Recent moisture has Saskatchewan farmers feeling slightly more optimistic

Regina farmer Katelyn Duncan said her canola fields look a bit different than usual this time of the year.

“This whole field would be bright yellow, whereas right now this field is about 30 percent flower,” Duncan said.

Like many farmers in the province, Duncan is still trying to recover from a record-breaking dry spring season.

“After a record dry in June, many places in southern Saskatchewan the rain finally came. We did see above average rainfall in some areas, particularly in the southeast and towards the northwest,” said Terri Lang, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist.

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Despite the recent downpour, some farmers say the rain came too little too late for certain crops.

“Lentils and durum on the other hand, the rain came a little too late for it to have too much of a positive effect, but every little bit does help,” Duncan said.

According to the latest Saskatchewan crop report, the recent moisture helped but most crops are still in poor to good condition. The majority of the crops in the province are behind on their normal development stage. This now leaves farmers concerned about an early frost.

Duncan’s canola fields are about 10 days behind regular schedule.

“We never know when in the year we’ll get frost. But if it is earlier than normal and the crop isn’t developed, you can get frost damage in your fields,” Duncan said.

“We don’t have much indication for the fall forecast. Generally we are expecting above average temperatures for the fall. However, our skill at being able to forecast an early frost is not there, so we wouldn’t be able to forecast that early,” Lang said.