Spring seeding in Saskatchewan is 81 per cent complete province-wide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly crop report released Thursday.
That’s a big jump from last week’s report, which estimated 51 per cent of seeding had been done.
By comparison, the five-year (2011-2015) seeding average for this time of year is only 59 per cent.
The crop report says seeding has been helped by warm and dry weather, as many producers have completed seeding and are starting in-crop herbicide applications.
As usual, seeding is most advanced in the southwest, where producers have 90 per cent of the crop seeded. It’s estimated to be 87-per-cent complete in the southeast, 84-per-cent in the northwest and 83-per-cent in the west-central region. But seeding is only 75-per-cent complete in the northeast and 68-per-cent in the east-central region, as both areas faced minor flooding this spring.
Rainfall in the province has ranged from trace amounts to several inches in the west-central region. Some areas will need rain in the coming weeks to help crops emerge and establish. Those include the Weyburn-Estevan areas and the area around Meadow Lake, North Battleford and Biggar in west-central Saskatchewan.
“In the next couple of weeks, it’s likely everyone is going to need some moisture, at least when the winds come out,” said ag ministry spokeswoman Shannon Friesen.
Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as three per cent surplus, 83 per cent adequate, 13 per cent short and one per cent very short.
Source : Leaderpost