Bruce Osiowy crosses his fingers when he talks about having a good crop
this year.
The president of the Pro-West Rally Group, who farms near Abernethy,
Sask., hears a lot of horror stories from other regions of Saskatchewan
and Alberta where there has been little or no rain.
“You almost feel guilty,” he said.
At his farm, he seeded into a 15-centimetre band of moisture this
spring, and received about 89 millimetres of rain in June. He isn’t
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counting his blessings just yet.
“Our crop damage happened after the beginning of July last year,” he
said July 8.
“It’s like déjˆ vu. Our last rain was two-tenths on July 1.”
Farmers across the southern prairies say crops look average to
above-average with the exception of canola.
Many areas around the Trans-Canada Highway have had more than 150
millimetres of moisture since May.
“It really turned around for us,” said Daryl Tumbach, extension
agrologist in Maple Creek. “We could use a booster shot.”
He said farmers are feeling fortunate about the extreme swing in
circumstances.
Forage and hay crops responded well, and he said cattle producers
should be able to hold on to their stock. Producers will be reluctant
to sell their hay, and will likely replenish stockpiles.
He predicted nearly average crops if more timely rains fall.
In Assiniboia, extension agrologist Garry Noble said canola and mustard
crops look uneven. Other crops are behind in development, but look
good. He said for the first time, farmers there are cutting hay and
trucking it north.
“We didn’t have a drought last year,” he said. “Crops will be at least
average and there is potential for an above-average crop.”
The story is the same around Regina, where cereals look above average,
lentils and peas seem average and canola is below average.
“Canola crops do not look very good,” said agrologist Barry Rapp.
“That’s probably not due to drought here. It’s a combination of mainly
cold soils with earlier seeding deeper.”
Rapp said the Regina district is not short of moisture, but could use
more by the end of next week. That would bring in a pretty good crop,
he said.
Grant Fahlman, of Kronau, said he believes crops look better this year
than they did last year, even after a late cool spring.
“Now it’s like pictures of Ireland that you see,” he said.
“Everything’s green. Too bad we can’t share it.”
Alameda organic farmer Foster Warriner also said the year started off
with barely adequate moisture. Since June 1, it’s rained every four
days and there is potential for an above average crop.
“Crops look good but there is delay,” he said. “So many went in in the
last week of May when it was still so cold. We’re hoping for not too
early a frost.”
In his area, leaf disease and fusarium are concerns. He said some
sunshine and less humidity are needed to ward them off. Warriner has
talked to friends in the drought-stricken areas of the province.
“I do feel badly,” he said. “Our neighborhood had a fair bit of that in
the ’80s.”
