TABER, AB – The Municipal District of Taber is the latest Alberta municipality to declare a State of Agricultural Disaster due to the ongoing drought conditions.
Council carried the motion Tuesday.
Officials say below normal precipitation during winter, spring and summer coupled with sustained high temperatures have significantly depleted soil moisture reserves and have impacted all segments of agriculture production in the MD.
Reeve Merrill Harris says council hopes that through the declaration, the MD can bring awareness to the critical situation and encourage other levels of government to provide support where possible.
According to the Alberta crop report as of July 13, only 33 percent of crops in the south region are in good or excellent condition while pasture growth sits at only 19 percent.
The ten-year average is about 72 percent and 68 percent respectively.
The MD of Taber says desiccated conditions of southern Alberta have also resulted in a large infestation of grasshoppers, causing further loss to both cultivated crops and rangeland grasses.
