For the first bit of summer, it seemed like southeast Saskatchewan was getting more rain than sunshine. Systems passed through regularly, bringing much-needed rain to the region. However, Weyburn has now entered a bit of a dry spell, with just three days of measurable precipitation in the past two weeks, compared to nine days in the previous two-week stretch.
While many producers were welcoming the rain, they were also hoping for some sunshine to help with crop development. The heat, however, was not something most grain farmers were looking forward to, especially when heat warnings were issued last week.
“The only producers that would like the heat will be the lentil growers because they’ve been very busy applying fungicides to their crops,” explained Dale Paslawski. He farms north of Weyburn. “Some of them have put on three and four applications of a fungicide already just trying to beat the moisture out. The heat’s great for lentils, but for any of the other crops, like peas and canola that are flowering, it does some damage and heat blasting.”
The rains that did fall in the past month haven’t been even across the region, however. In some areas, there has even been a notable difference within the same farm.
“I know there’s a few pockets southwest of Weyburn,” Paslawski added. “I’ve got some friends down there that have actually missed some of the rain, sot the heat’s doing some damage to their crops, so it’s going to take a little bit of yield off.”
Paslawski does note; however, it is all part of Saskatchewan in the summertime.
“We’re going to get heat, and I really don’t want to see the 37-to-40-degree temperatures because then that really does put some stress on, and then of course, builds up some thunderstorm,” Paslawski related. “We’ve always got something to worry about.”
The humidity in the air, however, can be a help for producers, even if the heat is unbearable.
“I think the humidity kind of helps our crops a little bit,” Paslawski explained. “It gives them some moisture they can pull out of the air and it gives a little reprieve.”
The forecast is calling for temperatures to stay around seasonal values for a few days, however, the mercury could get back up into the 30s by the weekend. You can stay up to date with the latest forecast on the Discover Weyburn Weather page.