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Acreage guides for towns in this county: Barrhead

Location of County of Barrhead in Alberta
County of Barrhead within Alberta

Farming in County of Barrhead, Alberta: Water, Wells and Frost-Free Days

If you run a working farm in County of Barrhead, four things set your season: how much water you can count on, how long the frost-free window is, which fields are wet or regulated, and what it costs to fix them. County figures are a starting point for a farm plan. They are not a parcel survey.

Mixed grain and cattle, with hay a major crop and a steady number of smaller acreage operations. Surface drainage toward the Pembina shapes field layout in wet years.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 31 m deep in County of Barrhead, with static water levels often in the 7–12 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Paskapoo Formation sandstone and buried-valley sands. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (SE 26-59-3-W5; 188 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Barrhead farms sit on rolling till with Paskapoo sandstone underneath, and most wells finish in that bedrock at modest depth. Buried-valley sands along the Pembina and Paddle rivers give shallower wells but need testing for iron and manganese.

For livestock, plan for peak summer demand and for winter freeze-up. For irrigation, a well rarely replaces a licensed surface source, and diverting water for irrigation generally needs a Water Act licence. Only a pump test tells you yield, and a county average does not.

Frost-free days and hardiness zone

County of Barrhead is generally treated as hardiness zone 3a, with a frost-free window on the order of 115 days. The zone is read from the Natural Resources Canada plant hardiness map (4th edition, 1991–2020 normals) at a representative quarter; frost dates are a regional table keyed by zone, not a logger on your fence.

Barrhead sits in zone 3a with about 100 frost-free days, enough for cereals and canola but tight for long-season crops. River flats and north slopes run colder than town.

Match variety maturity to the shorter, colder number, not the longer one. After an early harvest, a cover crop needs seed in the ground fast, and a 4R nitrogen plan helps you time inputs to the season you actually get. More on the zone: hardiness zone in County of Barrhead.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in County of Barrhead is best described as moderate. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include Pembina River, Paddle River, Thunder Lake shoreline.

The county has many sloughs and some larger fen complexes, especially toward Thunder Lake. Wetland policy applies, so field drainage needs approval and often compensation.

Alberta regulates changes to wetlands and watercourses. Draining, filling, or ditching a wet area can require approval under the Water Act, even when it looks like a low spot in a field. Read the Alberta wetland policy guide before you order a ditcher, and price field drainage only after you know what is allowed.

Work packages farm operators ask about

Check grant fit before you spend

Alberta's producer programs run through Sustainable CAP, with streams for water, landscapes, efficiency, and value-added work. The federal On-Farm Climate Action Fund has supported nitrogen management, cover crops, and rotational grazing. Rates, caps, and intake change, so use the grant eligibility quiz to see what may apply, then confirm with the program administrator.

Sampled data for County of Barrhead

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 59, Range 3, W5. These are measured or record-based values for that location, shown to put the county figures above in context. They are not your parcel.

Median completed depth28.4 m188 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells22.3–39.8 mshallowest 9.8 m · deepest 62.5 m
Median static level9.1 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean2.7 °Clow -38.4 °C · high 29.5 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost181in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 20 – Sep 15regional table for zone 3a
Growing degree days1464base 5 °C
Precipitation479.7 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1284 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1646.2 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamDark Gray Chernozemics, Dark Gray - Gray Luvisols
Farmland value context$7,809/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in County of Barrhead: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m20 m40 m60 m80 m0.0 km0.5 km1.0 km1.5 km2.0 kmmedian 28.4 m0.4 km away: completed 21.1 m, static level 9.1 m0.5 km away: completed 19.6 m, static level 7.6 m0.6 km away: completed 49.8 m, static level 5.9 m0.6 km away: completed 32.0 m0.6 km away: completed 19.6 m, static level 7.6 m0.6 km away: completed 27.2 m, static level 15.2 m0.6 km away: completed 19.9 m, static level 11.9 m0.6 km away: completed 24.2 m, static level 12.2 m0.6 km away: completed 27.4 m0.6 km away: completed 27.2 m, static level 15.2 m0.8 km away: completed 54.9 m0.8 km away: completed 38.1 m0.8 km away: completed 59.9 m, static level 7.9 m0.8 km away: completed 22.7 m, static level 10.7 m0.9 km away: completed 40.4 m, static level 10.7 m1.1 km away: completed 38.1 m1.1 km away: completed 34.9 m, static level 12.2 m1.1 km away: completed 23.2 m, static level 15.2 m1.1 km away: completed 30.3 m, static level 18.3 m1.1 km away: completed 28.8 m, static level 12.2 m1.2 km away: completed 54.9 m1.3 km away: completed 38.8 m, static level 8.8 m1.4 km away: completed 23.0 m, static level 11.0 m1.4 km away: completed 36.0 m1.5 km away: completed 24.7 m, static level 12.7 m1.5 km away: completed 36.6 m1.5 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m1.5 km away: completed 9.8 m, static level 1.8 m1.5 km away: completed 62.5 m1.5 km away: completed 14.4 m, static level 2.4 m1.5 km away: completed 39.7 m, static level 9.1 m1.5 km away: completed 46.1 m, static level 34.1 m1.6 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 5.5 m1.6 km away: completed 45.7 m, static level 3.1 m1.7 km away: completed 21.1 m, static level 9.1 m1.7 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m1.7 km away: completed 27.9 m, static level 15.9 m1.8 km away: completed 27.2 m, static level 15.2 m1.9 km away: completed 42.7 m, static level 3.0 m1.9 km away: completed 40.1 m, static level 8.5 m
Each dot is one provincial well record near the sampled quarter: distance across, completed depth down (deeper is lower). Hover a dot for its values. The dashed line is the median. Records are shown by distance only; no locations are published.
Monthly average high and low temperature, County of Barrhead-25250 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -5.2 °C, average low -14.3 °CJan: average high -5.2 °C, average low -14.3 °CFeb: average high -4.5 °C, average low -14 °CFeb: average high -4.5 °C, average low -14 °CMar: average high -2.5 °C, average low -13.1 °CMar: average high -2.5 °C, average low -13.1 °CApr: average high 6.1 °C, average low -4.1 °CApr: average high 6.1 °C, average low -4.1 °CMay: average high 18.4 °C, average low 5.8 °CMay: average high 18.4 °C, average low 5.8 °CJun: average high 18.3 °C, average low 9.6 °CJun: average high 18.3 °C, average low 9.6 °CJul: average high 22.7 °C, average low 12.6 °CJul: average high 22.7 °C, average low 12.6 °CAug: average high 21.5 °C, average low 11 °CAug: average high 21.5 °C, average low 11 °CSep: average high 17 °C, average low 6.6 °CSep: average high 17 °C, average low 6.6 °COct: average high 10.4 °C, average low 0.4 °COct: average high 10.4 °C, average low 0.4 °CNov: average high 1.5 °C, average low -6 °CNov: average high 1.5 °C, average low -6 °CDec: average high -12.4 °C, average low -21.1 °CDec: average high -12.4 °C, average low -21.1 °C22.7 °C-21.1 °CAverage daily highAverage daily low
Open-Meteo daily archive (ERA5 reanalysis), 2025-10-09 to 2026-10-09: one recent year at the sample point, not a 30-year normal. Use it for the shape of the year, not for a design value.
Monthly horizontal irradiance, County of Barrhead (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 0.94 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 1.88 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.39 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.79 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.72 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.11 kWh/m²/dayJ6.11Jul: 6.1 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.03 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.37 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.06 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.04 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.69 kWh/m²/dayD0.69
Horizontal irradiance by month from the report pipeline's insolation tables at the sample point. June and December are labelled; the ratio between them sizes an off-grid battery bank.

Provincial flood studies near the sample point: Paddle River. See how to read Alberta flood hazard maps.

Growing zones near County of Barrhead: Barrhead (zone 3a) · Westlock (zone 3b) · Morinville (zone 3b) · Stony Plain (zone 4a) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: Lac Ste. Anne County (29 km) · Westlock County (36 km) · Sturgeon County (61 km) · Parkland County (69 km) · Compare County of Barrhead with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 59, Range 3, W5 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (188 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in County of Barrhead?

Nearby records point to roughly 31 m as a planning figure. Your parcel can differ a lot, so a pump test matters more than the county average.

How long is the growing season in County of Barrhead?

Plan around about 115 frost-free days, then check your own field for frost pockets and shorter windows.

Do I need approval to drain a wet field in County of Barrhead?

Often, when a wetland or watercourse is involved. Confirm with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas before you dig.

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