Producers say 75% of southwest Sask. farms may disappear if drought conditions persist

Farmers and leaders in southwest Saskatchewan say the province is running out of time to prevent a widespread collapse of local agriculture, warning that many farms in the region could disappear if drought conditions continue and support programs are not strengthened.

“In our area, it could be 50 to 75 per cent of farms gone,” Tyson Jacksteit, who farms near the RM of Big Stick, said at a recent news conference, speaking alongside other producers from the area.

Read more:

• Drought support for farmers coming from provincial, federal governments
• ‘This is different’: Southwest Sask. farmers call for help after nearly a decade of drought
• ‘Can’t buy your way out of drought’: Southwest farmers continue to deal with dry conditions

The renewed warning builds on concerns shared during the summer, when producers described cracked soil, failed crops, exhausted crop-insurance guarantees and rising stress after nearly a decade of drought. By early July, RM councillors publicly criticized the provincial government for what they called slow action and inadequate support, saying operating costs and other pressures had surged even as yields dwindled.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said the government has failed to respond to what she called a dire situation.

“These are farms that have been proudly built by families for generations, and now they stand to lose everything,” Beck said. “Support is needed now.”

NDP agriculture critic Trent Wotherspoon said producers have been “left high and dry,” despite repeated calls for help from municipalities and farm groups.

“The devastation and loss after nine years of drought is really hard to fathom,” he said. “These producers shouldn’t be left to weather this alone.”

Quinton Jacksteit, reeve of the RM of Big Stick and Tyson Jacksteit’s brother, said existing provincial programs were never designed for a drought of this length.

Quinton Jacksteit, reeve of the RM of Big Stick, says producers are calling for urgent support, as existing programs were not designed for a long-term drought. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

“Our insurance programs were built for maybe two or three years of drought, but they were not built for these kinds of extremes,” he said. “We’re asking for insurance programs that are fair, so that we can buy enough insurance to sustain our farms.”

Kelly Bakanec, a representative for the RM of Fox Valley, said some farmers in the region are working second jobs to stay afloat.

“We take pride in helping feed the world,” he said. “We’re not here begging for handouts, but we’re at the point where we need it.”

Kalin Deis, a young farmer working in the southwest, said equipment costs, chemical resistance and repeated crop failures are pushing his generation out.

“For me, it’s the make-or-break year,” he said.

The concerns reached Question Period, where Premier Scott Moe defended the province’s approach. The premier said existing risk-management programs “are being adjusted from time to time,” and pointing to billions in coverage and payouts.

“We know that this program does support producers in our province,” Moe said, though he noted that agriculture remains largely dependent on weather.

Opposition MLAs rejected that response, arguing that the programs no longer function for the hardest-hit regions, arguing drought cannot be treated as temporary after nine years without recovery.

Following Question Period, Jeff Morrow, president and CEO of Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, said “yield cushioning” remains the key support tool for producers facing consecutive low yields. However, confirmed coverage still drops over extended drought cycles.

Producers said that January, when next year’s crop insurance guarantees are set, leaves little time to act.

For many in the RM of Big Stick and surrounding areas, the question is no longer about a challenging year, but whether farms, communities and family legacies survive at all.