EDMONTON -- Leduc County's mayor and council declared a state of agricultural disaster, going against their administration’s recommendation.
In the report presented to council Tuesday, it said that council should not declare a state of agricultural disaster at this time, and to revisit the issue at the Oct. 22 meeting.
Council instead voted unanimously to declare the state of disaster.
“Damage to the crops or the lack of maturity of crops has already happened. Waiting a little bit longer isn’t going to change that,” said Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko.
Administration had been gathering feedback from producers since early in September and delivered the report to council for discussion Tuesday.
The report stated that producers are more optimistic than they were earlier in the September.
But with the chance of a heavy frost or significant snowfall like the region had in 2018, administration recommended the reassessment of the situation in October.
According to the county, extra precipitation this summer has created difficulties for agricultural producers in the area.
The latest crop report shows that harvest progress in Leduc County is about 12 percent behind the 5-year average.
Other regions are as high as 20-percent behind.
Lac Ste. Anne County also made the disaster declaration Tuesday, making Leduc County the second to do so.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dan Grummett.
