Partnership to Help Farmers Affected by Dry Weather

AGRICULTURE/FISHERIES--Partnership to Help Farmers Affected by Dry Weather

The Government of Nova Scotia continues to work with industry partners to ensure Nova Scotia farmers have the resources and information they need to manage their operations through a very dry summer.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ernest Fage said department staff have been working with industry organizations throughout the season to monitor the effects army worms and the lack of rain are having on farms across the province.

Although it is too soon to calculate losses caused by insects and weather, it is important for farmers to remember that the department has a mix of programs to assist many of them in stabilizing their income. For example, farmers have access to ongoing programs like Crop and Livestock Insurance, the Net Income Stabilization Account, and the Canadian Farm Income Program.

Mr. Fage suggests that, "Once a thorough assessment has been made and specific needs are identified, we will work with industry to develop the most appropriate actions for the farmers affected by the conditions of this growing season."

Doug Bacon, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, and CEO Laurence Nason have spearheaded an assessment process. They have been travelling the province reviewing damage and drawing on the expertise of department field representatives, production specialists at the Agricultural Development Institute and other industry organizations and leaders.

The department continues to monitor the situation through its regional agricultural resource co-ordinators and the Livestock Insurance Commission. It is also involved with industry to address the long-term issue of water availability and quality.

The Agricultural Development Institute specialists have been working with farmers and organizations on dry weather and army worm issues, along with other production issues, since mid-April. Through its partnership with Farm Focus, the leading agricultural publication in the Atlantic provinces, staff of the institute will be publishing additional strategies for forage and cattle producers in the Aug. 22 edition.

At the end of August, government representatives will meet with industry partners, including the federation and the institute, to share information and co-ordinate approaches.

The most recent province-wide drought was in 1997, while localized droughts were experienced in 1998, and 1999. During these periods, the department, with industry support, took a variety of actions which included: conducting detailed surveys of the effects on individual producers and regions; establishing a "hayline" which matched farmers who need hay with those who have hay; and developing special loan programs designed to address weather related losses. Those programs bridged the industry to the new disaster programs now called the Canadian Farm Income Program.