British Columbia grain farmer Malcolm Odermatt hopes for rain this spring after facing repeated droughts last year.
Odermatt, who is the president of the B.C. Grain Growers Association, has been farming with his father since 2012 in the Peace region of B.C.’s northeast. He's concerned about the weather as seeding usually starts in May, but he still has hope for a turnaround.
“We’re in a Class 5 drought, the highest classification, and we’ve had low rainfall and not much snow,” said Odermatt, who grows wheat, barley, oats, canola and grasses for seed production. “We rely on spring runoff, like snowmelt, to replenish our soil moisture and we haven't had that for a couple of years.”
Farmers in B.C. and elsewhere, along with industry analysts, say extreme weather changes are affecting grain and other crop yields at a time when farmers are leaving the industry. Adapting with technology is seen as the only way forward.
Lenore Newman, director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, said many in Western Canada have an outdated notion of farming that is no longer feasible or sustainable.
“It’s a huge, technologically advanced industry that needs to be recognized as such … because the reality is Old MacDonald no longer has a farm. He went bankrupt in the ’80s,” she said.
“If farmers want to overcome constant climate disruptions to grow food, they will need all available technology and much more that hasn’t been invented yet.”
In Saskatchewan, Kristjan Hebert runs a 40,000-acre grain and oilseed farm near Moosomin. Despite weather challenges, he managed to produce about 80% of his average yields last season.
“Farmers have always dealt with unpredictable weather and we continue to improve,” he said, acknowledging advancements in technology, including seed genetics, modern equipment, and climate-risk management programs.
Hebert mentioned that crop insurance, both public and private, helps farmers stay afloat during poor yield years.
“This has allowed farmers to have a more consistent income even during those lean years, which then allows them to keep investing in technology and genetics,” he said.
But Newman indicated that government should oversee research and funding for agricultural advancements.
“The one area of technology that doesn’t have a national funding body for universities is agriculture,” she said.
The federal Ministry of Agriculture mentioned that it “is investing in climate change research and targeted initiatives to support farmers and the agricultural sector.”
Among such investments is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Strategic Plan for Science, which dedicated $855.7 million to science, research and development in 2024-25.
It also mentioned the Living Laboratories Initiative, a $185-million, 10-year program that allows “farmers, scientists, and other collaborators to co-develop and test innovative practices and technologies to address agri-environmental issues, including mitigating and adapting to climate change, protecting soil and water quality, and maximizing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
The Canadian government acknowledges the importance of supporting cooperative approaches to develop a strong agriculture and food sector that can adjust effectively to climate change, according to the ministry.
However, Newman stated that the programs are a scattered collection of resources that do not fulfill all research and development needs.
The AAFC has impressive programs, but much of it is geared towards industries, not fundamental research and development like the funding bodies in other sectors, she remarked.
If you're a researcher, there's no place where you can apply for that fundamental funding to conduct an extensive, long-term set of research, she mentioned.
She suggested that the government should continue to invest in those programs, while also supporting innovative fundamental research.
At times, you may want to push the boundaries and undertake something that's too early for the industry, and other countries simply have an advantage if they can access that kind of funding that we can't, she remarked.
Newman mentioned that extreme weather may be a significant reason approximately one percent of B.C. farmers are quitting each year, which she described as a 'silent crisis'.
B.C. is quite vulnerable because the farms are small, and the farmers are usually smaller producers, she explained, comparing B.C. and Prairie operations. If they have a bad few years, they tend to not be able to survive, she noted.
According to Statistics Canada's latest Agriculture Census from 2021, there has been a similar national trend, with the number of farms across the country decreasing by 1.9% since 2016.
Unpredictable weather conditions have already devastated the wine crop in the Okanagan, as well as cherries, peaches, and other stone fruit.
Newman pointed out that fortunately for grain farmers, their product isn't as susceptible as fruit and vegetables.
We're a prominent producer of grain and pulses, so if we were to encounter issues in that regard, it would be detrimental for us, she said.
Odermatt noted that the Peace region, which is home to over 90% of grain farmers in the province, has experienced a series of adverse weather events in recent years.
It has been quite a tumultuous period, he commented.
In 2021, B.C.'s historic heat dome caused crops to go into survival mode. Then, a wet spring in 2022 made it challenging to plant seeds, although the yield recovered. This was followed by last year's drought, which decimated much of his harvest, he recounted.
We have to adapt to the weather. The sun needs to shine, the rain needs to fall, and the wind needs to blow, he stated.
Despite the current drought drying out his soil, he remains optimistic for this year, he remarked.
Many farmers are worried, but we're hopeful that everything will even out. Perhaps the rain will suddenly come pouring down, and we'll catch up on all the moisture we've missed over the past year, but no one knows what the weather will do, he said.
Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph in Ontario, mentioned that the good news is that consumers are less affected by poor grain yields than they are by fresh produce.
A major advantage for grain is that it needs to be processed before being sold; it needs to be turned into flour or bread 'before anyone really notices' the effects, he explained.
"There is a long distance between a lack of rain in Alberta, for example, and the price someone pays for their bread."
Fraser stated that grain is traded in the global commodity market, which helps to spread the risk of crop failure.
"The chances of all these countries experiencing crop failure at the same time – Canada, Australia, Ukraine, and the U.S. – is low, even with climate change," he said.
"All these factors help protect the consumer – not the farmer – from the impact of bad weather."
Bryce Rashleigh, a fourth-generation grain farmer at Saanichton Farm on Vancouver Island, farms about 1,000 acres on 90 properties in Greater Victoria.
Unlike Odermatt, who exports his grain to Vancouver, Rashleigh sells his products locally for animal feed and to breweries and bakeries.
Rashleigh mentioned that last year's harvest of wheat and barley was one of his smallest, but the effects are only starting to be felt by his customers. This is because grain can last a long time, and the bumper yield of 2022 could be stretched until now, he explained.
"I could choose to prioritize some customers over others, or treat them all equally and run out of stock at the same time," he explained. "I chose the latter, so they have all run out now and are looking for other sources."
Now, Rashleigh is looking to the future.
Recent snowfall on B.C.'s west coast has helped soil moisture, which is a good sign. However, he said the next six weeks will determine whether his grain harvest will be plentiful or if his customers will have to continue looking elsewhere.
"Right now, there is hope for a good harvest."
This is the last part of a series called "B.C.'s bitter harvest," which explores the impact of weather and climate crises on agriculture, and how farmers and others are planning for the future.
Related
- This B.C. farm is capable of growing peaches the size of softballs. But this year, they will depend on vegetables.
- There is a 'clean slate' to reshape the B.C. wine industry after climate-related disasters.
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