Time will tell whether black currants already partially leafed out are tough enough to survive a spring storm.
Judy Kolk of Kayben Farms near Lethbridge said a combination of snow, freezing rain and wind knocked out the power to their greenhouses last week and covered their outside fruit trees with a thick coat of ice and snow.
Still, the moisture was welcome. The April 28 storm brought enough to block highways and halt seeding across parts of the Prairies.
“It didn’t go a lot below freezing, but there was ice build up on trees,” Kolk said. “It may very well have damaged blossoms that were out. Not everything was blossoming yet.”
Read Also
Ag In Motion 2025 draws strong attendance, more international visitors
Three clear days meant Ag in Motion 2025 saw strong attendance and a significant increase in international visitors at the large Saskatchewan outdoor farm show.
The storm created drifts of snow in the Kolks’ yard and left their farm without power, but it also brought much needed moisture.
“We were incredibly dry. The moisture was really, really great,” said Kolk, who estimates they received more than 25 millimetres of moisture from the storm. “We’re super thankful. The moisture is awesome, we really appreciate the moisture.”
Further southeast at Walsh, Alta., James Hargrave said the spring rain and recent snowfall are welcome on his southern Alberta ranch.
A combination of snowfalls and Chinooks since January have replenished dugouts and reservoirs, filled creeks and provided plenty of water for irrigating crops this summer.
“We’ve quite fortunate down here,” he said. “It’s definitely been an above average spring.”
The grass is turning green and it promises to be a good growing year, added Hargrave, who started to calve May 1.
“We’re happy. There’s a lot worse off people than we are. We’ve lucked out.”
Lance Caven of Schuler, Alta., about of 65 kilometres north of Cypress Hills, said the storm brought rain and a “heck of a lot of wind.”
Like Hargrave, he welcomes the spring moisture, even if it comes in a wintery blast.
Caven is about three-quarters through calving and doesn’t think the snowstorm caused many calving troubles.
“They’re all wet. They come out wet and just got more wet if they were born in this weather.”
Judy Fenton of Irma, Alta., said the 12 mm of rain that fell disappeared quickly.
“It soaked in. Now there’s hardly a puddle around. The grass is actually turning green. We were so darned dry going into the fall.”
Jack Swainson of Red Deer said his central Alberta farm received slightly more than 50 mm of moisture.
“It’s a good start, but we weren’t too bad for moisture,” said Swainson, an avid zero tillage advocate who credits the farming practice for maintaining field moisture. He said the moisture was welcome, but now he’s putting in his order for warm weather.
Dale Hicks of Outlook, Sask., said he expects farmers in Saskatchewan not to turn a wheel until May 8 because of the spring moisture.
“It was a good, strong soaking rain,” he said.
The forecast for high winds and more moisture will likely continue to limit field activity, especially in northeastern Saskatchewan where there was plenty of moisture before the last snowfall.
The Peace River area of Alberta was one of the few areas that didn’t get spring storms or the much needed moisture.
