Frustrations boil over at flooded out Manitoba farms

Frustrations are boiling over for farmers near Griswold, Man.

While much of the provinces attention is now focused on the crest anticipated at the Portage Diversion Wednesday night, farmers Kyle and Stan Cochrane are worried about thousands of dollars in losses.

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Were looking at the biggest flood, or one of the biggest floods, that weve ever had, said Stan.

The father and son are using a Sea-Doo to access their 2000-acre sunflower field, which is entirely under water.

Their home is surrounded by water, and the highway typically used to access it is completely washed over.

Their soy bean crop is also completely destroyed.

The farms crop year this year will be zero, and if waters dont recede soon, things will only get worse.

If the flood lasts long enough that we dont have the opportunity to get the land back in shape, we might not grow crops here next year either, said Stan.

So far this year, one million acres of farm land has gone unseeded and another one million acres of crop have been destroyed by heavy rain.

Its not only in your fields, its in your basement and thats where it gets into your personal space, said Dan Mazier of Keystone Agricultural Producers. My heart goes out to those people.

For Manitoba farmers, the damage could be worse than the devastating 2011 flood.

A lot of the frustration, according to Stan, comes from not knowing whats going to happen next.

We keep asking the same question: How much water are we going to have? How high is it going to go? When is it going to peak? And the so-called professionals cant seem to answer those questions, he said.

He wants to see the road raised and the forecasting and drainage model reviewed. He said he doesnt believe the province has been proactive in preventing or predicting flooding in rural Manitoba.

They dont seem to do anything about anything unless its close to Winnipeg, said Stan.