DACOTAH, Man. –Chuck Fossay has been hit hard by a year of extreme and unpredictable weather, which left the Manitoba farmer salvaging what he could from a challenging growing season.
He said every one of his 3,400 acres of farmland was impacted.
“We’re about 10 inches above normal precipitation, so that resulted in a lot of our acres either drowning out or having large areas of reduced yield,” said Fossay, who farms near Dacotah, Man., about 36 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
“In the last 10 to 15 years, this is probably the worst crop we’ve had, as far as weather impacts.”
Fossay said he was only able to harvest around 60 per cent of his wheat, canola, soybeans and oat fields, with the other 40 per cent reduced to weeds, mud and grass.
“We were hit very hard,” he said.
A two-day storm in June dumped dozens, and in some areas hundreds, of millimetres of rain.
About 255 millimetres of rain fell in Stonewall and surrounding communities in just a few hours, flooding fields and causing significant crop losses.
Curtis McRae, who farms near Clandeboye, about 37 kilometres northeast of Stonewall, had two to three feet of water sitting on his fields for several weeks. He said the flooding destroyed between 1,500 and 2,000 acres of his farmland.
Other producers, including Jean-Paul and Tina Lavallee, recently told CTV News this is the worst year they’ve ever experienced.
Manitoba farmers behind on harvest
The latest report from the Manitoba government found 65 per cent of all crops across the province have been harvested, which is 21 per cent lower than the totals at this time last year.
The southwest part of the province has seen the steepest decline, with only 50 per cent of that region’s crops harvested, compared to 90 per cent at this time last year.
Jill Verwey, president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), said it’s been a challenging season for producers.
“I think it’s just been one of those years where we haven’t been able to catch up,” Verwey said.
“A lot of fields are wet and it’s going to leave some ruts, and I know there’s been a lot of talk about remediation and trying to get those fields in good condition for 2027.”
Verwey said September brought a lot of rain, which made it hard for producers to harvest a dry crop. However, she said there is some optimism as the forecast for the month of October looks favourable.
“We need another couple weeks of nice, warm, sunny weather, to continue the drying because that’s actually been looking pretty positive for the corn crop,” she said.
“If we can continue to have this warm, dry weather, chances are we can maybe get it wrapped up here before the end of October, which would be great to see.”
Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn is feeling that same optimism.
“We’re following the harvest closely, and as a producer for over 40 years, I know, the full extent is not known until the crop is in the bin,” said Kostyshyn.
“I would like to remind producers who are facing harvest challenges that in July, the governments of Canada and Manitoba announced flood recovery support for producers through late enrollment in the AgriStability insurance program,” he added. “Producers can enroll in the program, even now with a deductible, even after their harvest is known.”
Moving forward
Despite the setbacks this season, Fossay said farming is all about adapting to the challenges each year brings.
He is looking ahead, hoping next year brings better conditions and a stronger crop.
“Some of the fields are still very wet where we’re spitting through water, making ruts. Not really making a good job. We’re hoping to be able to improve those seed beds as it dries up over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“We’re always facing a challenge. Every year is a little different.”
