OPEN LETTER

The Hon. Andy Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Canada
The Hon. Mark Wartman, Minister of Agriculture, Province of Saskatchewan
The Hon. Lorne Calvert, Premier of Saskatchewan

Gentlemen:

After traveling to the Prairie River area in the northern part of my riding of Yorkton-Melville, Saskatchewan, I feel it is imperative that I draw your attention to the dire harvest farmers of that region are currently experiencing.

Between August 23, 2005, and mid-September 2005, the Rural Municipality of Porcupine, which includes the Prairie River area, received between 16 and 17 inches of rain. The moisture came at the most inopportune time -- just as harvest was getting underway. I saw crops standing in mud and water. In some places only the tops of wheat or barley heads could be seen above the water. Fields that had been swathed prior to the rains have sprouted, and thousands of bales lay rotting in flooded hay crops. The loss in the area is overwhelming.

As troubling as it was to see these ravaged crops, it was even more troubling to watch the farmers in the area try to combine. Their combines have been rigged with dual wheels in an effort to just get on the land. Enormous damage is being done to the harvesting equipment and to the fields. Already farmers are wondering how they will be able to seed next year’s crop in fields filled with tire ruts that measure two feet wide by a foot deep.

Repeatedly, I have stated that the CAIS program does not work, especially in disaster situations, and that is exactly what the Prairie River area is facing -- a disaster. CAIS is supposed to stabilize income, but that component too is flawed. Farmers that I met with from the Rural Municipality of Porcupine have waited the mandatory processing period only to be told their claims have yet to be processed due to a staffing shortage. Our farmers cannot wait for this agency to get its act together and staffing issues resolved. Assistance is needed now!

Unfortunately, this is the third consecutive year that the Prairie River area has been hurt by weather. Drought in 2003, the August 20th frost in 2004 and now the flood of 2005, have meant the averages being used to determine CAIS payments are already low. CAIS is not working.

Crop Insurance is, in fact, doing more harm than good on these farms this year. Because producers are required to harvest their crop in order to file a crop insurance claim, the farmers are being forced onto the land. As mentioned previously, the combines rigged with dual wheels are leaving behind ruts that no piece of equipment will be able to erase next spring. The effects of harvesting the 2005 crop could very well last years.

Our farmers have done all we have asked of them. They have sowed a crop, spent thousands of dollars on inputs to keep that crop healthy, and they are working hard now to harvest that crop. The situation is out of their hands, but it is certainly not out of the hands of the provincial and federal governments.

I am enclosing a copy of the news release I issued following my visit to the flood area. I urge you to read my release in its entirety to get a real picture of the battle farmers are fighting to get their crops off the field. Photos corresponding with the news release are available at the following website link:

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/photos/pages/2005_oct12.htm

The Rural Municipality of Porcupine, which has declared itself a disaster area, received almost three times the amount of rain that was left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The entire world took notice and aided the Hurricane Katrina victims. I ask that our governments take notice and do something about the Prairie River disaster.

Yours sincerely,

(original signed by)

Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.
Yorkton-Melville

kg
encl.

cc. Stephen Harper, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
cc. Diane Finley, Conservative Party Agriculture Critic
cc. Brad Wall, Leader of the Saskatchewan Party
cc. Bob Bjornerud, Saskatchewan Party Agriculture Critic
cc. June Draude, MLA for Kelvington-Wadena
cc. Rural Municipality of Porcupine

News release
October 13, 2005 - COMBINES FLOATING ACROSS WATER TO HARVEST THE 2005 CROP