This week’s rain is improving topsoil moisture conditions over western Saskatchewan and will help struggling crops and pastures.
Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly crop report says as of Tuesday morning, 65 per cent of cropland in the province had adequate topsoil moisture. Seven per cent had surplus moisture, 19 per cent were short and nine per cent very short. On hay and pasture land, six per cent had surplus moisture, 61 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and nine per cent very short.
For some hay fields in drier areas, the rain may have come too late and hay may not be ready for the first cut at the end of the month. Hay and pasture land in wetter eastern areas are in much better condition.
Seeding is now 98 per cent complete with only some low-lying land in southeast and east-central that may be too wet to plant a crop. Crop development is normal for 60 per cent of pulses, 50 per cent of cereals and 41 per cent of pulse crops.
The wind and rain delayed spraying for weeds, flea beetles and grasshoppers. It is hoped that the wetter conditions may reduce the grasshopper population that flourished during last year’s drought.
You can view the region-by-region crop report below:
SOUTHEAST
Spring seeding across the region is nearly complete, some producers may go back and seed some low spots if they are able to access them before the seeding window closes. Rains were welcome the past week and for most of the region the crops, hayland and pastures are in good condition.
Good, consistent rainfall over the past several weeks has allowed the region to see an improvement in on-farm water supplies when compared to last year at this time. The Bienfait and Moosomin areas received 41 mm, the Tantallon area 33 mm and the Marquis area 18 mm. In some areas, hail accompanied the rain. Tuxford, Marquis and Grand Coulee received enough pea sized hail to blanket the ground. No major flooding was reported and the water was reported to have absorbed into the soil nicely where rains were more general.
Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as eight per cent surplus, 85 per cent adequate, six per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as three per cent surplus, 88 per cent adequate, eight per cent short and one per cent very short.
In the southeast region, 55 per cent of the fall cereals, 38 per cent of the spring cereals, 35 per cent of the oilseed crops and 48 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year. Due to a very wet spring, crops have been slow to develop in the region, however, with warm weather in the forecast they will catch up quickly.
Crop conditions range from good to fair in the region, with 70 per cent of the spring wheat, 70 per of the canola and 74 per cent of the lentils being in good condition at this time. Crop germination has been poor in low areas and producers hope that seedlings will emerge soon.
The majority of crop damage this week was due to minor flooding, insect pests (flea beetle and grasshoppers), frost and hail. Producers are busy spraying when they can and beginning to clean and store their seeding equipment until next year.
SOUTHWEST
Southwest producers have completed nearly all of their seeding operations. Some producers received rain this past week, but conditions remain extremely dry and producers are noting more severe effects on their hay fields, pastures and crops.
Scattered rain showers dotted their way across the region over the past week, bringing much needed rain. The Shaunavon area received 20 mm, the Leader area 17 mm, the Consul and Gull Lake areas 15 mm and the Limerick and Rockglen areas 11 mm. producers hope more rain is in the forecast.
The rain did little to improve topsoil moisture across the region. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 41 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and 24 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 30 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short, and 24 per cent very short. Some pastures in the region are starting to brown off as they begin to dry down, producers are worried about feed availability for their livestock.
Regionally, 91 per cent of the fall cereals, 67 per cent of the spring cereals, 61 per cent of the oilseed crops and 65 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year.
Crop conditions range from good to poor in the region, with 42 per cent of the spring wheat, 57 per cent of the durum, 40 per of the canola and 52 per cent of the lentils currently rated in good condition.
Canola emergence in some fields is patchy from poor germination conditions and heavy flea beetle pressure. The majority of crop damage this week was due to wind, dry conditions, flea beetles and gophers.
WEST CENTRAL
The majority of seeding has been completed in the region with some of the last fields being seeded to green feed this past week. While it was highly localized, rain was finally received across many parts of the region, this was desperately needed to improve growing conditions.
The area north of Rosetown was hit with a rainstorm late in the week which resulted in more than approximately 127 mm of rain over the course of only a few hours. Flooding was severe but producers were still happy to see it rain and will assess the damage once the water soaks in. Other parts of the region that received rain were the Biggar area with 69 mm, the Dinsmore area 65 mm, the Eston area 45 mm and the Marengo and Kindersley areas 30 mm. While these areas got rain, many areas did not and conditions remain extremely dry.
