More moisture needed for Sask. winter crops

The mild winter weather may not be necessarily ideal for crops that were seeded in the fall.

Saskatchewan Agriculture regional crop specialist Shannon Friesen explained how more snow cover would be beneficial.

“We don’t need a whole bunch, just enough to get things a little more insulated, and of course some colder conditions as well,” she said.

Friesen explained how many crops undergo a process called vernalization, where prolonged periods of cold induce a plant’s flowering process.

However, with plenty of time left to have more of a normal winter in Saskatchewan, she said it’s really too early to say how crops will turn out with any certainty.

“As the old saying goes, we’ve never lost a crop in February, so hopefully that continues.”

It’s also a little early to properly assess what soil moisture conditions are like, Friesen added.

“We did have plenty of moisture going into the fall, which was a very good thing. Hopefully a lot of that is still actually frozen in the ground.”

She said moisture conditions are relatively the same throughout the entire province, although parts of northern Saskatchewan may be in a slightly better situation because of either more moisture going into the fall or more snowfall.