Pasture south of Medicine Hat shows little snow cover to rejuvenate water levels as of December 2023.

Action needed on drought preparations in Alberta

The Alberta Water Council released nine recommendations based on modelling exercise

Reading Time: 2 minutes The province, municipalities and water management groups need to talk to each other more if Alberta wants to mitigate future drought crises, according to the Alberta Water Council. “Preparedness and adaptability are the keys to successfully responding and adapting to the risk of multi-year drought,” the AWC said in a late-February report. That statement comes […] Read more






Alberta government asks people with water licence to move their licences online

Alberta government asks people with water licence to move their licences online

Moving licences online will simplify things and make sure the government can track water availability

Reading Time: 2 minutes To make things simpler and faster, the government of Alberta is asking thousands of water licence users to move their licences online. The province has a digital system that lets users report on water use and manage their licence through a confidential online tool.  A typical water licence allows the holder to divert water and […] Read more

Preliminary results suggest that Alberta grasslands fared better than others in weathering the effect of drought.

Researchers delve into drought and grasslands

Global project will provide valuable insights as droughts increase, Alberta scientist says

Reading Time: 3 minutes A global study is examining the surprising ways short-term droughts can affect grasslands. “It’s not surprising that less water is going to lead to less plant growth. We’re all very familiar with that,” said Cameron Carlyle, associate professor of rangeland ecology in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta, […] Read more


Alberta’s fiscal plan for 2024 to 2027 paints a not-so-rosy picture of the state of agriculture in the province.

Ag ministry, insurance among farm takeaways from 2024 Alberta budget 

Need for disaster resilience cited for funding increases

Reading Time: 2 minutes Response to disasters, water management and irrigation were the agricultural highlights of Alberta’s recently released 2024 provincial budget. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation’s operating expenses received a bump of 9.7 per cent, rising from $77 million in 2023-24 to $870 million for 2024-25.  That includes a $49-million increase in reinsurance costs for the Agriculture […] Read more



Water is crucial to everyone in the South Saskatchewan River Basin.

Project to help water users improve watershed planning

Irrigation projects will be among the proposals evaluated using the new model

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The organization that represents Alberta’s irrigation districts is spearheading a project that will better allow stakeholders in the South Saskatchewan River Basin to improved watershed planning. The project will use the South Saskatchewan River Operational Model (SSROM) to determine how to best develop infrastructure to benefit Albertans, said Margo Jarvis Redelback, executive […] Read more

According to the Government of Alberta website, the province has the largest irrigated area in Canada with nearly 680,000 hectares of irrigated land.

Alberta forms drought advisory committee

Reading Time: < 1 minute Glacier FarmMedia – Alberta has struck a new drought advisory committee as some provincial rivers reach record low levels, reservoirs remain below capacity and mountain snowpacks continue to be under historical averages. The province says at least parts of the province are facing risks of severe drought conditions in part due to warm and dry […] Read more