ID 107903270 © Lantapix | Dreamstime.com

By Alice McFarlane

Program changes to help drought-stricken hay and pasture land

Jun 19, 2019 | 1:59 PM

Dry conditions are forcing livestock producers to make some tough decisions on how to manage their forage and pastures.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced additional program measures to help livestock producers.

“You look at the hay conditions across the province. Before we always had one area of the province at least that had some hay and other parts didn’t. It’s pretty wide-spread,” Marit said. “We’re concerned about that.”

The deadline for seeding crops for greenfeed has been extended from June 30 to July 15. Producers who have crop insurance will now be able to seed and insure any cereal greenfeed crop. This includes customers who have not previously endorsed greenfeed on their contract of insurance. Crop insurance customers have until July 15 to select this endorsement and seed their greenfeed crop.

If a crop insurance customer wants to use their annual crop acres for livestock grazing or for feed, they can contact their local crop insurance office. Customers also have coverage if their annual crops suffer from the dry conditions. The producer can register a pre-harvest claim if they do not want to carry the crop through to harvest. If the producer takes their crop to harvest, but it has a reduced yield, they can file a post-harvest claim.

MLAs clash over foreign ownership of Saskatchewan farmland

Nov 10, 2025

Outstanding community members

'We all loved him': respected Prince Albert broadcaster passes away

Oct 09, 2025

Nearing the end of harvest

Meals in the field and hats in combines: a look into end of harvest traditions

Oct 09, 2025

For producers that purchased the Western Livestock Price Insurance this spring, the 60-day continuous criteria will be waived for the 2019 grazing season.

Producers still have time to enroll in AgriStability for the 2019 program year. That deadline has been extended to July 2.

In addition, those leasing Crown land with excess grazing or hay resources can request permission to sub-lease their pasture, graze non-owned cattle on the lease, harvest some or all of the hay on the lease and sell the hay.

Several areas received rain over the weekend. Marit said it will help alleviate the situation for some livestock producers.

“If we see some moisture at least it would refurbish the pasture land and at least ranchers would have that opportunity to still be able to feed their cattle.” Marit said.

–

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF