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Light Frost Spells Danger for Late Crops

Parts of Saskatchewan were hit by a light frost this past week, and some farmers are worried that their crops aren't as mature as they'd like.
 
Thankfully, the frost which hit areas south of North Battleford and Watrous was only around -1 to -2 degrees and only lasted about a few hours. Cory Jacob, crops extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture, says that the length of the frost is just as important as the severity of the temperature.
 
"The longer it freezes the more damage we see. If it just dips below 0° for a few hours there's a lot less damage in that regard."
 
The less mature a crop is, the more vulnerable it is to frost damage, meaning that crops like chickpeas and lentils are probably not too much at risk this time of year. Crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans however, are still at a point where a long and heavy frost could be devastating. Jacob says these crops are slightly behind due to lack of rain early in the spring.
 
"Everyone seeded when they could this year but the rains came in June and a lot of our crops didn't start growing until mid-June or even into July. That's really the factor right now. The moisture came later and the crops came later. This is what we have as a result."
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