Even with the recent rains that dotted the region, the moisture conditions in the west-central region continue to be less than ideal for plant growth. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 52 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and 19 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 42 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 18 per cent very short.
Regionally, 53 per cent of the fall cereals, 54 per cent of the spring cereals, 47 per cent of the oilseed crops and 60 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year.
Crop conditions range from very poor to good in the region, with 36 per cent of the durum, 39 per cent of the canola and 41 per cent of the lentils in good condition at this time.
Rain in the past week in the region will hopefully improve crop, hay and pasture land growth. Later seeded crops have still not germinated and emerged where soil moisture is extremely lacking. Many livestock producers are worried about how much of a hay crop they will have.
The majority of crop damage this week was due to flooding, hail, wind and insect pests (flea beetle, grasshoppers and cutworms.) One of the hailstorms resulted in 101 mm of pea sized hail that covered an area roughly two miles wide by two and a half miles long, reseeding may be required in this area.
EAST CENTRAL
Good seeding progress was made this past week throughout the region. Most producers have completed their operations while others are still trying to get into low areas if they have dried up enough. Some producers have decided to change their seeding intentions to shorter season crops or green feed.
The region once again got large amounts of rain this past week, slowing down the last of seeding and hampering any spraying operations. Rainfall also resulted in some major flooding in the Watrous area where 62 mm of rain was received. The Rhein area received 41 mm, the Foam Lake area 35 mm and the Elfros and Wynyard areas 20 mm. Some areas in the region reported hail along with the rain but crop damage has not been assessed yet.
Topsoil moisture continues to rise in the region. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 18 per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, 13 per cent short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 17 per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 14 per cent short and three per cent very short.
Crop development is behind for the region with only 61 per cent of the fall cereals, 33 per cent of the spring cereals, 28 per cent of the oilseed crops and 56 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year. Crop conditions range from fair to good in the region, with 66 per cent of the spring wheat, 56 per of the canola and 60 per cent of the lentils being in good condition at this time.
The majority of crop damage this week was due to minor hail, flooding, flea beetles and gophers. Producers are busy in crop spraying for weeds and insect pests where necessary.
NORTHEAST
Seeding has mostly wrapped up in the region with only a few producers trying to go back into areas that were previously too wet, very few acres will go unseeded in the region due to wet conditions.
There were several rainstorms that crossed the region this week. Now that seeding is completed, producers were glad to see the rain and it will help emerged crops as well as pastures. The Vonda area received 45 mm, the Kinistino area 37 mm, the Bruno area 25 and the Star City area 21. The rain did result in some minor flooding, but damage is not expected to be severe.
Regionally, the moisture conditions improved this week. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as nine per cent surplus, 89 per cent adequate and two per cent short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as six per cent surplus, 91 per cent adequate and three per cent short.
In the northeast region, 47 per cent of the fall cereals, 46 per cent of the spring cereals, 43 per cent of the oilseed crops and 56 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year. Some crops are behind due to being seeded late and poor growth related to excess moisture.
Crop conditions range from fair to good in the region, with 79 per cent of the spring wheat, 62 per of the canola and 83 per cent of the peas being in good condition currently.
The majority of crop damage this week was due to minor flooding and flea beetles. Producers are currently spraying to keep flea beetle damage to a minimum. Producers would like less wind and warmer days to help with spraying operations and to get crops growing more rapidly.
NORTHWEST
Seeding has mostly finished up in the region and producers were very happy to receive some rain this past week. The rain will help improve growing conditions in parts of the region that were struggling with lack of moisture and where crop growth was stunted. More rain is in the forecast for the region and while it will be appreciated, producers would like some warm sunny days to accelerate crop growth.
The Turtleford area received 59 mm, the Glaslyn and St. Walburg areas 40 mm, the Medstead area 36 mm, the Duck Lake area 34 mm and the North Battleford area 28 mm. The rain has helped improve topsoil moisture in the region.
Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 78 per cent adequate, 18 per cent short and two per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as five per cent surplus, 70 per cent adequate, 22 per cent short and three per cent very short.
Regionally, 67 per cent of the spring cereals, 52 per cent of the oilseed crops and 70 per cent of the pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year.
Crop conditions range from fair to good in the region, with 63 per cent of the spring wheat, 67 per of the canola and 69 per cent of the peas being in good condition at this time.
The main sources of crop damage this week were wind, drought and flea beetles. Producers are now getting into the full swing of in crop spraying for weeds and insect pests.
