By Curtis Galbraith

Input costs, seed supplies concerns for 2022 growing season

Oct 21, 2021 | 6:32 PM

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Now that a lot of farmers have finished harvest, they are looking towards next year.

Valhalla producer and Grain Growers of Canada chair Andre Harpe says rising input costs are a concern.

“Fertilizer, some of the prices I’m hearing now, has doubled or more than doubled from last year or what we would have bought fertilizer for last year,” he explained.

“Seed has gone up a little bit but I guess the really big concern right now is the cost of fertilizer or the cost of producing our crop next year. I guess everybody is starting to focus on that right now.”

Some commodity groups say another concern is a possible shortage of seed.

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Harpe says while canola seed comes from companies, seed for cereal crops and peas comes from pedigreed seed growers.

“They were hit just as hard as the rest of us. So, all of a sudden, yeah, there could be quite a concern for buying seed next year also.”

Harpe says lobbying efforts to get federal and provincial government help for farmers continues.

“We talked to them in July. That’s partly where this (AgriRecovery) for the cattle producers came in. I think what they (governments) were doing was they were taking a wait-and-see attitude where the crop comes in and see what the shortage is.”

“I think right now, we need to intensify again because it gets back to a program was announced for the cattle producers. At the same time, there’s been nothing for the grain producers.”

Harpe says a lack of help from the government and the rising input costs mean it could “be a very interesting year next year.”