BAWLF, Alta. – The temperature gauge tells Wilf Blackwell the soil is
too cold to seed. The calendar on his wall is telling him it’s getting
too late to wait any longer.
It’s May 13 and Blackwell has pulled his seed drill into the field
despite misgivings about the soil temperature. The soil temperature at
7.5 centimetres deep in his stubble field is 2 C. Peas need at least 5
C to germinate
In the next field, in canola stubble blackened by cultivation, the
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temperature gauge has settled around 8 C, still too cold for most
crops. When he pulls out the shiny probe, the silver shaft feels like a
Popsicle.
“The ground is very cold,” said Blackwell, who added the night before
was the first time this spring that the temperature hadn’t dropped
below freezing.
Still, Blackwell doesn’t plan on changing which crops he seeds.
“It doesn’t matter any different, it’s going in the ground. The date
says we have to seed.”
The cool spring has delayed the normal planting season by a week to 10
days across most of the Prairies. While that likely hasn’t ruined
anybody’s seeding plans yet, timing is getting tight.
In Manitoba, planting progress is a week to 10 days behind normal, said
John Hollinger, a Manitoba Agriculture agronomist at Carman.
The cool spring was the biggest hindrance for growers. “The soil just
had trouble warming up,” Hollinger said.
This week will be crucial. If there are further seeding delays due to
cool or wet weather, growers might be forced to rethink what crops to
plant.
Planting progress was variable across Manitoba last week, with the best
progress in western and central regions.
In Saskatchewan, Terry Karwandy, agrologist with Saskatchewan
Agriculture, said seeding is later than normal, but last year’s early
spring makes this year seem worse than it actually is.
“I don’t think we’re overly behind.”
Saskatchewan farmers have seeded 13 percent of their crop compared to
the five-year average of 33 percent and last year’s 43 percent.
Some farmers have changed plans because of cold temperatures, she said,
citing reports of early-seeded fields that must be reseeded because of
poor germination.
Other farmers plan to put more acres into greenfeed to produce cattle
feed, and some are looking seriously at summerfallow.
“There is some anxiety about the dry and the cold,” she said.
Back in Alberta, Les Gunderson of Agricore United said May 13 was the
first busy day for fertilizer sales. Even seed wheat sales have picked
up because of last weekend’s warm weather.
John Knoot, agriculture fieldman with the Saddle Hills County in Spirit
River, said few farmers in the Peace River region have ventured onto
the fields.
“They’re pretty discouraged here,” said Knoot. “This is the latest
spring anyone here can remember.”
There is still snow in the bush and most fields are still frozen.
Terry Eleniak of Lamont County said few farmers are in the field in
northeastern Alberta.
“There’s been no activity. There’s still a lot of frost in the ground.”
“Everyone is feeling behind the eight ball. It’s not late but they’re
starting to feel the need to get out there.”
