Grainswest - Fall 2026

Fall 2026 Grains West 30 A field northeast of Westlock collected water in low-lying areas. Farmland was similarly impacted across 11 counties that declared an agricultural disaster. WET WEATHER FALLOUT SUMMER RAINS BROUGHT HARVEST PAINS IN NORTH-CENTRAL COUNTIES BY IAN DOIG • LEAD IMAGE COURTESY OF GRO A s the rain continued to fall over a very wet growing season, Redwater-area seed farmers Chelsea and Shane Tomlinson watched beavers build dams across two of their fields. “We have never seen this happen before,” said Chelsea. In July and August, 11 Alberta municipalities declared a state of agricultural disaster, a formal designation that flagged the need for government assistance. The affected regions were the counties of Athabasca, Beaver, St. Paul, Wetaskiwin, Bonnyville, Lac Ste. Anne, Smoky Lake, Lamont, Sturgeon, Thorhild and Westlock. In July, Farm Credit Canada offered cashflow assistance for farmers hit by excess moisture. This included short- term credit options and deferred principal payments. In late August, the federal and provincial governments extended the AgriStability deadline to Oct. 1 to farmers dealing with wet conditions. The interim AFSC payment rate was increased to 75 from 50 per cent of the estimated final payment. Heavy rain hit Westlock County in June and July. On Sept. 8, GrainsWest spoke to Andria Carlyon, a Westlock- area farmer and manager of the Gateway Research Organization (GRO). With warm dry weather in late August and early September, she said certain farmers had completed their first cut of hay with the second soon to come. “On the grain side, fields are getting combined and swathed, so everyone’s happy for that. I think the areas that did not get drowned out are probably going to be OK to average.” The County’s harvest results are likely to be highly variable. Hard-hit farms in the region were predicted to harvest 20 to 30 per cent of average yield. Where seeding timing was thrown off or crops were drowned out, weeds became excessive and many farmers tilled these acres, said Carlyon. Another GRO director, Kenleigh Pasay has a cattle operation just north of Redwater in Thorhild County. On his land, regular rain throughout the season made haying difficult. He also custom combines for three neighbours. As with his hay fields, he anticipated he would have to circle many low spots on