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Resources · Farm operators

Acreage guides for towns in this county: Edson · Hinton

Location of Yellowhead County in Alberta
Yellowhead County within Alberta

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

If you run a working farm in Yellowhead 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.

Forage, cattle, and bison dominate, with few annual crops west of Edson. Access across Crown land and lease roads often sets the real boundary of a workable farm.

Well depth and water table for farm operators

Nearby well records suggest completed wells around 43 m deep in Yellowhead County, with static water levels often in the 26–37 m range. The predominant aquifer on file is Paskapoo and Brazeau Formation sandstone with alluvial gravels. These figures come from a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in the county (SW 14-53-17-W5; 213 provincial well records within 5 km), not from your parcel.

Yellowhead stretches from farmland near Edson to the Rockies at Hinton, so one county number hides a wide range. River-terrace gravels can give shallow, high-yield wells, while upland bedrock wells run deeper and harder.

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

Yellowhead County 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 around Edson shades to 2b toward Hinton and the mountains. Frost in any month is possible on low ground, so count on a short, uncertain window.

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 Yellowhead County.

Wetlands, sloughs, and flood limits on the field

Wetland density in Yellowhead County is best described as high. Notable mapped or commonly discussed flood-hazard areas include McLeod River, Athabasca River at Hinton, Wolf Creek.

Muskeg and treed fens cover large parts of the county. Draining or crossing them triggers Water Act review, and soft ground governs where corrals and roads can go.

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 Yellowhead County

From a Land Intelligence report run on a representative quarter in Township 53, Range 17, 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 depth45.7 m213 records within 5 km of the sample
Middle half of wells35.8–49.4 mshallowest 9.8 m · deepest 91.4 m
Median static level35.1 mbelow ground, where recorded
Annual mean3.3 °Clow -33.5 °C · high 29.9 °C in the sampled year
Days with frost186in the sampled year
Frost windowMay 20 – Sep 15regional table for zone 3a
Growing degree days1320base 5 °C
Fixed south array yield1233 kWh/kWp/yrlatitude tilt, rough feasibility only
Annual insolation1580.5 kWh/m²global, horizontal
Farmland value context$4,301/acretransfer average, FCC-trend adjusted; not an appraisal
Nearby well records in Yellowhead County: completed depth (down) versus distance from the sample point0 m25 m50 m75 m100 m0.0 km0.8 km1.5 km2.2 km3.0 kmmedian 45.7 m0.3 km away: completed 38.4 m, static level 29.9 m0.6 km away: completed 50.1 m, static level 38.1 m0.6 km away: completed 54.9 m1.0 km away: completed 36.6 m1.0 km away: completed 41.1 m1.0 km away: completed 91.4 m1.0 km away: completed 45.7 m1.0 km away: completed 45.7 m1.0 km away: completed 41.9 m, static level 29.9 m1.1 km away: completed 47.9 m, static level 39.9 m1.1 km away: completed 38.8 m, static level 26.8 m1.4 km away: completed 48.9 m, static level 38.1 m1.6 km away: completed 63.5 m, static level 38.1 m1.6 km away: completed 88.8 m, static level 35.3 m1.7 km away: completed 58.3 m, static level 36.2 m1.7 km away: completed 32.7 m, static level 20.7 m1.7 km away: completed 47.1 m, static level 35.1 m1.7 km away: completed 48.0 m, static level 36.0 m1.8 km away: completed 47.1 m, static level 35.1 m1.8 km away: completed 26.1 m, static level 15.9 m1.8 km away: completed 33.3 m, static level 21.3 m1.8 km away: completed 48.3 m, static level 36.3 m1.8 km away: completed 65.9 m, static level 57.9 m2.0 km away: completed 29.3 m2.0 km away: completed 25.1 m, static level 13.1 m2.1 km away: completed 9.8 m2.2 km away: completed 40.4 m, static level 28.4 m2.3 km away: completed 16.3 m, static level 20.4 m2.3 km away: completed 30.5 m2.3 km away: completed 16.5 m, static level 8.5 m2.3 km away: completed 36.6 m2.3 km away: completed 44.9 m, static level 36.9 m2.3 km away: completed 49.4 m, static level 41.2 m2.3 km away: completed 49.4 m, static level 41.2 m2.4 km away: completed 50.1 m, static level 32.9 m2.4 km away: completed 47.7 m, static level 26.4 m2.4 km away: completed 20.8 m, static level 12.8 m2.4 km away: completed 38.4 m, static level 29.3 m2.5 km away: completed 51.9 m, static level 36.6 m2.5 km away: completed 49.2 m, static level 37.2 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, Yellowhead County-20250 °CJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan: average high -0.8 °C, average low -11.6 °CJan: average high -0.8 °C, average low -11.6 °CFeb: average high -0.9 °C, average low -11.8 °CFeb: average high -0.9 °C, average low -11.8 °CMar: average high 1.1 °C, average low -11.2 °CMar: average high 1.1 °C, average low -11.2 °CApr: average high 8.1 °C, average low -3.7 °CApr: average high 8.1 °C, average low -3.7 °CMay: average high 17.9 °C, average low 4.8 °CMay: average high 17.9 °C, average low 4.8 °CJun: average high 17.6 °C, average low 7.8 °CJun: average high 17.6 °C, average low 7.8 °CJul: average high 23.1 °C, average low 10.6 °CJul: average high 23.1 °C, average low 10.6 °CAug: average high 22.2 °C, average low 8.9 °CAug: average high 22.2 °C, average low 8.9 °CSep: average high 17.1 °C, average low 5.1 °CSep: average high 17.1 °C, average low 5.1 °COct: average high 11 °C, average low -0.4 °COct: average high 11 °C, average low -0.4 °CNov: average high 2.3 °C, average low -6.9 °CNov: average high 2.3 °C, average low -6.9 °CDec: average high -9 °C, average low -18.5 °CDec: average high -9 °C, average low -18.5 °C23.1 °C-18.5 °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, Yellowhead County (kWh/m²/day)Jan: 0.89 kWh/m²/dayJFeb: 1.81 kWh/m²/dayFMar: 3.3 kWh/m²/dayMApr: 4.76 kWh/m²/dayAMay: 5.6 kWh/m²/dayMJun: 6.0 kWh/m²/dayJ6.0Jul: 5.99 kWh/m²/dayJAug: 5.01 kWh/m²/dayASep: 3.29 kWh/m²/daySOct: 2.04 kWh/m²/dayONov: 1.01 kWh/m²/dayNDec: 0.67 kWh/m²/dayD0.67
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 Yellowhead County: Edson (zone 3a) · Hinton (zone 3a) · Whitecourt (zone 3b) · Alberta growing zones map

Neighbouring counties: Woodlands County (79 km) · Brazeau County (103 km) · Lac Ste. Anne County (129 km) · County of Barrhead (148 km) · Compare Yellowhead County with another county

Sampled from the live report pipeline at a representative quarter in Township 53, Range 17, W5 on 2026-10-08: well depth, hardiness zone, solar irradiance (213 well records within 5 km). Text reviewed 2026-10-08. Methodology.

Common questions

How deep are farm wells in Yellowhead County?

Nearby records point to roughly 43 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 Yellowhead County?

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 Yellowhead County?

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

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