PFRA : A Brief History

PFRA was established by an Act of Parliament in 1935 in response to the widespread drought, farm abandonment and land degradation of the 1930s. Its role was to :

"... secure the rehabilitation of the drought and soil drifting areas in the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and to develop and promote within those areas, systems of farm practice, tree culture, water supply, land utilization and land settlement that will afford greater economic security..."

With this mandate, PFRA has served to promote sustainable development on the rural prairies for six decades.

PFRA Highlights

1935

• PFRA Act receives Royal Assent on April 17. Mandate is limited to 5 years. The first office opens in Medicine Hat, then moves to Swift Current. Boundaries follow the Palliser Triangle in the southern prairies.
• Activities to control soil drifting are funded. Agricultural Improvement Associations (A.I.A.s) are organized to demonstrate new farming practices.
• Water development projects for individuals and communities begin. Farmers are paid up to $50 for dugouts.

1936

• The PFRA office moves to Regina.
• Reservoirs and irrigation works are built or repaired in southwest Saskatchewan. Farmers are resettled on or near the projects.

1937

• The Act is amended to add land utilization and land settlement. The Community Pasture Program begins. Sixteen community pastures are fenced and seeded by December and opened for grazing in 1938.

1938 and 1939

• Heavy spring runoff damages some newly constructed earth dams. Other dams are sandbagged for protection.

1939

• PFRA's mandate is extended by removing original 5 year limit.
• The Eastend, Val Marie and West Val Marie dams are completed, providing drinking and irrigation water to southwest Saskatchewan. Farm families continue to resettle near the projects.
• Initial 38 families are resettled to the Rolling Hills irrigation area in Alberta, taking with them 70 rail cars full of goods.
• The first pasture in Manitoba opens.
• PFRA works with Ducks Unlimited to establish wildlife conservation areas.

1940-45

• World War II. The war effort cuts budgets, reduces staff and puts most work on hold.
• Irrigation projects are slowly expanded.

1940

• A.I.A. grants for operating costs are discontinued. Membership peaks at 33,600 in 228 associations.

1941

• The first Pasture Managers' conference is held in March. 43 pastures are operating with another 11 under development.
• Procedures for the Water Development Program are changed. Individuals have to notify PFRA before beginning a project.

1942

• A special post-war reconstruction committee identifies 42 possible water development projects in western Canada. Total cost: $110,000,000.

1943

• Duncairn Dam on Swift Current Creek in southwestern Saskatchewan is completed.
• Control structures on Echo, Crooked and Round Lakes in the Qu'Appelle River system are completed. Water is used for irrigation.

1944

• PFRA crews are sent to British Columbia to investigate potential irrigation areas for returning veterans.

1945

• The Prairie Airways Building in Moose Jaw is transferred to PFRA. It is used as a construction and maintenance depot for the next 50 years.

1946

• Money for soil drifting control is removed from PFRA's budget. Emphasis is placed on "structural" projects in water and pasture development.
• Regular activities in water development and community pastures resume. Farmers are paid up to $125 for dugouts.
• Work begins on some water development projects identified in 1942. Test drilling starts on the Red Deer, South Saskatchewan and St. Mary Rivers dam sites.
• Construction on the St. Mary Irrigation Project begins.

1948

• PFRA is granted special funds for construction of irrigation and drainage works in British Columbia. Most work is done in the interior of B.C.
• Carrying capacity of community pastures improves. In 1938 one cow needed 58.7 acres of land to graze; by 1948 it needs 20.5 acres. A total of 1.4 million acres are fenced.

1949

• Work begins to control water erosion on the slopes of the Riding and Duck Mountains in Manitoba. Erosion controls are built on the banks of Edwards Creek.
• The Pre-Development Farm to demonstrate irrigation methods is established at Outlook. Land is donated by the town.

1950

• Major flooding in the Red River valley in Manitoba.
• Responsibility for the dikes and flood control works along the Assiniboine River from Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg is transferred to PFRA.
• Surveying of the Pasquia Reclamation Project lands between the Carrot and Pasquia Rivers in northwestern Manitoba begins.
• The Canada Land and Irrigation Company's property and assets are purchased by the federal government in November. It becomes the Bow River Irrigation Project. PFRA begins renovating and expanding the irrigation works in 1951.

1951

• St. Mary Dam opens July 16.
• Hoof and mouth disease is discovered near Regina. PFRA staff help slaughter infected herds, dispose of carcasses, and disinfect vehicles and farm land. Emergency measures are put in place on 20 pastures, but no disease is found.

