Extreme heat and ongoing drought are pushing some farmers in Saskatchewan, Canada, to their limits. After nine consecutive dry years, many say this season is shaping up to be the most devastating yet.

What's happening?

Farmers in southwestern Saskatchewan are facing one of the harshest growing seasons on record, CJME reported. After nearly a decade of persistent drought, record-breaking heat is making the damage even worse, scorching crops and drying out pastures. Some farmers say they're being pushed to the brink.

"It's the worst year that I've ever seen," said Kelly Bakanec, a farmer near Fox Valley. "Another week or two of this drought, and we won't even take our combines out. We'll be lucky to scratch around and get our seed back right now."

Hay crops are particularly devastated, and ranchers like Alvin Pawlitza are having to get feed from far away in Manitoba and northern Montana. "You start buying feed and to truck it in, you're $2,000 or $2,500 a load for, say, 40 bales, and you need 400 or 500 bales just to help get through," Pawlitza said.

Why are struggling crops concerning?

As rising global temperatures drive more extreme weather, prolonged droughts like this one are becoming harder to recover from and to insure against. Farmers are dealing with reduced yields, growing debt, and inadequate safety nets. Bakanec summed it up, saying: "Every year, a guy's getting farther and farther behind."

But the impact goes far beyond the farm and crop producers. As harvests shrink and feed becomes more expensive, food prices could rise across the supply chain, affecting families at every income level. And if more ranchers are forced to sell off their herds or move to different areas, it could leave lasting gaps in local food supply chains.

"Producers here are extremely resilient, and they're pretty tough," Pawlitza said. "But we've been in this long enough that we have to start to consider some options … because this is getting long, and people are getting really tired of trying to deal with this."

What's being done to support struggling crops?

Farmers want better support from the government, including transportation aid and improved insurance programs. Pawlitza, for example, points to neighboring Alberta's stronger hay and rainfall insurance programs as a potential model for Saskatchewan.

On a broader scale, protecting our food future means reducing the heat-trapping pollution that worsens rising temperatures and extreme weather. That includes making homes and transportation cleaner and more efficient, switching to clean energy, and supporting sustainable farming practices wherever possible. People at home can explore critical climate issues to learn more about local initiatives working to make the future cleaner and safer for us all.

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