Spring seeding is essentially finished in Saskatchewan, and that applies to the southeast corner as well. The latest crop report from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture indicated some producers have a little left to go with greenfeed acres, and there has been some reseeding due to grasshoppers, but other than that, things are done.
When it comes to crop development, things are going fairly well here in the southeast, with 87 percent of fall cereals, 72 percent of spring cereals, 66 percent of oilseeds and 70 percent of pulses at the normal stages of development. This has been due to relatively good moisture levels across the southeast, however, there were some areas where the crop development has been slowed due to too much moisture.
The crop report showed the cropland topsoil moisture for the region was rated as three percent surplus, 83 percent adequate, 13 percent short and two percent very short, while the hay and pasture land topsoil moisture was rated one percent surplus, 73 percent adequate, 26 percent short and one percent very short.
The region saw localized rain over the past week, with some areas getting more than others. Anecdotal reports said there were up to four inches of rain in some areas, which led to localized heavy flooding that caused crop damage and soil erosion. Other areas reported anywhere from two to 35 millimetres of rain during the week.
However, those in the southern half of the region are calling for more rain. The recent showers have missed many parts of the area, and the fields are drying out rapidly.
The crop conditions are reported as fair to excellent. The crop reporters indicated 65 percent of spring wheat, 67 percent of canola and 58 percent of lentils as being in good condition. Producers are now hoping for more moisture before the end of the month to ensure the heat in July won’t cause any impacts on yield potential.
There was some crop damage reported in the past week. The majority of the crop damage was attributed to pests such as flea beetles and grasshoppers, the localized flooding in some areas and hail. Pulse crops have been the ones to suffer the most, with occurrences of root rot thanks to the rainfall.
Now, farmers are spraying when the conditions allow, and getting their seeding equipment all set to be used next spring.