As devastating heat waves sweep swaths of the globe, farmers in Canada are facing a crippling phenomenon: Crops are baking in fields. Cherries have roasted on trees. Fields of canola and wheat have withered brown. And as feed and safe water for animals grow scarce, ranchers may have no choice but to sell off their livestock. “It will totally upend Canadian food production if this becomes a regular thing,” said Lenore Newman, director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.
'Extreme drought' is threatening parts of the Prairies, says Agriculture Canada
Manitoba farmer Chuck Fossay has never seen his fields this dry. As he scoops up a handful of black top soil, it runs through his fingers like sand. "It's just bone dry. And there's nothing there to support the seed and the crop to grow," he said. Farming near Starbuck, Man., about 20 minutes west of Winnipeg, Fossay is trying to get his canola into the ground. He's planting a little deeper this year, hoping to find moisture so the seeds can germinate and start growing. He hopes that with some well-timed rain, he can still salvage a near-average crop but with conditions this dry, he said it's likely compromised before it's even planted.