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Rain helps seeding, moisture conditions but more needed

May 26, 2016 | 12:48 PM

It was another week of warm dry weather. But this time it was capped off with a rainy weekend in some areas, which is helping farmers.

Spring seeding progress jumped considerably in the week ending May 23. Farmers in the northwest have reached 84 per cent, while seeding for west-central region producers is 83 per cent completed. Northeast and east-central areas are farther behind, at 75 and 68 per cent respectively. The province as a whole is 81 per cent complete, well ahead of the five-year average of 59 per cent.

“Seeding progress has actually gone very quickly this year,” Shannon Friesen, acting cropping management specialist, said. “Many producers have wrapped up, many will need at least another week or so and of course, many are now turning to in-crop herbicide application.”

Conditions in many areas had been quite dry, but some areas got some needed help over the long weekend in western Saskatchewan. Amounts for the week ranged from 64 millimetres in the Marengo area west of Kindersley, to 46 mm in the Luseland area, 48 mm at Mervin, 38 mm at Rabbit Lake and 31 mm near the Battlefords. Loon Lake received 22 mm, but Meadow Lake only had 5 mm. The Biggar area saw 12 mm. Areas closer to Prince Albert were missed.

The rainfall brought cropland topsoil moisture in the northwest district to 77 per cent adequate or surplus, but only 61 per cent for hay and pasture land. Germination of emerging crops is described as “spotty,” with damage from dry and windy weather.

“Strong winds have damaged some of those emerged crops. We’ve also had issues with lack of moisture causing damage, and we’re also hearing many reports of flea beetles and cut worm pressure as well,” Friesen said.

Only a tiny fraction of crops are behind schedule.

In the west-central region, 87 per cent of cropland topsoil had adequate or surplus moisture, and 76 per cent for hay and pasture land.

The northeast took a huge jump in seeding progress with some fields still wet from previous rain. Very little of the land in the region is short of moisture.

“Moisture, I think we’ll take it at any time of the year,” Friesen said.

 

gsmith@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @smithco