Sign up for the meadowlakeNOW newsletter

Crops still need more widespread rain

Jul 7, 2016 | 2:00 PM

Rainy conditions are affecting the hay crop in some parts of western Saskatchewan, yet other parts of the northwest are still too dry.

The crop report for the week ending July 4 says hay quality is deteriorating in the west-central region, with eight per cent of the hay rated as poor quality along with four per cent of the pastures.

High humidity and frequent rain are delaying plant dry-down. In the northwest all hay is reported as good or fair. However, the pastures are being stressed by an overall lack of rain, and 12 per cent of pastures are rated at poor or very poor.

West-central producers have cut 20 per cent of the region’s hay, and 18 per cent is baled or in silage. Fifteen per cent of the northwest hay crop is cut, and seven per cent baled or put into silage.

Shannon Friesen, regional crop specialist for the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, said widespread rain is still needed.

“Even though we’ve heard, for example, the North Battleford region has gotten almost 40 mm, certainly they could use some more. So it’s been really patchy rain showers in the past week,” Friesen said.

Farmers in the Debden, Radisson, Speers, and Lloydminster areas reported amounts in the 25 to 30 mm range. Farther south, in the west-central district, Kerrobert reported 45 mm, while Major received 86 mm.

In the northwest, 84 per cent of the cropland and 78 per cent of hay and pasture land have adequate moisture. Only four per cent of west-central crop land is short topsoil moisture, and nine per cent of the hay and pasture land.

Friesen said crop development is still ahead of the normal pace.

“Overall things are in fairly good shape,” she said. “We’ve heard reports that many of the crops are at least a week ahead of where they would typically be for this time of year. So things are growing very, very quickly and of course along with that comes other issues such as diseases and insects as well.”

Friesen said sclerotinia and fusarium head blight are among the issues, and even reports of grasshoppers in some west-central lentil crops.

 

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to Geoff at 306-446-6397.