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Resources · Farm operators

Acreage guides for towns in this county: Falher

Location of MD of Smoky River in Alberta
MD of Smoky River within Alberta

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

If you run a working farm in MD of Smoky River, 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.

Grain, canola, and forage on good soil, with the largest concentration of bee yards in Alberta. Pollinator-friendly margins are a working asset here.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 50 m deep in MD of Smoky River, with static water levels often in the 8–25 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Wapiti Formation sandstone and surficial sands. The depth and static-level figures are regional estimates from typical Alberta well records in this belt, not a surveyed water table on your parcel.

Smoky River is Peace Country farmland around Falher, Donnelly, and McLennan, famous for honey. Wapiti sandstone wells are moderate to deep and often sodium-rich; dugouts are common for stock.

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 Smoky River is generally treated as hardiness zone 3b, with a frost-free window on the order of 120 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 100 frost-free days from long daylight. The Smoky valley rim holds cold air.

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 Smoky River.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in MD of Smoky River is best described as moderate. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include Smoky River valley, Little Smoky River, Falher area lowlands.

Moderate pothole density and regulated lakeshore wetlands near McLennan and Kimiwan Lake. The Smoky valley carries slope hazards.

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 Smoky River

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 78, Range 21, 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 depth16.4 m26 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells13.8–20.6 mshallowest 4.9 m · deepest 128.0 m
Median static level6.1 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean2.4 °Clow -37.9 °C · high 32.2 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost182in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 15 – Sep 18regional table for zone 3b
Growing degree days1597base 5 °C
Precipitation430.8 mm/yr30-year normal at the sample point
Fixed south array yield1244 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1595.1 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Soil at the sampleLoamDark Gray Chernozemics, Dark Gray - Gray Luvisols
Farmland value context$2,565/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in MD of Smoky River: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m35 m70 m105 m140 m0.0 km3.8 km7.5 km11.2 km15.0 kmmedian 16.4 m4.5 km away: completed 16.5 m, static level 7.6 m5.0 km away: completed 63.8 m, static level 51.8 m5.1 km away: completed 17.8 m, static level 7.6 m5.6 km away: completed 12.2 m6.2 km away: completed 11.0 m, static level 1.8 m6.6 km away: completed 21.3 m6.6 km away: completed 23.3 m, static level 18.3 m6.8 km away: completed 16.2 m, static level 6.1 m7.4 km away: completed 14.9 m, static level 5.4 m7.6 km away: completed 4.9 m7.7 km away: completed 30.9 m, static level 22.9 m7.7 km away: completed 10.7 m9.3 km away: completed 14.1 m, static level 6.1 m9.7 km away: completed 15.2 m10.3 km away: completed 14.1 m, static level 6.1 m10.5 km away: completed 13.7 m10.6 km away: completed 12.6 m, static level 2.1 m11.0 km away: completed 91.4 m11.0 km away: completed 18.4 m, static level 3.9 m11.4 km away: completed 10.4 m, static level 2.4 m11.7 km away: completed 16.8 m, static level 12.2 m12.6 km away: completed 14.9 m, static level 6.1 m13.5 km away: completed 68.6 m13.8 km away: completed 17.1 m, static level 9.1 m14.3 km away: completed 18.6 m, static level 9.1 m14.4 km away: completed 128.0 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 Smoky River-25250 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -5.1 °C, average low -14 °CJan: average high -5.1 °C, average low -14 °CFeb: average high -5.5 °C, average low -14.6 °CFeb: average high -5.5 °C, average low -14.6 °CMar: average high -5.4 °C, average low -15.7 °CMar: average high -5.4 °C, average low -15.7 °CApr: average high 4.2 °C, average low -4.9 °CApr: average high 4.2 °C, average low -4.9 °CMay: average high 18.3 °C, average low 6.7 °CMay: average high 18.3 °C, average low 6.7 °CJun: average high 19.7 °C, average low 10.9 °CJun: average high 19.7 °C, average low 10.9 °CJul: average high 23.2 °C, average low 12.5 °CJul: average high 23.2 °C, average low 12.5 °CAug: average high 23 °C, average low 11.4 °CAug: average high 23 °C, average low 11.4 °CSep: average high 17.3 °C, average low 6.9 °CSep: average high 17.3 °C, average low 6.9 °COct: average high 10.2 °C, average low 1 °COct: average high 10.2 °C, average low 1 °CNov: average high 0.3 °C, average low -5.9 °CNov: average high 0.3 °C, average low -5.9 °CDec: average high -15.1 °C, average low -24.2 °CDec: average high -15.1 °C, average low -24.2 °C23.2 °C-24.2 °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, MD of Smoky River (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 0.7 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 1.56 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.16 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.7 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.64 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.13 kWh/m²/dayJ6.13Jul: 6.03 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 4.8 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.12 kWh/m²/daySOct: 1.73 kWh/m²/dayONov: 0.82 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.49 kWh/m²/dayD0.49
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 Smoky River: High Prairie (zone 3a) · Peace River (zone 3a) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: Big Lakes County (55 km) · Northern Sunrise County (56 km) · MD of Peace (67 km) · Birch Hills County (69 km) · Compare MD of Smoky River with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 78, Range 21, W5 on 2026-10-08: hardiness zone, solar irradiance (26 well records within 15 km). Kept as regional estimates: well depth (only 26 nearby records at the sample point). Text reviewed 2026-10-09. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in MD of Smoky River?

Nearby records point to roughly 50 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 Smoky River?

Plan around about 120 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 Smoky River?

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

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