Weather cooperates as farmers make seeding progress

Relatively dry weather allowed Southwest producers to get an additional 16 per cent of the crop into the ground.

The Saskatchewan Agriculture Crop Report for the period of May 2 to 8 notes that Southwest producers now have 18 per cent of the crop in the ground, up from just two per cent during the previous report. However, progress is still behind the five year average of 31 per cent. Fields in the Swift Current area are most advanced with 28 per cent of seeding completed, while Assiniboia region fields have only had eight per cent of seeding done as of May 8.

Small amounts of rainfall impacted fields in the region, with both the Limerick and Rush Lake areas reporting 13 millimetres of rain, Vanguard received 11 mm, the Ponteix area had 11 mm,

Owhile 8 mm fell in the Shaunavon region.

Numerous fields in the region continue to be saturated and will need more dry and warm weather before they will support equipment.

Across the Southwest, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 11 per cent surplus, 88 per cent adequate and one per cent short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as three per cent surplus, 94 per cent adequate and three per cent short.

Province wide, 11 per cent of the crop is seeded, slightly behind the five year average of 16 per cent. Field work is most advanced in the Southeast, where 30 per cent of the crop is in the ground. The rest of the province is slower to get started, with three per cent or lower being seeded.