A NEW SURFACE WATER STRATEGY Manitoba farmers to be consulted » Pg 3
June 19, 2014
Cattle price insurance popular » Pg 14
SERVING MANITOBA FARMERS SINCE 1925 | Vol. 72, No. 25
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manitobacooperator.ca
Excess Moisture Insurance filing deadline Monday, June 23 By Allan Dawson co-operator staff
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rovincial crop insurance officials are anticipating a flood of Excess Moisture Insurance claims as the June 23 deadline for applications approaches. While the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) doesn’t know how many acres will have been too wet to seed by the June 20 deadline, officials expect it will be higher than last year. Farmers still have some cropping options for after the June 20 crop insurance seeding deadline, including greenfeed, which is eligible for crop insurance at 20 per cent or normal coverage when planted up by July 15. (See page 7 for details.) Farmers apply for EMI payouts through MASC’s Seeded Acreage Report, which normally doesn’t have to be submitted until June 30, unless the farmer is making an EMI claim. As a result some farmers might not be aware of the June 23 deadline. “If you’re done seeding everything you can now and don’t think you’ll get more in by June 20 you can file now,” David Koroscil, MASC’s manager of insurance projects and sales said in an interview last week. “Some guys are coming in and basically saying they’re done.” Farmers can file Seed Acreage Reports online, by fax or at their local MASC office.
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See MOISTURE on page 7 »
Aerial photo of the RM of Edward shows the wet conditions that have made roads impassable and left farmers in the region unable to seed. PHOTO: RM OF EDWARD
Province vows to tackle southwest’s water woes A new study shows the link between unlicensed wetland drainage and stream flows By Lorraine Stevenson co-operator staff
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eavy rainfall isn’t the only reason overland flooding is washing out roads and resulting in hundreds of thousands of acres left unseeded in southwestern Manitoba this year, provincial officials say. Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton said last week the province now has proof illegal drainage in Saskatchewan is exacerbating the problems faced by downstream landowners and municipalities. Last week the RMs of Albert, Edward and Arthur declared states of emergency, as roads washed out and residents felt the full brunt of heavy rainfalls calculated at 200 per cent of normal between April, May and the first part of June. Ashton referred to a recently released
University of Saskatchewan study during a flood update last week, saying it clearly shows that southwestern Manitoba’s water woes directly result from drainage activities to the west. “This study really validates what people in the southwest have been saying. We have clear evidence in a very highlevel study... that illegal drainage is having an impact,” Ashton said. The study is a multi-year computer modelling study of the Smith Creek watershed, done at the university’s Centre for Hydrology, testing several scenarios, including what runoff would look like if wetlands were restored to late 1950s levels, and if they were drained completely. Its conclusion: there is a direct link between wetland drainage and peak stream flows during a flood. The region has seen a decrease in wetland coverage in the past 50 years from 24 per cent to 11 per cent.
“We found that wetland drainage has a very strong impact on stream flow in flood conditions,” said John Pomeroy, director of the Centre for Hydrology and Canada Research chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, which conducted the research. “For the 2011 flood, complete restoration of the wetlands to their historic levels decreases the flood peak that year by nearly a third. Conversely, complete drainage of wetlands increased the 2011 flood peak by 78 per cent.” Steve Topping, the province’s executive director of hydrologic forecasting and water management called the study “a significant piece of work.” He plans to table the study with the Prairie Province’s Water Board to discuss what actions must be taken now that these wetlands are gone. Potential actions could include See WATER WOES on page 6 »
OPTIONS: FOR PLANTING AFTER DEADLINE » PAGE 7