A grasshopper in Bev Pirio's fields. (Dominick Lucyk/CJME)

By farmnewsNOW Staff

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Monday July 26, 2021

Jul 26, 2021 | 10:20 AM

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) welcomes the drought aid announcement the federal government made recently.

Ottawa announced the livestock tax deferral on sales and adjustments to AgriInsurance to make drought-damaged crops available for feed.

AgriRecovery is being looked at to provide disaster aid for water development and feed supplies.

APAS vice-president Ian Boxall said the measures do not go far enough.

He said the early tax designation stops short of needed enhancements, including eligibility for yearlings and other cattle classes as well as the deferral period from one to five years.

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He added the designated area so far excludes 47 per cent of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan.

APAS is reiterating its call for an increased AgriStability compensation rate from 70 to 80 per cent, along with an extension to the enrollment deadline.

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Two Canadian premiers and the leaders of three US states are calling for the re-opening of the border between the two countries.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, his Saskatchewan counterpart Scott Moe and the governors of North Dakota, Montana and Idaho have written a joint letter to the heads of their two countries to ask for the move.

The letter says the time has come for citizens to be able to move freely over the border to resume trade and tourism.

Canada has said it will begin easing entry for Americans on August 9 while the US has said it will wait until at least August 21. (The Canadian Press)

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Saskatchewan farmers have had a tough year.

Many of them have been suffering through the drought. A lack of rain has stunted crop growth and made it difficult to grow hay for cattle.

However, there are some areas where they’ve had a decent amount of moisture. In at least one of those places, another problem rears its ugly head.

Bev Pirio farms near Radville in the southeast. Her farm has been overrun by an infestation of grasshoppers.

For one thing, it makes work on the farm more of a chore.

They’re definitely unpleasant, but that’s far from the only problem they cause. She explained that they will take a big bite out of the farm’s profits this year.

“We’re very fortunate right now. Our crops are not that (dry). We’ve been catching the odd rain here and there. (The crops) are probably average, but we estimate that we’re losing almost 30 per cent of yield in the areas where the grasshoppers have moved in,” she explained.

Spraying pesticide is their top line of defense against the pesky pests. However, with so many grasshoppers, it’s difficult to even tell where they’ve sprayed, and it’s not like they want to coat their entire crop.

“You always hesitate to spray because it’s a pesticide. You have to take so much more care to spray it because it’s dangerous to the applicator. But once it’s sprayed, it usually would knock them down for a while. It would kill and have some residual,” she said.

Her family has been farming this land since 1990. It’s not the worst season for grasshoppers they’ve seen in those 31 years, but it’s close. (Dominick Lucyk/CJME)

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW