After monitoring the condition of crops within Athabasca County and upon a recommendation from Athabasca County’s Agriculture Service Board (ASB), on August 6th, 2025, County Council formally declared a State of Agricultural Disaster at a Special County Council Meeting in response to low precipitation that has affected the quantity of crops, hay, and pasture County-wide.
Drought conditions, and the lack of rainfall is hindering annual crop growth, as well as hay and pasture. The lack of rainfall in the key period of the growing season has significantly reduced hay crops and pastures are not regrowing. Moisture maps from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation show that Athabasca County is well below average for soil moisture and growing season precipitation. This coupled with a depletion of soil moisture at the beginning of the growing season and the increased abundance of grasshoppers lead to the declaration of the agriculture disaster.
While certain pockets in the County have been fortunate to get some rain, the overwhelming majority of the County is experiencing below average precipitation. A grasshopper survey will be conducted by ASB staff to determine if the pest threshold in the County have been reached.
Several other municipalities in the region have declared agricultural disasters including Lac La Biche County, Smoky Lake County, MD Greenview, and the MD of Bonnyville.
Declarations of agricultural disasters do not automatically trigger access to increased funding programs, provincially or federally. However, declarations raise awareness to governments of the challenges local producers face, which could lead to some form of support and assistance.
Information will be regularly posted on the County’s website at www.athabascacounty.com to inform local producers about available agriculture recovery programs.
To stay informed, producers are encouraged to:
- View the most recent Alberta weather maps using the link; http://agriculture.alberta.ca/acis/climate-maps.jsp
- Contact AFSC or visit their website for current information on available assistance programs. www.afsc.ca
