Seeding is 93 per cent complete, a 13 per cent jump up from last week, but still trailing slightly behind the five- and ten-year average of 97 per cent due to excessive run off in many regions this spring.
Crops extension specialist Samantha Marcino says it’s neck-and-neck for most regions of the province, excluding East-Central.
The west-central area is 98 per cent complete, followed closely by the southwest region at 97 per cent. The southeast region is 96 per cent complete, the northwest 95 per cent and northeast 92 per cent. The east-central region made progress this week but is still behind at 84 per cent complete.
Nearly all of the province’s peas are in the ground, as are most lentils, durum and spring wheat. Here’s a break down from the weekly Provincial Crop Report. The story continues below.
Cereal crops
- 97 per cent for durum;
- 96 per cent for spring wheat;
- 91 per cent for barley;
- 71 per cent for triticale;
- 79 per cent for canary seed; and
- 85 per cent for oats.
Pulse crops
- 99 per cent for field peas;
- 96 per cent for lentils; and
- 87 per cent for chickpeas.
Oilseed crops
- 75 per cent for mustard;
- 93 per cent for canola; and
- 86 per cent for flax.
Rainfall ranged vastly last week depending on where you farm. The Calder area received 164 millimetres, the RM of Fertile Belt was handed 118 mm, and the Langenburg region recorded 116 mm. That rain was accompanied by hail, and strong winds in the south and southeastern regions of the province.
“Crop damage this week was caused by multiple factors including wind, flooding, and hail. There were some minor damages from insects like flea beetles and cutworms, and then gopher damage is also reported across most of the regions of the province.”
Topsoil moisture conditions are still relatively stable with an increase in surplus moisture in some regions due to the dumps of rain.
Cropland topsoil moisture is:
- 13 per cent surplus;
- 77 per cent adequate;
- Nine per cent short; and
- One per cent very short.
Hayland topsoil moisture is:
- 10 per cent surplus;
- 77 per cent adequate;
- 12 per cent short; and
- One per cent very short.
Pasture topsoil moisture is:
- Eight per cent surplus;
- 76 per cent adequate;
- 14 per cent short; and
- Two per cent very short.
As seeding starts to wrap up in many regions producers are focused on spraying, even though conditions haven’t been ideal.
“The moisture has been challenging just to get the equipment onto the field, but the wind we’ve been experiencing has been causing a lot of challenges. The storms that come up out of nowhere and rain can be causing some issues. I just remind producers to be checking their rain-fast on your herbicide. Some of them are short, but some of them do have quite a long rain-fast window where you can’t have rain for so many hours after you’ve applied them.”
Producers are reminded to keep safety top of mind while working. For any crop or livestock questions, producers can call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, toll free at 1-866-457-2377.
