Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Valley farmers are still evaluating damage or losses from the torrential rains that fell on August 9. Flooding saw many crops submerged or surrounded by water for an extended period. The leaves on affected soya plants are yellowing, for example.

The Fédération de l’UPA de la Montérégie reports that many producers suffered significant losses. “In several cases, crops spent several days under water, jeopardizing harvests,” says regional president Jérémie Letellier. Other contributing factors include poorly maintained streams and ditches that could not absorb excess rainwater, resulting in fields being flooded.

The UPA points out that waterway maintenance is an MRC responsibility, and while the union acknowledges that this involves other players including the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, the need remains for municipalities to improve their capacity to absorb or divert water.

According to Dundee producer Benjamin Nieuwenhof, some of the flooding that saw his crops submerged for over 36 hours was unavoidable once the Salmon River spilled its banks. He suggests, however, that a lot of the damage could have been avoided if the ditches running through the Lake Saint-François National Wildlife Area were properly maintained. In this instance it is the federal government’s jurisdiction, and requests have been filed dating back to 1998 – and nothing has been done.

The UPA is calling for a global vision including MRCs, government ministries and departments, and agricultural producers to optimize waterway management. In the meantime, the union is asking producers to document any damages to their crops and submit this information to establish a general picture of the losses experienced by local farmers.