Nearly a week after a powerful storm drenched much of southern Manitoba, farmer Curtis McRae is still dealing with extensive flooding on his property.
More than 2,000 acres of his farmland remain underwater, with floodwaters reaching two to three feet deep in some areas.
“I have not seen anything like this before,” said McRae, who farms near Clandeboye, Man., about 50 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
“This is a once in a lifetime event.”
The storm dumped extraordinary amounts of rain across the region, including 255 millimetres in the Stonewall area.
The downpour also brought at least two confirmed tornadoes to the province and resulted in thousands of people losing power for more than 24 hours.
McRae was in the middle of seeding when the storm hit. With water expected to remain on his fields for at least another week, he fears the damage will devastate this year’s crop.
“I don’t even know if I will have 50 per cent of the crop I should have,” he said.
The financial toll is expected to be severe.
“Epically huge. Unbelievable,” he said.
Although he has crop insurance, he still expects significant losses.
“Probably around $500,000,” he said. “There is a good chance I don’t get paid this year.”
The effects could extend well beyond this growing season. McRae said reduced income will make it difficult to purchase inputs for next year’s crop, while restoring flood-damaged fields will require substantial time and money.
‘We won’t have the income to buy inputs, so that’ll be tough,” he said. “Just getting the soil ready for next year is going to be a big challenge and will cost a lot of money to do it, more so than if we would have grown a crop.”
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