Farmers get a late start on 2013 seeding
May 21, 2013, 3:04 am
Kristen McEwen
The start of seeding was delayed by the late spring, but farmers in southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba have started getting the 2013 crop in the ground.
The worst predictions of massive flooding this spring didn't come true, and farmers were out seeding on fields across the area for the last couple of weeks.
Chris Davidson of Sharpe's Soil Services Ltd. in Moosomin said that seeding this year has been delayed by a couple of weeks due to the large amount of snowfall and a cold spring.
"A lot of years, we've been seeding by the last week in April," Davidson said Thursday. "And this year we didn't get started until probably the week of the 6th of May, when people were thinking about starting."
Davidson said the farmers he has spoken to are seeding mostly wheat, canola and a bit of flax for rotation purposes.
As to how much progress farmers have made on seeding, it varies from field to field.
"It varies quite a bit," Davidson said. "Some guys are getting close to being two-thirds done and there's lots that are getting started."
"It would take us at least another two weeks of good weather to get it all in the ground."
Two years ago, many farmers in the area never got a crop in the ground because of flooding and excessive moisture, and last year crops and prices were looking good, but yields came in below expectations for many farmers.
However, crop producers are looking forward to this growing season.
"Everybody's pretty optimistic," Davidson said.
Farmers throughout the area say they're happy to be on the land after the late spring.
Moosomin-area producer Ken Turpie said that he began seeding wheat and canola about two weeks later than usual this spring.
"Probably more wheat than canola, more rotation than anything," he said.
Bruce Dunsmore of A.B. Dunsmore and Sons, which farms in the Rocanville area, said seeding is going well compared to previous years, with none of the moisture problems that had been expected.
"(The snow) soaked away. It looked like it was going to be an awfully wet spring and it all just soaked in," he said.
Cattle producer Ron Dietrich, who farms southwest of Moosomin, said forage growth is about two weeks behind due to the cold weather in April. As a result, cattle aren't allowed to graze due to nutrient-poor grass.
"We have to supplement feed the cattle in the yard a little longer and the second thing is when the grass starts growing (in the field) it's a little lush and doesn't have a lot of nutrients," Dietrich said.
Another concern is that some of the sloughs in his fields could become larger with more precipitation.
"In regards to the flooding, in our particular pastures we have several in land lakes have developed and it has to do with significantly above normal rainfall for the last three or fall years," Dietrich said.
"Where those lakes have accumulated there's certainly a problem, they have flooded out significant portions of the pastures."
Dietrich is concerned that these sloughs could be as large as 20 or 30 acres.
Dry and sunny weather during the past week has resulted in good seeding progress in many areas of the province, according to the weekly crop report.
Provincially, eight per cent of crop has been seeded, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report.
Crop reporters indicate that seeding progress is at 29 per cent in the southwest; four per cent in the southeast; three per cent in the northwest; less than one per cent in the northeast; two per cent in the east-central region and three per cent in the west-central region.
Minimal precipitation was reported in most areas this past week, which allowed fields to dry and seeding to progress. The five-year seeding progress average at this time of year is 16 per cent.
Provincially, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 24 per cent surplus, 71 per cent adequate and five per cent short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is 16 per cent surplus, 75 per cent adequate and nine per cent short.
Most areas of the provinceare a week to a couple of weeks behind and producers are hoping for warm weather to dry wet fields.
Davidson said it's important to get the seeds in the ground as soon as possible.
"When it gets later then your yield potential is dropping off. At one point you have to stop seeding because it gets too late and you run the risk of frost in the fall," he said.
