketing. The settlement index is based on the average price of an 850-pound steer.
  • Fed – the policy is offered year-round for cattle being finished in Western Canada. Producers can also purchase a fed-basis option to protect against basis risk.
  • The Livestock Price Index-Calf policies are sold annually between February and June.
• The Gopher Control Program provides support for rural municipalities and First Nations to control ground squirrels (Richardson’s, Franklin’s, thirteen-lined, and the Northern pocket gopher) populations. This program is delivered in partnership with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM).
• 2023 Crown Grazing Lease Rental Reduction Program provides support to agricultural Crown land lessees who reduced the stocking rate on their leased grazing land by 20 per cent or more due to ongoing dry conditions. A credit of up to 50 per cent of the total will rent due will be applied corresponding to the reduction in Animal Unit Months (AUM).

• Feed Calculator with Price Comparison
• Cattle Feeding Breakeven Calculator