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Standing in front of a massive sprayer, James Thorsteinson admitted the province is behind on seeding this year, but said the provincial government is still anticipating a good growing season.
Thorsteinson, the MLA for Cut Knife-Turtleford and legislative secretary to the minister of agriculture, said the late snowfall and delayed melt, as well as the flooding people many people are dealing with in central and northern areas, pushed back the start of seeding across much of the province.
In last week’s crop report, the Ministry of Agriculture said seeding was only about three per cent complete as of Monday, which was well behind the five-year average of 12 per cent.
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In the northwest, where Thorsteinson is based, he said farmers are starting to get out and begin seeding operation in some areas, but further east there are some flooding issues. He said some farmers are using water cannons to distribute pools of water in an effort to get it to evaporate or absorb into the ground more quickly.
Thorsteinson couldn’t say how many acres of farmland have been affected by the flooding, and said it was still too soon to estimate losses caused by the delayed start.
“It is early yet. There’s still a lot of time. If we get some hot days once the snow is all melted, some of that water is going to evaporate and more acres will be able to get seeded,” he said.
Thorsteinson said if it gets hot and the crops get established, they could develop rapidly in a short period of time.
On the other hand, he said it’s still dry in the southwest, where drought conditions have persisted for a decade. There are other areas of the province that are also dry, but he said the issue is most pronounced in southwestern Saskatchewan.
Even with the late start, Thorsteinson said based on the record crop in the province last year – nearly 42 million metric tonnes, an increase of almost 14 per cent from 2024 – the province is anticipating another good year.
“If you’re a farmer, you’re hopeful,” he said.
Thorsteinson said the water will vanish, but it’ll take some time, and there’s a lot of growing season left.
