The New Year’s blizzard that dumped a thick blanket of snow on Manitoba’s Red River Valley is raising worries among farmers already struggling with sodden fields.
However, unless another round of heavy snow hits, eastern Manitoba farmers may escape serious damage this spring.
Provincial flood authorities and the Canadian Wheat Board say the recent blizzard has suddenly taken nearly bare farm fields up to an about average level of snow cover.
“We were pretty light on snow before this, so this isn’t necessarily a problem,” said Canadian Wheat Board weather analyst Bruce Burnett.
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“But if we received another couple of snowfalls like this, it’d be a problem.”
Dozens of centimetres of snow fell on eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba on the last two days of December and on New Year’s Day, shutting down the Trans-Canada Highway, many other highways and numerous airports. Many farmers took days to dig themselves out afterwards.
While thick, the snow was not particularly wet or heavy, arriving during a frigid snap of arctic air.
But this layer of additional precipitation will be a problem for many farmers in the Red River Valley, who were unable to complete harvest crops because of saturated soils.
Farmers in the valley will have to wait for the land to dry so they can clear last year’s crop before seeding the 2005 crop.
That may squeeze many because early seeding is often hindered by moisture in the heavy clay soils.
“Right now we can expect some delays in the valley because of the snowfall,” said Burnett.
“There will be a lot of water coming through the watershed.”
The provincial flood monitor has said there is not a great danger of flooding with this level of snowpack.
But Burnett said the heaviest snows of the winter could come in February and March, so it will be unclear until spring whether the danger has passed.
