A lot of land went unseeded this spring due to excess moisture—then there was land that was seeded but the crop was flooded.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly crop report made some estimates based on information from a network of provincial volunteer crop reporters.

Provincially, three per cent of normally-seeded acreage went unseeded this spring due to excess moisture. Breaking down the numbers on a regional basis, east-central lost 8 per cent of intended area due to excess moisture, the northeast was next at four per cent, with the northwest and southeast at three percent, while the the southwest and west central regions lost only one per cent.

Crop reporters were also asked to estimate the percentage of seeded crops that are unlikely to produce any yields due to excess moisture. Again, the east-central had the most at six per cent, followed by the southeast at four cent and the northwest and northeast at two per cent each.

The excess rain has also impacted some livestock producers—provincially an estimated two per cent of pastureland is not accessible or is unusable. The largest portion is in the east-central region at seven per cent.

There are very few topsoil moisture issues when it comes to dryness. Topsoil moisture is only three per cent short provincially on cropland, seven per cent on hayland and 10 per cent on pastures. Most of that is in pockets in the southwest and south-central regions.

Cool and cloudy conditions slowed crop development last week with 34 per cent of spring cereals and 45 per cent of oilseeds behind normal development.

Flea beetles continue to persist with moderate levels of damage. Minor damage from cutworms has also been observed. In the coming weeks, producers are hoping for favourable weather conditions to support crop growth and allow for the completion of spraying.

This is a link to the region-by-region report. The following charts and maps are courtesy of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.