| Soil moisture management | Long-term water conservation and riparian management | Long-term range and pasture management | On-farm water storage | Marketing plan | Climate and weather patterns
Soil Moisture Management
Am I using appropriate soil moisture management?
Soil moisture management becomes a big issue on farms suffering a prolonged drought.
Some of the methods include leaving stubble or creating trap strips to catch snow over the winter for use by the crops in the spring. Leaving crop residue on fields will help to increase organic matter, and decrease evaporation from the soil surface. Several benficial soil management practices, including direct seeding, reduce the amount of tillage required and keeps the soil moist and less prone to erosion, especially in a drought situation. The Agri-Environmental Services Branch of AAFC offers several programs that support soil moisture management practices.
Reduced tillage is a relatively new approach for many farmers. The Alberta Reduced Tillage Initiative (ARTI) provides information on management methods and costs under the new system. When making the switch to reduced tillage or direct seeding, it is important to consider your methods for crop residue management, especially if there are any changes required to your machinery.
Long-term Water Conservation and Riparian Management
Have I considered all reasonable options for long-term water conservation and riparian management?
Long-term Range and Pasture Management
Am I using appropriate long-term range and pasture management?
As a range or pasture manager, the best preparation you can have for drought is to have the pastures in good condition going into a drought so that your efforts may focus on maintaining this condition during the drought. Managing pastures for good condition involves a number of different factors, but mostly relies on good common sense.
Courses on plant identification and general range management are available.
On-Farm Water Storage
Do I have adequate on-farm water storage?
In drought years and especially after prolonged drought, water can become a scarce resource. Most farms have dugouts which will trap snow, run-off and ground water. The size and quality of the dugout is important when ensuring that you have adequate on-farm water storage.
Groundwater is another resource on the farm and must be protected to ensure access to adequate, high quality water.
If drought is a common occurrence in your area, you may want to consider irrigation as an alternative for dryland farming.
Resources:
Marketing Plan
.
Is my marketing plan up-to-date, and do I have or need a contingency plan?
Maybe the first question should be "Do I have a marketing plan?" A marketing plan is essential to maximizing profit under any type of weather or market conditions. Marketing means more than just selling. It encompasses setting financial goals, assessing risk, exploring pricing and delivery options, tracking for market opportunities, and controlling one's ego. Marketing an agricultural commodity begins before the commodity is produced. Alberta Agriculture and Food's Marketing Specialists have developed a marketing manual that covers the marketing musts for all types of agricultural production.
Once you have your marketing plan, it must be maintained and revised as market and weather conditions change. If the marketing plan is continually updated, you will have developed a contingency plan to maximize your profit during drought conditions.
Climate and Weather Patterns
Am I informed of climate and weather patterns in my area?
Farmers are risk managers who must manage climate variability along with all other sources of risk they face. Farm managers need to understand the climate and weather patterns specific to the area they farm in order to make sound decisions.
The AgroClimatic Information Service (ACIS) an interactive tool that helps producers, farm consultants, and researchers create maps. These maps describe Alberta's weather, climate and related agriculture features to help with your long-term planning and decision-making throughout the growing season. ACIS can be accessed on Ropin' the Web under the Maps tab.
Current weather conditions, including the daily conditions and five-day forecast, can be found on Environment Canada's website. |