Seeding in the west nearly wrapped, east behind: Sask. crop report

Agriculture producers in western Saskatchewan have nearly wrapped up with seeding while other producers in the east remain behind due to rain delays and extremely wet fields.

A provincial release stated 76 per cent of crops in the province have been seeded which is up 52 per cent from last week but still behind the five-year average of 93 per cent.

Many low lying areas will go unseeded this year in the southeast and east central regions due to standing water, producers have reported.

Crop conditions for the week of May 24 to May 30 ranged from good to fair across Saskatchewan.

The release also stated most crop damage from May 24 to 30 was the result of flooding, drought, flea beetles and gophers.

For producers who have finished seeding, they are now busy spraying in-crop herbicides, evaluating germination and emergence, looking for early season pests and moving cattle to pasture.

Glenn Wright finished his seeding last week in Carlyle, Sask. but said he knows some farmers are in another boat.

“I know of one farmer that had six inches of rain in less than 10 days. That really makes it tough to get a crop in,” Wright said.

Wright added on the other hand there’s not enough moisture in the west central regions of the province.

“I think we’ve got enough to get things germinated under the ground, but they’re going to be stressed for moisture soon so we could use the rain where we are,” Wright said.