Late spring equals late start for producers in S.E. Alberta and S.W. Saskatchewan

Hot weather and dry winds this week helped ag producers get seeding underway, but there’s a long way to go to make up for the slow start, according to the latest Alberta crop report.

Planting acres of spring wheat, barley, canola and dry peas were about one-quarter complete in southern Alberta at May 8, the latest Alberta Agriculture ministry bulletin states.

That’s up from almost nil one week earlier, but still only half the five-year average progress at this time of year.

Oat seeding sat at 18 per cent complete in the Medicine Hat Strathmore, Lethbridge and Foremost regions.

Across the rest of the province, seeding is still mainly stalled, however, and the provincial average for all crops is just 7.7 per cent complete.

Across the south surface moisture is considered 70 per cent good to excellent, with eight per cent excessive after flooding in late April. Subsurface ratings are two-thirds good and one third poor to fair.

Late-week moisture should help pasture and hay land green.

In Southwest Saskatchewan, seeding progress of 18 per cent on average across the region is only about half the speed of last year’s planting, though northern parts of the region are further advanced.

On May 7, the Saskatchewan ag ministry reported some producers were either just getting a start or had been at it for weeks.

Strong winds, however, had dried fields with crop and hay land soil rated in the 65 per cent range for adequate.

As expected with the late return of warmer weather, some ranchers reported the need to supplement feed while awaiting pastures to green.