Watch above: Although Saskatchewan producers are ahead of the game for this time of year when it comes to seeding, crops are in need of moisture. As Wendy Winiewski reports, the majority of emerged crop is at or behind its normal developmental stage.
SASKATOON – Thursday morning’s rain was just enough to wet the ground. It’s become a rarity this spring and conditions are dry. Plenty of sunshine has lifted the spirits of agriculture producers.
After five consecutive years of surplus moisture, Joe Sikora feels the dry spring is a nice change. It’s allowing him to recapture land that, since 2010, has grown cattails rather than crops.
Sikora will finish seeding this weekend. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, completing the task will bring him in line with 87 per cent of Saskatchewan producers who are already finished. The five-year average for this time of year is 61 per cent complete.
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Although producers are ahead of the game this spring, crops are not. The majority of emerged crop is at or behind its normal developmental stage because of a lack of moisture. According to the ministry’s May 19-25 crop report, 30 per cent of agriculture topsoil is considered dry and 8 per cent very dry.
“So far at the Saskatoon airport we’ve only reported 0.4 mm of precipitation which is extremely dry,” said Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Environment Canada calls 2015 an El Niño and says Saskatchewan can expect less moisture and more heat than normal this summer.
Walking through his recently seeded field, Sikora stoops to check the soil.
“You have to dig down several inches to get moisture and there is good moisture there but one hesitates to seed that deep,” he explains.
If the seed is too far buried, it won’t receive the sun it needs to sprout. If it’s too shallow, it won’t reach the deep ground moisture – the solution, is rain.
“We need about a half-inch rain to get everything germinating” said Sikora.
Farming for the better part of half a century, he’s survived many droughts, and many flood years.
“It’s a tough way to earn a crust of bread,” he chuckles. But, it’s the only way for Sikora and, confident the rain will come, he said he’s not panicking yet.
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