Saskatchewan farmers looking for rain with harvest done

Dry weather over the past month and a half allowed farmers in Saskatchewan to complete harvest.

Now, most producers want to see the skies open up.

In the final crop report of 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture said “significant precipitation” is needed in the fall and winter to build up moisture levels in soil and dugouts.

According to the report, topsoil moisture levels in cropland are rated as 22 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and 43 per cent very short as winter approaches. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 16 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and 47 per cent very short.

“Moisture conditions are a concern for some producers, especially those who have struggled through the season with infrequent and minimal rainfalls,” the report said. “Even the regions that started the year with a surplus of moisture are now becoming very dry and producers are hoping for rain soon.”

The ministry said hay yields were good in much of the province this year, particularly in the northern and eastern regions. The report said farmers in those areas will have surplus or adequate inventories of hay, straw, green feed and feed grain for their livestock in the winter.

However, other producers are facing tough decisions after dealing with drought-like conditions.

“Producers in the southwest and west-central report they did not have the ability to replenish their feed stocks completely and are sourcing their feed from other parts of the province, with some purchasing hay from Alberta or Manitoba,” the report said.

“For some producers, their feed inventory is too depleted and feed too costly to purchase, leading them to reduce their herd size to fit the feed they have available.”

Many producers were forced to haul water as dugouts, sloughs and other water bodies dried up. As well, some ranchers had to move cattle off pastures that had unsafe water.

“More rain and an above-average snowfall this winter is needed to ensure that water quantity and quality is not an issue next year,” the report said.

The report said crop yields in the southwest and west-central regions were below average, while those in the eastern and northern regions were reported as being higher than average.

Average yields were estimated as 44 bushels per acre for hard red spring wheat, 31 bushels per acre for durum, 93 bushels per acre for oats, 64 bushels per acre for barley, 36 bushels per acre for canola, 34 bushels per acre for peas and 1,165 pounds per acre for lentils.

The quality ratings for all crops were mainly in the top two grade categories.

The relative lack of rain in the latter half of August and through September meant a lot of land in the province was too dry for proper germination of winter cereals. As a result, a lot of producers decided against seeding winter wheat and fall rye.

The report said seeded acres of winter wheat in the province dropped by an estimated 23 per cent, while fall rye acres fell by 17 per cent. Farmers who did plant winter cereals have told the ministry the crop didn’t germinate well or at all.