Producers have now had the chance to attend two town halls on the ongoing drought.
The Saskatchewan Cattmens Association (SCA) hosted the first event on Tuesday in Cabri and the second yesterday in Cadillac.
The Southwest communities are both central to two of the most affected regions, making them good spots to gather cattle producers. The SCA invited these folks to share their concerns and to communicate with them on what they need so they can work together.
Attending Cabri's meeting was Robert James Samuel Stuart, a local cattle and grain producer.
"I almost didn't come today because I thought it was going to be a bunch of bluster and blow," admitted Stuart. "But, it was very productive."
Stuart is happy to see that communication is happening, and that work is being done to offer support to those most affected by the drought.
"They're not just being reactive to the devastating conditions that we're in right now," praised Stuart. "They're looking forward to how they're going to help young producers, or producers in general, get back into the industry once this disaster is behind us."
Plenty of producers have had to liquidate, either reducing their herds drastically or flat out having to board up shop and exit the industry.
"I'm probably one of the lucky ones," noted Stuart. "I grew up part of an irrigation district and I have a very, very good support group. We work well with each other and communicate on a regular basis. I [have sympathy for] the guys that are going through this alone."
One of the big things that cattlemen were being directed to was AgriStability. This program can help with covering some of the losses being experienced but is far from total insurance coverage.
Cattle is a hard industry to ensure, due to the unpredictable and occasionally volatile market. Calculating guaranteed values and averaging outcomes is much harder to do than with grain, which is a very insured industry. This lack of protection leaves producers vulnerable when multi-year droughts and other disasters strike the market.
"The volatility is such that the market can shift overnight," said Stuart. "I can't imagine being an insurance company that says, yeah, let's sign on to that. I'm not sure that you can pin that on the farming industry. I think that's just the nature of the industry that we've chosen to be in."
At the end of the day, he was happy many things were addressed, and that the dialogue was opened. Stuart like many of the others in attendance will be doing his best to keep going.
Many will be helping where they can, but there is only so far things can go without more federal assistance. That was another topic the SCA was quick to admit they needed more support in. For now, they continue to build their case with representatives.