‘Rain has come too late’: Report says some crops won’t recover in Sask.

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture says some crops in the province have been irreparably damaged by drought for a second straight year.

“Many crops are behind their normal stages of development for this time of year and warm temperatures would be appreciated to help them advance and for wet fields to dry up,” the ministry’s weekly crop report said Thursday.

“The rain has come too late in the southwest and west-central regions and crops that were already prematurely advancing will likely not be able to recover.”

The ministry said crops in most areas of Saskatchewan are progressing due to recent warm weather, while rainfall in some regions has helped producers who were dealing with dry conditions.

The rain has helped topsoil moisture conditions improve in the province.

Cropland topsoil moisture is considered nine per cent surplus, 71 per cent adequate, 18 per cent short and two per cent very short, while hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as eight per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 22 per cent short and four per cent very short.

The weather has slowed haying operations in the province, with only eight per cent of the hay crop cut and three per cent baled or put into silage. The ministry said the recent rain will improve hay crops, but estimated yields are lower than average.

Pasture conditions are rated as 17 per cent excellent, 48 per cent good, 20 per cent fair, 13 per cent poor and two per cent very poor.

Localized flooding, strong winds, dry soil conditions and diseases have damaged crops around the province, as have grasshoppers and gophers.