Grainswest - Fall 2026

Fall 2026 grainswest.com 31 his neighbours’ cropland that remained flooded as of mid- September and risk getting stuck in muddy soil. “It’s not going to be the most efficient harvest ever,” he said. THE WORST EVER The Tomlinsons grow cereals, forage crops and pulses, but this is the first year beaver dams have sprouted in their fields. It’s a jarring indicator of just how much moisture Thorhild and other affected counties have received. Over the season, their farm had received slightly more than 90 centimetres (36 inches) of rain as of Sept. 23 and much of the land remained underwater. Average annual rainfall for the county is 49 centimetres (19 inches). Tomlinson predicted the excess water problem will not resolve itself soon. It may take a couple of years to get the land back into full production, but it is doable, she emphasized. “The impact has been significant this year,” she said. “It truly is the worst we have ever seen.” They contended with significant overland flooding that began in June and continued throughout the summer. Water flowed in the municipal ditches until the last week of August. The farm’s flooded yard site requires extensive repair. Large field washouts likewise require restoration, and tillage will be needed to recondition the land for seeding. Tomlinson calculated 35 to 55 per cent of the farm’s acres remained flooded as harvest began two to three weeks later than usual due to delayed crop maturity. Early yield figures on land the couple were able to access and combine came in at 18 to 38 per cent of normal average, with canola being the worst hit. The Tomlinsons anticipated a heavy harvest workload and hired extra help. Despite the diminished crop return, average harvest manhours increased significantly. “It’s taking so much more to get it off field and into the bin,” said Tomlinson. Drainage work had to be carried out and grain required drying. They ran tow tractors to keep combines, disc harrows, sprayers and trucks from getting bogged down. They used planes and drones when their ground unit could not access fields during spray season. Neighbouring farms have been similarly affected. Tomlinson noticed certain nearby farmers purchased grain carts to assist in fields where trucks and trailers could not move. One neighbour used tire chains on their swather just to keep it moving. A HEAVY TOLL During the harvest, neighbours checked in with one another, said Tomlinson. “It’s easy to be overwhelmed by what we are up against. A neighbour mentioned it just hurts to see this knowing all the work and money that went into trying to save this crop all season.” “Farmers are resilient, but even just not having sunny weather has weighed on people’s mental health,” said Carlyon. “We don’t have sunny days to cheer us up. I think it is going to be a tougher year, especially if prices don’t hold and fields don’t get the yield farmers are hoping for outside of those lost areas.” She noted there were not a lot of positives as harvest picked up speed. But she said farmers who seeded early fared better and a diversified rotation helped as certain crops were less impacted by the moisture. Wheat, for instance, responded most favourably to the high moisture. The extension of the AgriStability deadline and changes to Alberta’s Water Act that ease wetland restrictions are appreciated, said Tomlinson. She would also like to see government provide aid in counties that declared an agricultural disaster. She suggested this might include the help of advisors to facilitate the development of water drainage via county ditches and funds for repair work for flood damage above and beyond what farmers have been able to insure themselves against. “The most important thing we can take away from this is that we all know we can’t control the weather, and this is just one year,” said Tomlinson. “The impact has been significant this year, it truly is the worst we have ever seen.” —Chelsea Tomlinson Photo:CourtesyofChelseaTomlinson