Too much rain a 'disaster' for some Sask. farmers

I have a friend who had less than a third of his land seeded on Saturday.  I don't expect he's doing much better this week. 

Need some rain out here in Ontario too.

Is this a cyclical thing?  Or a non-predictable episode?

Agriculture ministers are meeting right now in Saskatoon: http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&i...

Not surprising.

My BIL splits his time between the family farm in Willowbunch and Montreal - this year he managed to get most of the seeding done, but only with the little old tractor they have.  Most of the big machines would just sink, but it was light enough not to get mired, apparently.

@ Timebandit

Speaking of Willow Bunch, I had heard that Old Wives Lake was in danger of drying up again (as it has in the past). I guess that at least is not a worry this year.

That is usually where all the weather happens (Davidson). I seem to remember them getting flooding in that area last year or the year before, which weren't even that wet.

So now there is a $450M relief deal ($360M of it coming to Saskatchewan) . How much do you want to bet there will be some version of giant conservative logo-emblazoned cheques handed out at town fairs this summer?

I don't know if people outside Saskatchewan (or even some residents) are aware that there probably wouldn't be as many Conservative seats here if we had any actual urban ridings. As it is both major cities are gerrymandered into pie-shaped ridings that are half-rural. My Saskatoon riding actually borders on a Regina riding, even though that city is 240 km away. And over half the population in this province is now urban.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstrap_(electoral_district)

I haven't checked, but if things are bad here I am wondering how bad it must be for farmers east of Winnipeg. When I lived there I never saw a year (even a dry year) when there was not flooding and washed-out roads.

6079_Smith_W wrote:

So now there is a $450M relief deal ($360M of it coming to Saskatchewan) . How much do you want to bet there will be some version of giant conservative logo-emblazoned cheques handed out at town fairs this summer?

I don't know if people outside Saskatchewan (or even some residents) are aware that there probably wouldn't be as many Conservative seats here if we had any actual urban ridings. As it is both major cities are gerrymandered into pie-shaped ridings that are half-rural. My Saskatoon riding actually borders on a Regina riding, even though that city is 240 km away. And over half the population in this province is now urban.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstrap_(electoral_district)

I haven't checked, but if things are bad here I am wondering how bad it must be for farmers east of Winnipeg. When I lived there I never saw a year (even a dry year) when there was not flooding and washed-out roads.

It's a travesty, really.  But don't say that outside city limits - you'll get yourself tarred, feathered and run out on a rail.

6079_Smith_W wrote:

I don't know if people outside Saskatchewan (or even some residents) are aware that there probably wouldn't be as many Conservative seats here if we had any actual urban ridings. As it is both major cities are gerrymandered into pie-shaped ridings that are half-rural. My Saskatoon riding actually borders on a Regina riding, even though that city is 240 km away. And over half the population in this province is now urban.

Didn't know this, Smith. That would be incredibly frustrating. But wouldn't the last NDP government have tried to rectify this? Or is it considered a rectification of a past imbalance?

I thought in the last go-around the federal electoral boundaries commission recommended the creation of 5 mostly 'urban' seats in Regina and Saskatoon (Pasqua, Wascana, Idlewyld, Broadway and Meewasin), but that idea was quashed by resistance from (among others) then-NDP MP Dick Proctor. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

But getting back to the thread topic (and at the risk of sounding insensitive to the current plight of some farmers), I always find it more than a bit ironic that farmers in Western Canada, who overwhelmingly vote Conservative/Saskatchewan Party (you know, the parties of small government, rugged individualism and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps), are among the first to run screaming to the government with their hands out for assistance at the first sign of adversity.

They kept calling that a bridge accident. From the description it sound more like a ford crossing, which typically has a culvert under it, but during flood times is designed to be completely under water and impassible.

Could be, Al Q....

The wind is pretty fierce out there, regardless.  We spent some time shooting not far from Davidson, the winds never stop, they just change direction.

I was talking to a couple of Winnipeggers earlier in the week, and they're still anticipating a serious flood risk this spring.

As of the end of January, we'd had record snowfall in the south of the province (SK, that is) up to that date - so if the rest of the winter continues with above average or even average snowfall, we will break the record.