Agriculture

Michael Duncan, a farmer in Ormstown, can’t wait for spring. Not because he is necessarily eager to start his season, but because he is fed up with finding tracks left behind by snowmobilers crossing his fields without permission. “We will easily be able to see the snowmobile tracks in the spring,” says Duncan, noting that fields seeded with winter wheat and alfalfa are especially susceptible to damage from compaction of the snow, which is otherwise insulating and protective. The compaction turns the snow to ice and can quickly freeze and kill overwintering young plants. “There is no snowmobile trail going through our property. Trespassing is trespassing. It’s just not right,” he says, confirming that he has lodged a complaint with the local syndicate of the Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA) and the Sûreté du Québec over the issue. Not only are the snowmobilers trespassing, to access his field they are also crossing a road not marked as a trail, which is against the law. Duncan says that what is most frustrating is that this is not an issue of snowmobilers not understanding the risks of riding off marked trails, but rather that “they just don’t care.” Signs posted on the property of Michael Duncan in Ormstown have been disregarded by delinquent snowmobilers this winter. PHOTO Courtesy of Michael Duncan He says that while he is concerned about potential damage to his crops, he also worries about liability if ever a snowmobiler were to be hurt on his property. A lot can be hidden under deep snow, and those unfamiliar with a field may not be aware of dips, rock piles, drainage ditches or trenches, as well as machinery or equipment that might be covered. Duncan is not alone in his frustration. Farmers across Quebec have been dealing with unauthorized off-trail traffic through their fields this winter. Around 50 per cent of the 33,000 kilometres of snowmobile trails in Quebec are located on private land, including several regional and local snowmobile trails that run throughout the Haut-Saint-Laurent and Hemmingford. Farmers have also noted damaged equipment and garbage being left along the trails, which only further strains the relationship between snowmobiler and farmer. These behaviours can also lead to larger problems in the future. For example, garbage left on a trail ends up in hay fields and can break machinery or injure animals who ingest the hay. The problem culminated in a joint press conference hosted by the Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec (FCMQ) and the UPA on Feb. 4 to call out rogue snowmobilers whose actions now risk the closure of trails throughout the province. “Snowmobiling is a source of pride in Quebec, thanks in large part to the generosity of tens of thousands of landowners who grant free rights of way to their local snowmobile clubs. However, the generosity and tolerance of these landowners is put to the test when some snowmobilers choose to ride as they see fit on their land. This behaviour must stop,” said FCMQ president Réal Camiré. The general president of the UPA, Marcel Groleau, underlined the seriousness of the issue in warning that the positive relationship between the clubs and farmers was being compromised. He then appealed to the civic-mindedness of all snowmobilers by asking them to respect the trails.

Agriculture

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