1952

• Heavy spring runoff damages Eastend Dam and Duncairn spillway. The Town of Eastend is flooded.
• Farmers begin resettling the Hays District of the Bow River Irrigation Project.

1953

• Canada and Manitoba sign the Saskatchewan River Reclamation Project Agreement for diking and draining the Pasquia area west of The Pas.

1954

• Travers Dam in Alberta (July 13) and Morden Dam in Manitoba (August 2) are officially opened.
• Air photo analysis is done for the Royal Commission on Agriculture for Newfoundland.

1955

• Moosomin Dam in southeast Saskatchewan is opened July 7.
• In its first known application in Canada, polyethylene plastic is installed and tested as a canal lining on the Bow River Project.

1956

• A tornado hits Lone Tree Pasture headquarters on June 28. It rolls 4 trailers, and tears the back porch off the manager's house.
• The Motherwell Building in Regina is officially opened on July 23. PFRA occupies 3 floors.
• The Buffalo Pound Water Supply Project starts pumping water from the South Saskatchewan River to Buffalo Pound Lake via the Qu'Appelle River, providing additional water to Regina and Moose Jaw.

1957

• The Wilson Creek Experimental Watershed study of erosion on the east slopes of the Riding Mountain in Manitoba begins. Observations are made of stream flow, precipitation and weather.
• Unusually dry years across the prairies from 1957 to 1962 dramatically increase demands for water development projects. Pastures are stocked to capacity.
• The Kamloops regional engineering office closes. Limited work in B.C. continues until 1968.

1958

• Provincial officials from Saskatchewan sign the South Saskatchewan River Project Agreement on July 14, and mail it to Ottawa. Federal officials sign the Agreement on July 25, thereby authorizing construction.

1959

• Prime Minister Diefenbaker officially launches construction of the South Saskatchewan River Project (Gardiner Dam) on May 27. An estimated crowd of 14,000 people attend.
• The maximum grant for dugouts is increased to $250.
• Resettlement of farmers to the Hays District of the Bow River Project is completed. 162 families from Saskatchewan and Manitoba are resettled here between 1952-59.

1960

• Canada's portion of the Saskatchewan River Reclamation Project is completed. Manitoba takes over the project in 1961.

1961

• One of the driest years on record across most of the prairies. PFRA's boundaries are extended northward to cover all agricultural areas of the prairies. Five new district offices are opened.
• Rivers Dam in Manitoba is opened July 15.
• Opening ceremony of Thomson Lake on the Wood River in southwest Saskatchewan. It is named in honour of PFRA's second Director.
• Birch Hills community dugout is constructed. Holding almost 34 million gallons of water, it is the one of the largest dugouts ever constructed by PFRA.
• The Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act (ARDA) is passed. PFRA helps administer and provides technical support for the Act in western Canada.

1962

• A total of 5,000 families have been resettled by PFRA, to new lands in the same municipality or to irrigation projects in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

1963

• On April 1 the federal Tree Nurseries at Indian Head and Sutherland are transferred to PFRA.
• Canada and Manitoba agree to build the Shellmouth Dam on the Assiniboine River.

1964

• Community pastures are built on Indian reserves for the first time. Grazing revenues are shared with the bands.
• PFRA operates 75 community pastures.

1965

• Construction begins on Shellmouth Dam.
• The Waterton Dam in the St. Mary Irrigation Project is completed.
• PFRA crews leave for the Ottawa valley on July 5 to help farmers affected by drought. They take 7 trucks of portable irrigation units, and are gone for 6 weeks.
• Hydrology staff write the first computer programs used by PFRA and run them on leased computers in Regina.

1966

• The Governments of Canada and Ghana sign an irrigation development agreement, and PFRA is appointed to carry out the terms for Canada. By February, 10 staff members are in Ghana working on the project.
• Sutherland Tree Nursery is closed in June. 140 acres of the site are transferred to the City of Saskatoon for a park.

1967

• The South Saskatchewan River Project is completed. On July 21 Prime Minister Pearson and Premier Thatcher open Gardiner Dam (Canada's largest earthfill dam) and the Qu'Appelle Dam.
• By the end of the year, more than 135,000 people visit the tourist pavilion at Gardiner Dam. A total of 749,000 visitors are recorded at the site between 1959-67.
• The Pre-Development Farm at Outlook is renamed the PFRA Demonstration Farm. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating irrigation techniques, equipment and crops.
• The headquarters house at Coteau Pasture is struck by lightning, causing considerable interior damage.

1968

• On July 12 PFRA is transferred from the Department of Agriculture to Forestry and Rural Development.
• The Tree Nursery operates a display trailer promoting tree planting. It travels to fairs across the prairies for eight years.
• PFRA's Engineering Service is asked to conduct studies for the Saskatchewan-Nelson Basin Board (SNBB). The studies evaluate storage and diversion possibilities in the Saskatchewan and Nelson River basins.
• Construction of structures in the St. Mary Irrigation Project is completed.

1969

• PFRA becomes part of the newly created Department of Regional Economic Expansion (April 1).
• The Shellmouth Dam in Manitoba is completed.

1970

• Last staff return from Ghana.
• The construction headquarters buildings for the South Saskatchewan River Project at Cutbank are turned over to the Province of Saskatchewan.

1971

• The Tree Nursery begins shipping trees by truck rather than train.

1972

• SNBB studies are completed.
• PFRA becomes more involved in municipal water infrastructure. Agricultural Service Centres (ASC) Agreements are signed with the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan for improving sewer and water facilities in rural communities (16 in Manitoba and 25 in Saskatchewan).

1973

• An Agricultural Service Centres Agreement is signed with Alberta. Thirteen communities are included.
• The Alberta Irrigation Rehabilitation Program is signed. PFRA begins repairing and renovating 4 major structures in existing irrigation districts. They include Carseland Weir, Brooks Aqueduct, Western Irrigation District Headworks, and Bassano Dam.
• Grants for dugouts are increased to a maximum of $550. A farm wells program is introduced.

1974

• The St. Mary and Bow River Irrigation Projects are transferred to the Province of Alberta on March 31.
• People living on acreages can request trees from the Tree Nursery.
• A major study on the Southwest Saskatchewan Irrigation Projects identifies problems and recommends improvements. It forms the blueprint for future upgrades to the water storage and delivery works.

1975

• Construction Division helps repair Regina's Albert Street Weir.
• The 40th Anniversary. By April, PFRA has helped with 95,999 dugouts, 10,516 wells, 11,260 stockwatering dams, and 6,037 irrigation projects on the prairies. These works range in size from small individual to large community projects. Most are owned and maintained by the individuals or communities using them.
• There are 95 pastures in operation.
• The Tree Nursery discontinues use of its trailer promoting tree planting. Their railway car with the same message had operated between 1920-73.

1976

• Increased water development studies and construction. River basin studies are conducted for other agencies.
• The Cutbank construction headquarters is returned to PFRA. Buildings are dismantled, sold or moved to pastures.

1977

• Start of a widespread dry period that will last more than 10 years. There is little snow and almost no runoff in the spring. Water supplies across most of the prairies are affected.
• Emergency water supply programs are started. Grants for wells are increased, and a deep well drilling program begins.
• A Task Force on Drought is established. PFRA gathers data for the group.
• The Tree Nursery in Indian Head celebrates its 75th anniversary. It ships its 400-millionth tree.
• PFRA operates 97 community pastures.

1978

• Since there is adequate snow and rainfall this year, emergency drought programs end.
• Governments want better warning of future drought situations. PFRA is asked to monitor prairie water supply conditions.
• PFRA begins transferring pastures on Indian reserves to band councils.
• Major reconstruction work is done on the Assiniboine dikes.

1979

• The Agricultural Service Centres Agreement with Alberta expires March 31.
• Canada and Saskatchewan sign an agreement concerning water development and drought proofing. The agreement funds economic impact studies, ground water investigations and water supply projects.

1980

• Another dry year. Emergency programs are introduced, including the Herd Maintenance Assistance Program.
• PFRA creates a Soil and Water Conservation Branch. There is renewed emphasis on soil and water conservation.
• PFRA establishes a Dam Safety Program to evaluate the safety of Canada-held dams under PFRA's responsibility.
• Canada and Manitoba sign an agreement on water development and drought proofing.

1981

• Soil conservation staff begin studies on soil degradation and erosion.
• Little snow and spring runoff affects farm dugouts and community reservoirs. Some run dry; others are dangerously low.
• PFRA revamps its water development program. Pipelines are added to the program, and financial limits are raised.
• Farmers receive up to $1500 for dugouts.
• Word processing equipment is introduced.

1982

• Drought studies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are carried out.
• Assistance for dugouts is raised to $1650.
• Large-scale soil conservation projects begin at Warner County, Wellington, Canora, Tobacco Creek and Turtle Mountain.

1983

• PFRA is transferred back to Agriculture Canada on March 3.
• Agricultural Services Centres Agreements in Manitoba and Saskatchewan end.
• The report Land Degradation and Soil Conservation Issues on the Canadian Prairies is released.
• A joint strategy for soil conservation efforts is discussed with provincial officials.

1984

• Dry year with low snowfall and above normal temperatures. Some Saskatchewan pastures have to send cattle home early. Grasshoppers infest some pastures.
• PFRA co-administers the federal-provincial Prairie Livestock Drought Assistance Program.
• Soil conservationists are hired for district offices.
• Canada and Saskatchewan sign the Agriculture Community Water Infrastructure agreement covering construction of water supply and disposal works in 39 centres.

1985

• PFRA's 50th anniversary.
• PFRA administers the federal Crop Drought Assistance Program.
• The Saskatchewan Water Development and Drought Proofing Agreement expires.
• Studies on prairie water sources begin. Phase I reports are completed in 1985-86.
• Tree Nursery staff travel to Siberia to collect seeds for new shelterbelt species.

1986

• Canada and Saskatchewan agree to jointly fund and operate the Demonstration Farm at Outlook. It is renamed the Saskatchewan Irrigation Development Centre (SIDC).
• The Manitoba Water Development and Drought Proofing Agreement expires.
• Canada and Saskatchewan sign an agreement to fund new irrigation development and upgrade existing projects.
• PFRA works with individuals and groups of farmers promoting soil conservation.
• A soil conservation display trailer tours the prairies.
• There are 87 community pastures.
• PFRA begins using Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) for engineering projects.

1987

• The Tree Nursery is renamed the Shelterbelt Centre.
• Two major water pipeline projects in Manitoba and Alberta are completed.
• The National Soil Conservation Program is announced in December.

1988

• Another dry year, comparable to the droughts of 1936-37, 1961 and 1984-85. Crops and pastures are affected, and people are forced to haul water.
• PFRA delivers government emergency drought programs for livestock, greenfeed, and water supplies.

1989

• National Soil Conservation Program accords are signed by the federal and provincial governments. On-farm conservation projects expand.
• Permanent Cover Programs are announced for the prairies, paying farmers to seed forage on annually cropped marginal lands. Demand exceeds available funds.
• The Blood Indian Irrigation Project agreement is signed. PFRA supplies project management and engineering services.
• Canada and British Columbia agree to extend PFRA's water development services to the Peace River area. The Dawson Creek office opens in December.

1990

• The Alberta Irrigation Rehabilitation Program is completed.

1991

• A record 11 million tree seedlings are distributed by the Shelterbelt Centre. Seedlings are used in farm and field shelterbelts, wildlife habitat and agro-forestry plantings.
• Canada and Saskatchewan sign agreements on rural and water-based economic development; Canada and Manitoba sign a water supply and wastewater treatment agreement. PFRA helps administer the programs.
• Permanent Cover Program II is announced. Additional marginal land is seeded to forage across the prairies and northeastern B.C.
• Canada and the provinces sign Green Plan Agreements to promote the use of environmentally sound farming practices. PFRA helps administer the program on the prairies.

1992

• The Motherwell Building in Regina closes. PFRA moves to new headquarters nearby.
• PFRA sets up a Geographic Information System to manage its geographic data.

1993

• The Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre opens in Carberry. It is funded by Canada, Manitoba, and farmer and processor groups.
• The U.S. midwest is hit by widespread flooding. A team of 10 PFRA staff spend 3 months helping with reconstruction.
• PFRA moves towards funding more group and community water projects.

1994

• Official opening of the Blood Indian Irrigation Project. Work continues on some irrigation works.
• Responsibility for the operation and physical maintenance of Gardiner Dam is turned over to the Province of Saskatchewan.

1995

• The Assiniboine Dikes are transferred to the Province of Manitoba.
• The Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund Agreement is signed. PFRA staff help administer the program.
• The Western Grain Transition Payments Program is announced, compensating landowners for reductions to land values due to the end of the Crow Rate. PFRA issues cheques to 215,000 people by April 1997.

1996

• PFRA's water activities focus on improving use of existing sources. Staff work on improving water quality in dugouts, and increasing yield and water quality in wells.
• Technical maintenance of Gardiner Dam is transferred to Saskatchewan.
• The Canada Agri-Infrastructure Program (CAIP) is announced in Saskatchewan and Alberta. PFRA helps administer the programs, which upgrades roads used for transporting grain to market. The Alberta program is later expanded.

