Mild winter temperatures has reduced the amount of feed that herds require, however, farmers who faced severe drought this year have been hit with the cost of buying and shipping feed.
Doug Sawyer, Alberta SPCA president and board chair, said Central Alberta ended up with a strong growing season but for those who didn’t, the SPCA will help secure feed for farmers to buy, or whatever they need.
So far this year, the SPCA has needed to step in less often to assist farmers because of the good weather for outdoor herds, he added.
“We’re there to help them. Sometimes it means you have to market some animals which isn’t a terrible thing at this point with (calf) prices being as high as it is,” Sawyer said.
He said farmers are thankful for record-high calf prices, but high input costs are eating up earnings.
“At the end of your day, what stays in your wallet is what counts.”
Sawyer, a Pine Lake area rancher with over 20 years of experience in the livestock industry, said the number of cow herds in Canada has actually dropped despite the calf prices.
“We should be in a growth and expansion mode and it’s simply not happening. We’re actually shrinking. It’s just darn tough out there for all producers really.”
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The lack of snow so far this winter also concerns farmers.
“You don’t consider winter to be a drought time. We’re in a drought right now. That’s what scares us.”
He said Red Deer area was fortunate to get some rain and snow in mid-December. More snow could be on the way, and there could be decent rain in the spring, so farmers could be just fine next year.
“But it is worrisome to me right now that we don’t have the snowpack to fill our sloughs and dugouts and put moisture into the ground right now.”
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Another pressing issue for the SPCA is that animal shelters continue to be full because of the people who decided they could no longer care for the pets they got during the pandemic.
“Shelters are backlogged. We have far too many animals that just can’t find homes and it’s sad.”
He said the SPCA doesn’t run shelters, but does try to support shelters around Alberta where animals rescued by the SPCA will end up if the owners can’t take them back or don’t want them.
With growing inflation, the quality of life for more pets could be impacted by reduced household budgets in terms of veterinary care and enough nutritious food, Sawyer said.
“Most people that love their pet will feed them first. But when your back’s against the wall, and you’ve got hungry kids and a hungry pet, what do you choose?”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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