Lack of rain in forecast could impact Manitoba farmers

The lack of precipitation in the forecast could have a negative impact on farmers in Manitoba.

With seeding getting underway across the province, soils are dry and rain is needed to help with the development of crops.

READ MORE: No relief in sight for severe drought conditions in Manitoba

“Conditions have been dry throughout the province,” said Anne Kirk with Manitoba Agriculture.

“In the past week, [we] have received very limited amounts of rainfall in all of the agricultural regions”

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Manitoba Agriculture also noted that not as much snow fell in comparison to other years, which could also be a problem for moisture levels in the soil.

“I think that the lack of snow in the winter was near record lows,” Kirk said. “This is fairly low moisture levels for us in Manitoba.”

But not everyone is worrisome of the lack of rain at the moment.

READ MORE: Wildfire risk high in Manitoba with no rain in forecast

Sam Connery is a strawberry farmer at Riverdale Farms in Portage La Prairie.

She says the dry conditions have made perfect conditions for seeding.

“I think farmers are eternal optimists,” Connery said. “We are always hoping for the best from Mother Nature — we learn to deal with what we get.”

At the same time, Connery knows the potential economic impact that could arise if rain doesn’t fall in the near future.

“If we don’t have the rain, it’s going to impact our yields. It could mean a huge loss.”

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Winnipeg received only 84.2 centimetres of snow over the 2017-2018 winter, compared with 131.4 centimetres in 2016-2017 and 123.2 centimetres in 2015-2016.