In a series of years starting in 1999, Manitoba’s southwest corner was again hit by excess moisture in 2013. The front page of our July 11 issue featured a photo of cattle along the swollen Maple Creek near Reston. The area had received as much as 15 inches of rain in the previous two weeks, and producers were scrambling to find dry land for cattle. Basements were flooded in up to 75 homes in Reston and there were 120 washouts on area roads.
Damage extended farther north. The weekly crop report said 100 to 150 mm of rain fell the previous week in an area from Gilbert Plains to Winnipegosis, with excess moisture affecting 10 per cent of the crops in the Northwest Region. Crops were generally doing well in other regions of the province, but each reported some areas of excess moisture.
The first signs of the deadly porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) were being reported in the U.S. that month, with confirmed outbreaks in North Carolina, and Canadian hog haulers were being warned against washing trucks with recycled water.
