VALHALLA CENTRE, Alta. – While it may seem like the southern Prairies have developed a monsoon season, the Peace River area of northern Alberta and British Columbia is wishing rain would come north.The May long weekend was the last moisture farmers received and crops are beginning to suffer, said Marv Moore of DeBolt, Alta.“The spring seeded crops that got rain the May long weekend are not looking too bad, but the pasture and hay land are what’s suffering,” said Moore.Parts of the Peace have received little rain over the past two years and subsoil moisture is poor, he said.“We need some rain badly, that’s for sure.”At Dimsdale, Alta., Ross Sutherland said the crops are looking good to very good, especially the early seeded crops, but the reserve moisture is starting to run out and crops are beginning to suffer.“We could use moisture,” he said.Fern Mertens of Fort St. John, B.C., said crops range from really good to fairly poor, depending on the area.“The grass and hay crops are doing pretty good. The snow really gave them a boost,” said Mertens.Parts of the B.C. Peace received 45 centimetres of snow during the May long weekend and it melted slowly over five days, soaking into the ground.Joe Webber of Berwyn, Alta., said his crops have started to yellow from a lack of moisture.“We need a rain badly.”Webber said despite having no moisture for more than a month, the crops are “hanging in.”“If we get timely rains from now on, we could pull off an average crop.”
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