Sask. crops thrive despite hail, rain
REGINA — Fully 66 per cent of fall cereals and 60 per cent of oilseed crops are considered to be at a normal stage of development at this time of the year, the provincial agriculture ministry said in its weekly crop report on Thursday.
Among pulse crops, 72 per cent are considered to be at a normal stage of development for this time of the year.
The report added that flooding, hail and wind have caused “significant damage” in some areas. “Insects and diseases also contributed to crop damage,” it added.
Meanwhile, it estimated 29 per cent of the 2013 hay crop has been cut and 27 per cent baled or put into silage, adding that 93 per cent of the hay crop in the province is rated as “good to excellent” in quality.
Looking at moisture, the report said topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as 12 per cent surplus, 82 per cent adequate and six per cent short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as eight per cent surplus, 85 per cent adequate and seven per cent short.
Most of the province received rain last week, ranging from trace amounts to 72 mm with a provincial average of 16 mm. It also attributed some damage to insects, diseases, flooding, wind and hail.
Speaking to the latter point in a separate interview, the chairman of the Canadian Crop Hail Association said the last week saw hail in large quantities, notably in the southeast, where there are reports it fell along a swath between six and 12 miles wide and possibly 150 miles in length.
“But when you look at the number of claims, we’re a little bit below the average,” said Murray Bantle.
Bantle, the chief operating officer for Co-operative Hail Insurance in Regina, makes the interesting point that public awareness of hail might be greater than ever, with regular weather reports supplemented by social media feeds from storm-chasers and other watchers.
He added that hail is no small matter to Saskatchewan — it generates claims totalling between $200 million and $300 million even in a statistically typical year.
And in a province this large, there’s likely hail somewhere on almost every day in July, said Bantle, who quips he has a “magic date” in his mind of around July 15.
Crops damaged before it might be able to recover; after it, “there’s little chance to recover.”