Despite the gap between the water necessary to grow thirsty plants such as potatoes and sugar beets, and the predicted water allocation, farmers in Alberta’s irrigated areas are unlikely to give up on these crops
Frozen water on the Oldman Reservoir, which according to local news media is at its lowest point in 30 years, near Pincher Creek, Alta., on March 15.To produce potatoes in Southern Alberta, farmers need around 400 to 500 millimetres of water to hit their fields during the growing season.
. Instead, they will cut back on irrigating other fields, such as those sown with wheat or other cereals, in favour of directing that moisture to land containing more lucrative products. Mr. Phillips noted that conditions vary greatly across the West. Reservoirs in the Bow River Irrigation District, for example, are around normal levels for this time of year and the mountain snowpack that feeds the area is below average, but not flirting with disaster. The area is also under a heavy layer of wet snow, giving farmers in the BRID reason to be optimistic, he said.
She also helps farmers set realistic yield goals in light of the drought, which again means less fertilizer. The recent layer of snow appears to be melting into the soil, rather than running off, which puts farmers in her area in a better position than last year. But still, she thinks yield targets should be halved compared with what farmers would expect in an ideal year.
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