The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan has written to Federal Ag Minister Lawrence MacAulay calling for a province-wide Livestock Tax Deferral for 2018.

President Todd Lewis says hay production across Saskatchewan is significantly below average in most areas of the province.

"Producers are finding the hay is pretty short.  A lot of the reserves were used up last year cause we were short in those areas, some of those areas it's the second year in a row.  We've put this request in early that he allow producers from across the province to be able to defer their income into another year if they're forced to sell some of their herds off here because of lack of feed or water." 

He notes surplus hay has become very difficult to source and prices are continuing to climb as a result.  

Lewis says given the significant production variability within municipalities, they feel there is a risk that AAFC’s normal process of designating prescribed drought regions by municipality could exclude affected producers from accessing the program. 

"I talked to a producer in the last couple weeks,  where her own pasture they only were able to use for a week.  While her brother's ranch you know 15 miles away, they caught two or three thundershowers so they actually had grass and he's had his cattle out on pasture all summer. So, it's so variable."

He says, unfortunately, with the lack of feed, they’ll be some pretty tough decisions made with some of the herd being sold off and a tax deferral would help producers through.