No bumper crop: Sask. farmer on dry, hot summer

May and June were dry and sunny for most of Saskatchewan, and while that’s good for those wanting to go out to the beach or on the lake, farmers are in need of some rain.

“Hopefully everyone’s got some crop insurance and is able to weather this season we’re having this year because it’s certainly not going to be a bumper crop,” said Todd Lewis, a farmer near Gray, Sask., on Thursday.

He said it’s probably already too late in some situations for rainfall to help farmers this year. He said the chances of some of the cereal crops recovering will be getting slimmer and slimmer. He mentioned canola is vulnerable as well.

“There’s really nothing you can do except sit and watch the skies,” Lewis said. “My grandpa always said, ‘sometimes the difference between a good farmer or bad farmer some years is a couple of inches of rain.’”

Weekly crop report

The provincial crop report was released and echoes what Lewis said.

Many areas in the province have remained dry, particularly in the south.

However, some areas in the north are actually dealing with the problems that come with wet conditions. Nipawin received the most rain, receiving 78 millimetres last week.

Across the province, topsoil moisture on cropland was rated as five per cent with a surplus, 49 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

Haying is progressing in the province with 19 per cent of the hay crop cut and 10 per cent baled or put into silage. Eight per cent of crop is rated as excellent, 54 per cent as good, 29 per cent as fair and nine per cent as poor.

The province said some crops are behind in development due to a lack of moisture.

Crop damage was attributed to dry conditions, wind, localized flooding and hail.

SaskPower received eight reports of farm equipment coming into contact with power lines this week. That raises the total amount of incidents to 37 in June and 76 in 2017.