1997

• Floods hit northwestern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba.
• Largest flood since 1826 on the Red River. Staff help prepare emergency plans, monitor flood conditions, track people and livestock and direct rescue missions. After the flood, staff treat contaminated wells and dugouts.
• Canada and Manitoba sign a CAIP agreement, covering transportation, water and other infrastructure development.
• The National Soil and Water Conservation Program begins.

1998

• Warmest year on record across the prairies.
• Canada, Saskatchewan and the irrigation industry sign a new agreement governing the operation of the Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre.
• Community pastures in Saskatchewan become part of the Representative Areas Network, which aims to preserve prairie biodiversity and native plants.
• PFRA launches the Prairie Agricultural Landscapes (PAL) project, studying prairie land resources and their ability to support agricultural production and processing.
• PFRA and partners develop a methodology which assists the hog industry locate new hog barns and recommends rates of manure application on different soil landscapes.

1999

• PFRA and Ducks Unlimited announce a joint Small Water Development Project in Saskatchewan.
• More unusual weather. There is flooding in the southeast prairies, dry conditions in the northwest and cool summer temperatures.
• Farm income problems for prairie grain farmers worsen.

2000

• The Canada-Manitoba Partnership Agreement on Red River Valley Flood Protection is signed. The program is designed to protect farm yards, businesses and communities during a flood. PFRA provides technical and project management support.
• There is widespread flooding around Vanguard, Saskatchewan in July after almost 390 mm (over 15 inches) of rain falls over a ten hour period. PFRA staff help assess damage and assist in the clean-up of contaminated water supplies.
• The Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre hosts Herbfest 2000 in July. More than 1000 people attend.
• It's the driest growing season on record in parts of southern Alberta. Demand for water development assistance in the region goes up.
• The Prairie Agricultural Landscapes (PAL) report is released in October.

2001

• The Prairie Grain Roads Program (PGRP) begins its first year of operation, with 102 projects in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The program will fund upgrades to over 800 kilometres of Prairie roads impacted by grain transportation changes.
• The PFRA Shelterbelt Centre in Indian Head celebrates its 100th anniversary in July. Construction of the Centre's new $2-million state-of-the-art greenhouse and laboratory is announced.
• Drought continues to plague producers across the Prairie region. Demands for water development assistance escalate as dugouts go dry and pastures deteriorate. Community pastures in western Saskatchewan are most affected.
• The Shelterbelt Centre launches two new programs under the Canada Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change. The Agricultural Awareness Partnership Project and the Shelterbelt Enhancement Program promote the benefits of shelterbelts in reducing greenhouse gases.

2002

• The drought continued. Water levels in surface sources such as dugouts and reservoirs remained low, particularly in central Alberta and west central Saskatchewan. Producers also battled severe infestations of grasshoppers, with the largest impacts being felt in southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan.
• The Agricultural Policy Framework (APF), a partnership agreement between the federal and provincial governments, was announced.
• Through the APF, the $110-million Greencover initiative to enhance sustainable land use through the planting and management of forage and trees, and the four-year, $60-million National Water Supply Expansion Program to develop and enhance agricultural water resources were announced.
• The Prairie Grain Roads Program invested more than $48 million towards 52 projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In total, 700 kms of prairie highway were repaired and improved.

2003

• The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is proclaimed. The Act protects critical habitat on federal lands including community pastures, and is designed to provide a key tool in the conservation of Canada's biological diversity.
• PFRA's Rural Water Development Program (RWDP) is integrated into the National Water Supply Expansion Program (NWSEP). AAFC models the NWSEP after the RWDP – one of PFRA's most successful and longstanding programs in Western Canada.
• PFRA leads in the delivery and implementation of the National Environmental Farm Plan program, as the provinces begin signing onto the Agricultural Policy Framework.
• The Prairies experience some relief from consecutive years of drought, but the average to below average precipitation is not enough for soil moisture or water levels to recover in most regions. Grasshopper damage takes a severe toll in parts of the southern Prairies.
• Following the discovery of an Alberta cow infected with BSE, the United States closes its borders to Canadian beef and 33 more countries follow suit, cutting off almost all of Canada's export market.

2004

• The Environmental Farm Plan program is implemented in various provinces across Canada, with the program administered and delivered by PFRA staff on a national basis under the APF.
• Soil moisture and water levels recover in most regions of the Prairies, with many areas carrying surplus moisture. A generally cool and wet growing season prevents the grasshopper infestations of previous years, but delays harvest.
• The American border remains closed to Canadian cattle for the entire year, creating unprecedented hardship in the industry.