Quebec's dry spring causes headaches for farmers, fishermen and firefighters

Like several farmers across Quebec this spring, Christine Aubin said she is "dancing and hoping for rain."

It's not the first time the family's dairy farm in the Montérégie region is dealing with dry conditions, but Aubin said "this time is by far the worst." 

The province has seen 30 to 40 per cent less precipitation than usual this spring, according to Environment Canada, causing headaches for farmers, challenges for lake fishermen and creating perfect conditions for forest fires.

Aubin said the farm would normally be cutting hay at this time of the year. Instead, their crops are riddled with deep cracks brought on by the heat.

Contrary to last year, when farmers were able to harvest one batch of hay before conditions got too dry, this year "nothing is growing as it should," she said, with soya beans and corn hardly getting off the ground.

Aubin is already expecting the farm will have to buy hay to feed their cattle at the end of the summer instead of being able to sell their excess like they had been doing, up until last year.

In 2020, a widespread hay shortage forced them to spend $15,000, instead of bringing in additional revenue.

Claude Descôteaux, a soya producer in Saint-Joachim, Que., said when he dug up his beans "they looked like they did in the bag."

"There isn't enough humidity to make them sprout," said Descôteaux.

The president of the agricultural producers' union (UPA) for the Drummond-Nord region, Yves Gatien, said the drought is affecting all of Central Quebec, and beyond.

"The situation is critical, we need rain," he said.

Environment Canada is forecasting showers and rain for most regions of the province on Monday and Tuesday, but no significant amounts of precipitation.

Low water levels

Water levels are also low in many regions, including at La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

Andy Klink has been fishing in the reserve since the 1980s and calls the situation "exceptional."

"Places where we normally launch our boats are simply dried up," he said.

The director of services at the reserve, Johanne Vienneau, said the situation is similar across Quebec.

"But I'd say we've never seen anything like this in 16, 17 years," she said. The park is doing its best to send customers to sites that aren't as affected, but said there is no way around it.

"We hope this will be resolved soon."

Ban on campfires still in place

After campfires were banned across most regions earlier this week, Quebec's forest protection agency, SOPFEU, is now asking forestry workers to pause some of their activities in a bid to prevent fires during this dry period.

Workers should avoid using machinery, all terrain vehicles or anything that could cause a spark, especially during the hottest part of the day, between noon and 8 p.m., according to SOPFEU.

Sixteen forest fires are currently burning across Quebec, and the risk level varies from high in the Eastern Townships, to extreme in most regions.