We need to stick together and help each other  
 
 The drought, the severe drought in many areas in Western Canada cuts across all boundaries, all sectors of agriculture, and most likely many small towns and villages and even cities. It’s one thing to deal with the fallout from the latest pandemic, but still,another when the very soul of food production gets bone dry to the very core.  
Of course, many people compare it to more recent droughts, 2019 in the Interlake, 1988 in Western Canada and 1961 when I recall 10 to 13 bushels an acre on my father’s wheat fields. Next, the Dirty 30’s and fewer and fewer people can remember vividly the devastation caused by a lack of farming practices, not yet learned and applied, let alone the lack of moisture.   
The poem “The Wind Our Enemy” by Anne Marriott presents the Great Depression in Canada vividly. It focuses on the farmers of the prairie and the drought and dust and wind against which they continually struggled. Yet, it also shows their continuing hope and spirit even in the face of hardship and minimal relief. 
I remember from a poem, and I couldn’t find it via google, but the line when clouds appeared overhead as they have this year many times, but yielding no rain, ‘heh those are only empties going back’! 
One never knows but can only hope and pray that this drought will last only for one season, not ten as in the Dirty ‘30s.  
The severity of the hardships and even heartaches as cattle producers began watching their cows and calves leave their farmyards and pastures knowing full-well for some this could well mean the end of the line as dreams shattered with lack of feed.  
While dairy and hog producers also rely on quality and nutritious feed, their situation is manageable and not nearly as dire as the cattle, sheep, buffalo, goats and the grain producer.  
Yes, the Manitoba Beef Producers got Federal Ag Minister Bibeau to change some plans to come on July 22 instead of August 5; it almost appeared to be much chagrin about nothing.  
Here, in a nutshell, is what the Minister said. At a news conference in Winnipeg recently, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced several programs meant to help farmers, including tax deferrals for livestock producers forced to sell part or all of their herds due to a lack of feed. 
As well, insured livestock feed producers can get an extra $44 per tonne to offset the cost of replacement feed and transportation through Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s hay disaster benefit. 
And yet much of the so-called heavy lifting is to ‘Be’ by the Manitoba Government, and yet it almost appears whoever calls the shots is
‘AWOL’ absent without official leave but without intent to desert.’ Of course, shuffling AG Ministers in Manitoba amid a crisis didn’t help either.  
Here is how a cattle producer described the dog and pony show with Ag Minister Bibeau. “I would class it as going to a house fire handing them a cup of water then writing a story on how you helped them try to save their home.” 
In all fairness, as one cattleman said, the Minister came out when needed; some programs will help, but still many moving parts.  
There are so many things that should happen, can’t happen or are out of the realm of reality, but in Toastmasters, I learned many things, but this one sticks out the most. When all else fails, use common sense. Photo ops, platitudes and the like just don’t cut it when farm families see their life’s work go up in dust, and we don’t even have people from the Manitoba Government showing up to see how bad the drought is.  
One last thing, being in my 51st year as a farm journalist, I’ve seen, felt, and even mediated much. The pain of talking to producers, grain, livestock, special crops every day takes its toll, and I don’t have many stakes in the game. Except for an industry I love, the people who are dear friends, and seeing their dreams shattered. As one dear friend told me, “Harry, it is tough to get up in the morning and see what else we can do. We must like never before, stick together and help each other.” •