East Central Saskatchewan falls behind in seeding

“Rainfall was fairly variable but some areas received some significant amounts. The Calder region actually got up to 164 millimeters and the Canora region around 72 mils,” Marcino said. “This increased the topsoil moisture levels obviously in those regions and some of them were sitting close to saturation levels before this rain. Producers are just really hoping for some sunshine and maybe a little bit of wind to dry things up and get back into the field.”

Rain and wind are creating challenges not only for producers trying to finish seeding, but also for those looking to spray their crops.

“Producers in the area, even some that are trying to wrap up seeding, are also focused on in-crop spraying because some of their crops are already at that stage. The challenge with the rain, number one, is trying to get your equipment onto the field if it is that muddy. We’ve also had a lot of windy conditions as well, which has made getting onto the field extremely challenging,” she said.

Marcino said warmer weather should help sprayers get back into the field.

“The forecast looks good. Hopefully, the rain holds off here for the next little bit and guys can get back to all of their fieldwork.”

The Calder, Canora, Pelly, Preeceville, Sheho and Yorkton areas are furthest behind in the east-central region, with just 68 per cent seeded.

Provincewide, seeding of lentils, field peas, durum and spring wheat is almost complete, while other cereal crops and pulses are in the 85 to 91 per cent range. Canola is 93 per cent seeded and perennial forages are 62 per cent finished.

Marcino said topsoil moisture remains very adequate for crop, hay and pasture lands, with increased surplus moisture in some regions due to rainfall. The report stated 13 per cent of cropland topsoil moisture is surplus, along with 10 per cent of hayland and eight per cent of pastureland.

While those numbers are encouraging, Marcino noted there are still pockets with dry conditions.

“I think one of the key things here too is that it’s so variable across the province. Looking at crop topsoil moisture, 9 per cent are still in short or have a short supply of moisture and one per cent very short,” she said. “There are still pockets of the province that are wanting rain. While some of us obviously have surplus rain, the province is just so diverse and it’s so hard to compare what’s happening in East Central Saskatchewan to Southwest Saskatchewan because they’re usually asking for different things.”

Crop damage reported this week included wind, flooding and hail, with minor damage from flea beetles and cutworms. Damage from gophers was also reported in every region except the northeast.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

by Alice McFarlane

East Central Saskatchewan falls behind in seeding

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