Advertisement

Saskatchewan farmers look skyward as drought conditions persist

Click to play video: 'Saskatchewan farmers look skyward as drought conditions persist'
Saskatchewan farmers look skyward as drought conditions persist
WATCH ABOVE: Some much-needed precipitation brought rain relief to parts of Saskatchewan this weekend, but not enough to ease drought conditions. – Jun 17, 2019

Farmer Dick Wellman is patiently watching the skies as he looks for signs of Mother Nature’s most valuable resource.

“We need moisture,” Wellman said. “This is the driest of the dry.”

Wellman has owned a half-acre of land just outside of Regina since the early ’90s.

The organic farmer grows wheat, barley, peas and other crops on his property.

“I’ve had three-tenths of an inch of rain since seeding, so [the crop] needs a drink of water,” Wellman said.
Story continues below advertisement

Wellman is one of many farmers looking skyward as drought conditions take hold of the province.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Saskatoon and Moose Jaw had the driest spring ever recorded for the cities.

Other parts of the province were nearly as dry as Swift Current, North Battleford and Key Lake experienced their third-driest spring, while Regina posted its eighth-driest spring.

However, an optimistic mid-June forecast offered a glimpse of rain relief, but in some areas of the province, it never arrived.

“We were in this dry slot that extended right through southern and central Saskatchewan,” Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan said.

Up to 65 millimeters of rain fell in parts of Saskatchewan from June 14-16 while Regina received only trace amounts.

Quinlan says more than 200 millimeters of rain is needed to help ease drought conditions in southern Saskatchewan.

“Regina has only seen three per-cent of the normal amount of moisture in June which is normally the wettest month of the year,” Quinlan added.

Story continues below advertisement

As the summer season approaches, Wellman remains optimistic with the forecast calling for more precipitation in the coming weeks.

“It will come,” Wellman said. “The rain will come.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices