Salmon River flooding may be over but the effects on local farmers are not.
Brad May鈥檚 property at 2650 50th St. SW sits on the bottom of the Salmon River Valley and, accordingly, the river runs through it.
This year, however, there was much more 鈥榬unning through it鈥� than wanted.
May is a dairy farmer with about 80 acres of land on both sides of the river.
鈥淭he river came up and it flooded everywhere. We had about 60 acres under water鈥� Usually we have five or 10 with some seepage鈥� It was flowing right through the fields on both sides of the river, one end to another. 鈥�
He says the water was high for so long, it killed everything submerged. On the bright side, the new three- or four-acre lake did provide a little kayaking fun for his kids.
There will be some financial loss in terms of lost crops and potential sale of feed, but May remains positive and says he has enough feed stored so he won鈥檛 have to buy anything.
鈥淓verything for me is about a month behind schedule, as for planting corn and getting my first crop off,鈥� he says, adding he鈥檒l need to replant about 40 acres of alfalfa grass.
He explains that alfalfa is normally replanted every four to six years, and wasn鈥檛 due for planting. Also, the planting time is off, as alfalfa is usually planted in spring or later in summer or in fall.
The corn land is a little different, he says, as it was planted a bit later and is planted every year.
May says the 60 acres have just dried up now, so he hopes to reseed.
鈥淚 can put in a cereal crop or something for this year and get something out of it.鈥�
He points out that he鈥檚 been on the property for 30 years and has never seen a lake form before.
Neither his cattle nor his barns or home were reached, though.
鈥淚f the water came up that high, the town would be in trouble. It鈥檚 just all field damage.鈥�
Between May鈥檚 place and the Salmon River Bridge is Rodger DeMille鈥檚 property, so the water flowed through May鈥檚 land into DeMille鈥檚.
DeMille began farming in Salmon Arm in 1969 and says he missed the floods of 1949.
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen it that high. We were just lucky we didn鈥檛 get a heavy downpour of rain.鈥�
He鈥檚 noticed he used to see high water about every five years; now it鈥檚 almost every year.
He suspects he鈥檒l experience about a 20 per cent loss this year.
The sweet corn won鈥檛 be ready until about the 15th of August, he predicts, while it鈥檚 usually ready in the first week of August. That will cut the selling season.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a doom and gloomer,鈥� he鈥檚 quick to add. 鈥淵ou just do what you can do.鈥�
DeMille says it鈥檚 likely that less hay will be available in the area for horse owners.
鈥淲e should be into our second cut now and we鈥檝e just finished the first.鈥�
