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Location of MD of Provost in Alberta
MD of Provost within Alberta

Farming in MD of Provost, Alberta: Water, Wells and Frost-Free Days

If you run a working farm in MD of Provost, 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.

Cow-calf ranching and dryland grain on large land bases, with oil lease income common. Water hauling and regional pipelines serve many farmsteads.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 66 m deep in MD of Provost, with static water levels often in the 6–20 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Belly River Group sandstone and Bearpaw Formation bedrock. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (NW 35-38-3-W4; 117 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Provost is dry, open ranch and grain country on the Saskatchewan border with a long oilfield history. Belly River sandstone supplies most wells; where Bearpaw shale dominates, water is deep, slow, and often saline.

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

MD of Provost 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.

Zone 3a with about 110 frost-free days and low precipitation. Yields swing with rainfall far more than with frost.

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 MD of Provost.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in MD of Provost is best described as low. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include Battle River valley, Shorncliffe Lake lowlands, Provost area coulees.

Wetlands are sparse and often ephemeral, but regulated when mapped. Battle River benches carry flood and slope limits.

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 MD of Provost

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 38, Range 3, 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 depth42.6 m117 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells18.0–62.3 mshallowest 3.7 m · deepest 105.0 m
Median static level9.9 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean4 °Clow -32.9 °C · high 34.2 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost182in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 20 – Sep 15regional table for zone 3a
Growing degree days1785base 5 °C
Precipitation407.5 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1341 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1719.2 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamDark Brown Chernozemics
Farmland value context$5,961/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in MD of Provost: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m30 m60 m90 m120 m0.0 km1.0 km2.0 km3.0 km4.0 kmmedian 42.6 m0.9 km away: completed 13.2 m, static level 1.2 m1.4 km away: completed 14.1 m, static level 6.1 m1.6 km away: completed 61.0 m1.6 km away: completed 22.7 m, static level 10.7 m1.8 km away: completed 12.6 m, static level 4.6 m2.2 km away: completed 73.2 m, static level 20.7 m2.2 km away: completed 87.9 m, static level 19.8 m2.2 km away: completed 90.0 m, static level 18.3 m2.2 km away: completed 85.3 m2.3 km away: completed 59.4 m, static level 6.1 m2.5 km away: completed 70.1 m2.5 km away: completed 30.5 m2.5 km away: completed 9.3 m, static level 2.7 m2.5 km away: completed 61.0 m, static level 7.3 m2.5 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m2.6 km away: completed 20.7 m2.7 km away: completed 36.6 m2.7 km away: completed 12.9 m, static level 0.9 m2.7 km away: completed 20.4 m2.7 km away: completed 7.9 m2.7 km away: completed 9.1 m2.7 km away: completed 42.5 m, static level 30.5 m2.7 km away: completed 39.4 m, static level 27.4 m2.7 km away: completed 105.0 m, static level 18.3 m2.8 km away: completed 45.7 m2.8 km away: completed 45.7 m2.8 km away: completed 61.0 m3.1 km away: completed 18.1 m, static level 6.1 m3.2 km away: completed 3.7 m3.4 km away: completed 92.5 m, static level 16.8 m3.4 km away: completed 71.6 m3.4 km away: completed 17.5 m, static level 5.5 m3.4 km away: completed 67.4 m, static level 59.4 m3.4 km away: completed 31.2 m, static level 19.2 m3.4 km away: completed 17.1 m, static level 9.1 m3.5 km away: completed 55.2 m3.5 km away: completed 61.3 m, static level 53.3 m3.5 km away: completed 42.7 m3.5 km away: completed 53.3 m3.5 km away: completed 65.5 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, MD of Provost-20300 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -6 °C, average low -15.1 °CJan: average high -6 °C, average low -15.1 °CFeb: average high -1.2 °C, average low -10.7 °CFeb: average high -1.2 °C, average low -10.7 °CMar: average high -0.2 °C, average low -10.1 °CMar: average high -0.2 °C, average low -10.1 °CApr: average high 6.6 °C, average low -3.7 °CApr: average high 6.6 °C, average low -3.7 °CMay: average high 19.1 °C, average low 6.6 °CMay: average high 19.1 °C, average low 6.6 °CJun: average high 19.4 °C, average low 10.5 °CJun: average high 19.4 °C, average low 10.5 °CJul: average high 26.2 °C, average low 14 °CJul: average high 26.2 °C, average low 14 °CAug: average high 23.8 °C, average low 12 °CAug: average high 23.8 °C, average low 12 °CSep: average high 19.4 °C, average low 8.3 °CSep: average high 19.4 °C, average low 8.3 °COct: average high 12 °C, average low 1.4 °COct: average high 12 °C, average low 1.4 °CNov: average high 1.4 °C, average low -6.6 °CNov: average high 1.4 °C, average low -6.6 °CDec: average high -9 °C, average low -19.7 °CDec: average high -9 °C, average low -19.7 °C26.2 °C-19.7 °CAverage daily highAverage daily low
Open-Meteo daily archive (ERA5 reanalysis), 2025-10-08 to 2026-10-08: 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, MD of Provost (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 1.06 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 2.04 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.48 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.85 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.8 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.21 kWh/m²/dayJ6.21Jul: 6.25 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.17 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.55 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.19 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.15 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.79 kWh/m²/dayD0.79
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.

Growing zones near MD of Provost: Wainwright (zone 3a) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: MD of Wainwright (65 km) · County of Paintearth (82 km) · Flagstaff County (99 km) · Special Areas (2, 3 and 4) (99 km) · Compare MD of Provost with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 38, Range 3, W4 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (117 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in MD of Provost?

Nearby records point to roughly 66 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 MD of Provost?

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 MD of Provost?

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

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