Rain moved through Saskatchewan this past week, although any improvement in provincial soil moisture conditions was incremental at best.
The weekly crop report Thursday pegged cropland soil moisture at 4% surplus, 69% adequate, 24% short and 4% very short as of Monday – just marginally better than the previous week’s rating of 2% surplus, 66% adequate, 28% short and 4% very short. Still, producers were excited to see the rain, which ranged from a half mm in Consul to 65 mm in the Ituna area, the report said.
Dryness is the worst in the province’s Southwest region, where cropland soil moisture was rated nearly half (47%) short to very short as of Monday, even after some rain this past week. According to the report, 31% of seeded acres in the Southwest are experiencing some level of stress due to the lack of rain.
Most Saskatchewan crops are still in the normal stages of development for this time of year, although the drier conditions in the western part of the province are negatively impacting development there.
On the livestock side, the report said 52% of producers in the province are anticipating water shortages to occur this summer, while 46% are already facing moderate water shortages. “Many are concerned with water quality for their livestock,” it added.
Southeast:
With seeding complete in the southeast, producers are now evaluating their planted crops. Two per cent of acres in the southeast have gone unseeded due to excess moisture early the season. There is some localized flooding in the region and currently two per cent of seeded crops are flooded. Even with the localized flooding, 31 per cent of seeded acres, 32 per cent of forages and 29 per cent of pasture acres are experiencing dry conditions causing environmental stress on the plants.
Crops are at normal stages of development for this time of year. Fall cereals are the most advanced in development, with 23 per cent of crop ahead of normal for the year. Oilseeds are the furthest behind in the region, with 32 per cent of the crop behind normal. Rainfall benefited moisture conditions this week. Topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent surplus, 71 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and two per cent very short. Notable rain events for the week include 26 mm in Alida and 27 mm in Radville.
Southwest:
Rainfall that moved through the region this past week helped with limited soil moisture levels. Many areas in the region are experiencing dry conditions resulting in 31 per cent of seeded acres, 36 per cent of forages and 34 per cent of pastures experiencing environmental stress.
Crops are at normal stages of development for this time of year. Fall cereals are the most advanced, with 15 per cent of the crop ahead of normal for this time of year. Some fall cereals are also the most behind in development, 16 per cent are behind normal.
This past week 33 mm of rain was recorded in the Vanguard region, while others in the Consul region recorded as little as half a mm. Fifty-six per cent of cropland topsoil moisture is adequate, 35 per cent is short and nine per cent is very short.
East-Central:
Recent storms in the east-central region have kept topsoil moisture levels high and there’s standing water in cropland. Five per cent of acres in the region have gone unseeded for the year due to the excess moisture received this spring. Two per cent of seeded acres, one per cent of forage and one per cent of pasture land is experiencing localized flooding. Even with excess moisture, 18 per cent of seeded acres, 26 per cent of forage and 26 per cent of pasture are experiencing environmental stress due to dry conditions.
Crops are at normal stages of development for this time of year. Fall cereals are the most advanced in development, with 18 per cent ahead of normal for this time of year. Spring cereals and oilseeds are the most behind normal stages of development, with 16 per cent of each crop behind normal.
Notable rain events this past week includes 65 mm received in the Ituna area. The area north of Yorkton received only a few mm of rain this week, with two mm recorded in Pelly. Topsoil moisture in the region remains adequate. Ten per cent of acres is rated surplus, 70 per cent adequate, 16 per cent short and four per cent very short.
West-Central
Producers in the west-central region were happy to see rain this past week to help maintain adequate soil moisture levels and alleviate environmental stress due to dry conditions. Thirty-four per cent of seeded, 56 per cent of forage and 53 per cent of pasture acres are experiencing environmental stress due to dry conditions. Alternatively, six per cent of pasture acres are experiencing flooding.
Oilseeds are the most advanced crop in the region, with the dry conditions increasing the rate of development. Oilseed development varies greatly within the region. They are both the most ahead (12 per cent) and behind (21 per cent) in development stages for this time of year. The majority of crops in the region are at normal stages of development for this time of year.
Forty-five mm of rain was received in the Rosetown area. This precipitation helped maintain adequate soil moisture levels. One per cent of cropland has surplus topsoil moisture, 71 per cent has adequate topsoil moisture, 26 per cent is short and two per cent is very short.
Northeast:
Producers in the northeast region were able to seed all acres this year and are experiencing the least amount of environmental stress on crops, forages and pastures in the province. Five per cent of seeded, 10 per cent of forage and 13 per cent of pasture acres are experiencing environmental stress attributed to dry conditions. One per cent of forages are experiencing flooding.
Crops are the most advanced in the northeast compared to the rest of the province. Eighty-eight per cent of fall cereals, 35 per cent of spring cereals, 29 per cent of oilseeds and 27 per cent of pulses are ahead of normal development for this time of year. The majority of spring cereals, oilseeds and pulses are at normal stages of development for this time of year. Oilseeds are the furthest behind in development, with four per cent behind normal development for this time of year.
The Humboldt area received the most rain this week, with 37 mm of rain being recorded. The least amount of rain was recorded in the Star City area. Cropland topsoil moisture levels are at one per cent surplus, 83 per cent adequate and 16 percent short.
Northwest:
With seeding being completed, many producers are now evaluating their crops. Producers in the northwest were able to seed all acres this year and are experiencing some environmental stress due to dry conditions. Twenty-one per cent of seeded, 34 per cent of forage and 37 per cent of pasture acres are experiencing environmental stress due to dry conditions. There is no reported damage due to flooding in the region.
Crops in the region are either at normal stages of development for this time of year or are ahead in development. Fall cereals are the most advanced, with 42 per cent of the crop ahead of normal development. Oilseeds are the most behind in development in the region, with nine per cent behind normal stages of development for this time of year.
The entire region received rain this week, ranging from 63 mm in the Shellbrook area to 15 mm in the Hafford area. Many producers are grateful for the moisture. The rain replenished topsoil moisture levels throughout the region. Four per cent of cropland topsoil has a surplus of moisture, 77 per cent is adequate, 15 per cent is short and four per cent is very short.
