Sask. farmers need more rain to beat back drought

A large system of rain that pushed through west-central Saskatchewan may be too little too late for prairie farmers.

Many say the moisture arrived after the important growing cycles of most crops.

The province has already requested the federal government conduct an AgriRecovery assessment to figure out what help could be given to livestock producers who have been facing drought, according to a Saskatchewan government news release.

"Many producers across Saskatchewan are facing extraordinary costs to ensure their animals are taken care of. We need to move quickly to consider all relief options, including an AgriRecovery assessment to help producers deal with the challenges brought about by drought," Agriculture Ministers David Marit said.

Roger Meyers - a rancher near the corner of the American and Albertan border, said feeding his animals has been a challenge.

"The real kicker is when you're short of feed for multiple years, you gotta travel real far to find it. Freight costs are a killer. The heat is a part of it, lack of moisture is a part of it," Meyers said.

He said grasshoppers and gophers have added trouble for ranchers.

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The forecast is showing another week of hot weather, as a system bringing heatwaves to the United States starts to creep into southern Saskatchewan, according to Terri Lang with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"We may see those heat warnings come out, particularly over the weekend. It does look like the heat will linger going into the next week. Then we see an easing of those temperatures. I think it's still going to remain pretty warm." Lang said.

The one thing that wasn't in the immediate forecast was signs of rain.