He said: “It’s just bone drying. Nothing can support the growth of seeds and crops.”

Fossay farms near Manchester Starbucks, about 20 minutes west of Winnipeg. He is trying to pour his canola into the ground.

He will sow deeper this year, hoping to find water so that the seeds will germinate and start to grow.

He hopes that in the case of timely rainfall, he can still save close-to-average crops, but under such drought conditions, he said that he may have been damaged before planting.

Forsy said: “Dry is dry. Without water, nothing will grow. This is just a fact of life. You need water to survive. If you don’t have enough water, nothing will grow.”

“If it doesn’t rain, it may rain heavily in the next two weeks. It may be a poor harvest in Manitoba.”

‘Extreme drought’

It takes more than a day to rain.

An unusually dry autumn followed by one of the driest springs in recent memory.

The Canadian Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food considers southern Manito Brazil and southeastern Saskatchewan to be in “extreme drought” conditions, and most of the prairie regions are also considered to be in a moderately arid state.

John Pomeroy, chairman of the Canadian Water and Climate Change Research, said: “When you look at soil moisture, some of it is close to record drought conditions, less than 40% of normal levels.” He is in Saskatchewan The university’s laboratory works in Alta Canmore.

Although drought is part of the agricultural cycle, Pomoroy said that what is unusual this year is the extent of the drought, “from Vancouver Island to southern Quebec, to the United States, to California, to Mexico…this is huge. “

Economic impact

The potential impact on the Canadian economy is also huge.

If these conditions continue, it will not only be farmers who suffer severe damage. For consumers, this may mean higher grocery prices.

Water resources are also an important resource in the field of resources and energy. Potash mining, oil production and hydroelectric power generation all depend on this.

“About 20 years ago, in four years, drought caused 10 billion Canadian dollars in damage to the western Canadian economy, and Saskatchewan alone lost 41,000 jobs. Therefore, it had an impact,” Pomeroy said.

“It’s like losing the auto industry in southern Ontario.”

As rivers dry up and lake water levels drop, drought and drought conditions may also threaten water supply.

“Many small communities and rural communities are not reliable enough to supply water. Therefore, they may get water from shallow wells. For example, they may get water from reservoirs, and the water is depleting. The University of Regina Grassland Adaptation Research Cooperation Organization Professor and researcher Dave Sauchyn said.

He helped write an article Climate Change Impact ReportMethods and ways of adaptation.

There is already a community in southern Manitoba Start to restrict water, Requiring residents to reduce consumption by 25%.

The province also bans bonfires and prohibits the use of trails in remote areas in drought-affected areas, which are extremely popular during the pandemic.

Near the Ontario border, a forest fire has caused damage in Whitebert Provincial Park in Manitoba.

But for those who rely on natural mothers for their livelihoods, the risk is high.

“You can’t survive without buffalo”

Bill Campbell was worried about his farm near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, but he also heard the concerns of farmers across the province. They are the Winnipeg-based advocacy organization Keystone Agriculture The president of the manufacturer.

Campbell said: “We always say that the rain in April brings the flowers in May. Well, it also brings me grass.” He watched the cows graze on the crisp and dry grass.

“When we have limited reserves of forage, such as bales in the yard or leftover silage, this becomes a major problem. Once you run out of these reserves, what do you do? You give them to the ranch for a limited period of time , They’ll eat all of them there.”

Campbell looked at the Suris River on his land and pointed out the rocks that should be covered by a meter of water.

He said: “We rely on reservoirs, ponds, springs, small rivers, and various streams, many of which are dry and cannot survive without buffalo.”