There’s no relief in sight for farmers in southwestern Saskatchewan who desperately need moisture, according to the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority’s latest spring runoff forecast.
Runoff in the entire southern grain belt is expected to be below normal as of March 1.
The southwestern corner, including the Cypress Hills, Val Marie and Coronach, will have runoff well below normal.
That won’t surprise farmers and ranchers in that area who are now entering a fourth year of drought. There has been little winter precipitation in the region and February storms didn’t deliver enough snow to raise the runoff potential.
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Cattle producers have been hauling water for their livestock nearly year-round. Gophers are already running around the fields.
And grain farmers can only look at high grain prices and wonder if they’ll have a crop to sell.
At the opposite end of the grain belt, farmers in the northeast may get a reprieve from the flooding that has taken its toll the past few years. Runoff there is forecast to be near normal.
An area just west and north of Saskatoon through the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan can expect the highest runoff. That could hamper farming operations around Lloydminster, Meadow Lake, Spiritwood and Prince Albert.
The forecast will be updated in April, or earlier if conditions change.
