Weather conditions continue to affect agriculture industry in Saskatchewan

May 20, 2022

From rain to snow to nothing at all, Saskatchewan weather is leaving many farmers wondering if they will be able to seed at all this season.

It truly is a tale of two worlds. East Saskatchewan has too much moisture in its soil while the west is hoping to get even one rainy day. It’s a challenge farmer Clinton Monchuk understands firsthand having farmland near the Lanigan area.

“We’ve probably had a little over three inches of rain since the beginning of May,” Monchuk said. “So it is a little bit wetter and we’re just having a little bit more of a tough time getting seeding done.”

It’s a reality faced by farmers across the province. On average, more than half of the seeding process is complete by this time. But, this year it’s a different story.

Ian Boxall, president of the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan. has farmland near Tisdale.

“It’s raining here today and it snowed this morning,” Boxall said. “We’re way far behind. Normally we would start seeding on May 1 and now I haven’t started and it’s the 19th of May so we are behind.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.