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Seeding is stalled for some farmers in Saskatchewan, as soggy conditions keep equipment out of the fields and the spring planting window narrows.
Bill Prybylski, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said while some areas are still too dry and others have ideal conditions, wet fields remain a major issue for farmers in many parts of the province.
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“Water is a force to be reckoned with,” he said. “There’s really not much you can do, other than wait for the ground to dry up.”
Prybylski said there are a lot of areas in the province, particularly in the north and northeast, where seeding has not yet begun because it is so wet.
“It’s not necessarily too late to be seeding. We typically would seed into early June, but not to be started yet is certainly concerning,” he explained.
“We could be looking at some frost damage. Even if we get a normal frost now, we’re probably looking at some frost damage in the fall, so the later it gets, the more chance there is of lower yields and reduced quality in the crop.”
The latest crop report from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, which covered the week ending on Monday, showed seeding 29 per cent complete across the province. While that figure represents a 13 per cent increase from the previous week, farmers are still well behind the five-year average of 55 per cent and the 10-year average of 52 per cent.
Prybylski said the worst areas are north of Yorkton and up to around the Tisdale, Melfort and Prince Albert areas, with some farmers also dealing with washed-out roads.
“I’ve talked to some producers who said their field is probably close to being dry, but the roads are washed out. They just can’t get to those fields, so that’s a significant problem there,” Prybylski said.
According to the crop report, the highest rainfall totals for the week ending on Monday were recorded in the Dundurn area (83 millimetres), followed by North Battleford (82mm) and Big Arm (68mm).
Prybylski said many farmers are already more than a week behind schedule, which could cause issues as the season progresses.
“There’s a good possibility that there’s going to be many acres that are going to go unseeded, either just because farmers can’t get to them, because they aren’t going to dry out in time, or the producers are just going to run out of time to get the crop in the ground,” said Prybylski.
“I don’t think there are any farmers that have given up on seeding yet, but there’s likely going to be a significant number of acres that are going to go unseeded this year.”
While farmers are staying hopeful, Prybylski said the delayed seeding is adding more stress to the minds of farmers, on top of concerns like increased fertilizer and fuel prices, low commodity prices and weather issues.
Prybylski said spring snowfalls can cause more issues than rainfall, because rain typically dries up and soaks into the soil quickly.
“That snow we had over the weekend, it’s a lot tougher to deal with, because it just sits there,” he said.
“The recovery time for when we can get back into the field is going to be a little longer.”
Meanwhile, in the southwest corner of the province, Prybylski said years of ongoing drought are raising a whole other set of issues for farmers.
“They’re hurting just as much, only from a different side of the scale, and, unfortunately, I didn’t hear what the precipitation has been like in that area of the province over this past weekend, but I’m hoping some of those drier areas got at least some precipitation,” he explained.
Prybylski said his association is hoping the provincial government takes a “serious look at the situation” and considers extending the crop insurance seeding deadline in the areas hardest hit by seeding delays.
While the rain has delayed seeding, the Ministry of Agriculture noted in its crop report that the widespread precipitation is expected to speed along crop development and improve conditions in pastures and hayland.
According to the report, topsoil moisture in cropland was rated as 27 per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, five per cent short and one per cent very short. In hayland, topsoil moisture was rated as 19 per cent surplus, 72 per cent adequate and nine per cent short. In pastures, moisture levels were rated as 14 per cent surplus, 73 per cent adequate, 11 per cent short and two per cent very short.
“Livestock producers are checking fences and beginning to move cattle to pasture,” the ministry noted.
“Pastures are starting to green up, benefiting significantly from the recent precipitation received across the province.”
