Grande Prairie struggles with drought disaster

The worst drought in decades has prompted local officials in northwest Alberta to declare an agricultural disaster as hot weather and a lack of rain have created dry, cracked fields and shriveled crops.

The move, approved at a Grande Prairie County council meeting last week, will allow officials to seek aid from provincial and federal agriculture departments.

"This is probably the worst year since 1963," said Everett McDonald, the reeve of the county located about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"To put that into perspective we've had on my farm less than 1.7 inches of rain since May. We've had a fire ban on since the 18th of May in the county of Grande Prairie and certainly the crop projections are probably less than 30 per cent of what we would call an average year."

Farmers are going to be hard pressed to make any money this year, he said, and conditions are not likely to improve.

"Our long range forecast for the next five days is 32 to 34 degrees so it certainly is not going to help our situation up here at all."

McDonald believes every farmer in the area will be applying for benefits under the province's crop insurance plan. But he thinks the Alberta government in particular should do more, because of the seriousness of the situation.

He points out that people in the Lethbridge area, in southern Alberta, got $150 million in provincial assistance after severe flooding there last summer. McDonald says he will be talking to the government about getting similar help.