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Resources · Farm operators

Acreage guides for towns in this county: Medicine Hat

Location of Cypress County in Alberta
Cypress County within Alberta

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

If you run a working farm in Cypress County, 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.

Dryland wheat and ranching across most of the county, with irrigation near the river and greenhouse operations around Redcliff. Stock water drives ranch layout.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 42 m deep in Cypress County, with static water levels often in the 3–7 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Oldman and Foremost Formation sandstone with Milk River Formation at depth. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (SE 23-12-4-W4; 68 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Cypress County surrounds Medicine Hat and climbs to the Cypress Hills. Prairie wells tap Belly River Group sandstones at moderate depth, and gas-charged water is a known local quirk. The hills have their own perched aquifers and springs.

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

Cypress County is generally treated as hardiness zone 4a, with a frost-free window on the order of 125 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.

Zone 4a on the prairie with about 128 frost-free days, cooler and wetter on the Cypress Hills. Chinooks are weaker here than at Lethbridge.

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 Cypress County.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in Cypress County is best described as low. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include South Saskatchewan River valley, Seven Persons Creek, Ross Creek at Medicine Hat.

Natural wetlands are sparse except in the Cypress Hills, where springs and fens are protected. The South Saskatchewan valley and creeks at Medicine Hat have flood history.

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 Cypress County

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 12, Range 4, W4. 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 depth14.3 m68 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells9.7–19.7 mshallowest 3.7 m · deepest 152.4 m
Median static level4.2 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean7.5 °Clow -27.9 °C · high 36.5 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost141in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 12 – Sep 20regional table for zone 4a
Growing degree days2184base 5 °C
Precipitation323 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1424 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1825 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamBrown Chernozemics
Farmland value context$6,395/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in Cypress County: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m40 m80 m120 m160 m0.0 km1.2 km2.5 km3.8 km5.0 kmmedian 14.3 m1.2 km away: completed 11.0 m1.4 km away: completed 52.4 m, static level 3.4 m2.1 km away: completed 48.2 m, static level 40.2 m2.3 km away: completed 23.3 m, static level 13.7 m2.3 km away: completed 7.7 m, static level 2.1 m2.3 km away: completed 8.0 m, static level 1.8 m2.5 km away: completed 19.6 m, static level 3.7 m2.5 km away: completed 15.6 m, static level 7.6 m2.5 km away: completed 4.3 m2.5 km away: completed 3.7 m2.5 km away: completed 11.1 m, static level 3.1 m2.6 km away: completed 9.1 m2.6 km away: completed 23.3 m, static level 9.1 m2.6 km away: completed 11.1 m, static level 5.2 m2.6 km away: completed 15.7 m, static level 3.7 m2.6 km away: completed 9.9 m, static level 3.1 m2.6 km away: completed 42.7 m2.6 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 12.8 m2.6 km away: completed 13.5 m2.6 km away: completed 18.3 m2.6 km away: completed 7.4 m, static level 2.1 m2.9 km away: completed 14.6 m, static level 6.7 m2.9 km away: completed 15.6 m, static level 7.6 m2.9 km away: completed 8.7 m, static level 2.7 m2.9 km away: completed 12.2 m2.9 km away: completed 8.5 m3.0 km away: completed 36.0 m, static level 4.2 m3.0 km away: completed 14.1 m, static level 6.1 m3.0 km away: completed 10.7 m, static level 2.7 m3.1 km away: completed 16.3 m, static level 4.3 m3.2 km away: completed 14.0 m, static level 6.0 m3.3 km away: completed 14.6 m, static level 3.7 m3.3 km away: completed 6.1 m3.4 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 4.3 m3.4 km away: completed 6.1 m3.4 km away: completed 12.0 m, static level 4.0 m3.4 km away: completed 20.2 m3.6 km away: completed 26.2 m, static level 7.3 m3.8 km away: completed 152.4 m4.1 km away: completed 19.8 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, Cypress County-15300 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high 1.1 °C, average low -9.2 °CJan: average high 1.1 °C, average low -9.2 °CFeb: average high 3.3 °C, average low -7 °CFeb: average high 3.3 °C, average low -7 °CMar: average high 6.5 °C, average low -5 °CMar: average high 6.5 °C, average low -5 °CApr: average high 10.8 °C, average low -0.9 °CApr: average high 10.8 °C, average low -0.9 °CMay: average high 20.2 °C, average low 7.9 °CMay: average high 20.2 °C, average low 7.9 °CJun: average high 19.5 °C, average low 10.1 °CJun: average high 19.5 °C, average low 10.1 °CJul: average high 28.4 °C, average low 15.8 °CJul: average high 28.4 °C, average low 15.8 °CAug: average high 25.6 °C, average low 13.4 °CAug: average high 25.6 °C, average low 13.4 °CSep: average high 21 °C, average low 10 °CSep: average high 21 °C, average low 10 °COct: average high 15 °C, average low 4 °COct: average high 15 °C, average low 4 °CNov: average high 6.6 °C, average low -3.3 °CNov: average high 6.6 °C, average low -3.3 °CDec: average high -0.4 °C, average low -12.5 °CDec: average high -0.4 °C, average low -12.5 °C28.4 °C-12.5 °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, Cypress County (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 1.31 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 2.3 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.66 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.93 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.84 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.37 kWh/m²/dayJ6.37Jul: 6.64 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.62 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.91 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.51 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.38 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 1.02 kWh/m²/dayD1.02
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: Ross Creek. See how to read Alberta flood hazard maps.

Growing zones near Cypress County: Medicine Hat (zone 4b) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: County of Forty Mile (73 km) · County of Newell (120 km) · MD of Taber (120 km) · MD of Acadia (123 km) · Compare Cypress County with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 12, Range 4, W4 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (68 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-09. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in Cypress County?

Nearby records point to roughly 42 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 Cypress County?

Plan around about 125 frost-free days, then check your own field for frost pockets and shorter windows.

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

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

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