SASKATOON – It has been a wet and frustrating May for prairie farmers, but so far few appear to have changed their seeding plans.
Conditions vary across Manitoba and obviously there will be a special situation with the 40,000 acres or so still under water, said Stan Stewin, manager of seed marketing with Manitoba Pool Elevators.
Otherwise, there is cause for concern, not panic.
“Look at last year, some guys were seeding quite late in western Manitoba last year and yet they harvested at the same time thanks to a hot dry summer,” Stewin said.
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Monte Kesslering, head of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s seed sales, also said there is little crop switching so far.
“Even in seven days you can get a big part of the province seeded,” he said.
If any plans have changed, it probably involves specialty crops such as lentils.
“We’ve had a lot of Laird seed already picked up and there is a little left, but I haven’t heard that they aren’t #picking it up,” said Alice Poissant, manager of Regina Seed Processors.
Laird is the preferred variety, but slow to mature. If the weather stays bad, the switch will be to the quicker-developing Eston variety, she said.
Some changes necessary
“But no matter what, there is going to be less Laird lentil. So whoever has old crop Laird is just sitting on it. It might be worth big bucks.”
Poissant said canaryseed producers in her area can hang on until June.
But Peter Entz, pulse crop agronomist with Manitoba Agriculture in Carman, said Red River Valley farmers might already be shying away from canaryseed, another crop that’s slow to mature.
“A lot of the land was flooded this year and a lot of it is wet, so seeding could be quite delayed in those areas and I wouldn’t be surprised if canaryseed just drops off and people forget about it this year.”
Fababeans and corn acres might also be cut back, he said.
As for the major crops, Mike Jubinville, an analyst with United Grain Growers, said he’s not pushing the panic button yet.
“But the delay is causing concern because the markets are looking at the spring crop in wheats and such for North Dakota, Montana and Western Canada,” he said.
“They are really counting on us to come through in a big way with a crop this year. If we don’t, that could throw some exciting times into the markets developing into the summer.”
Elaine Moats, provincial agronomist in Weyburn, Sask., warned against the temptation for farmers to rush the crop in. Good weed control and seeding technique will pay off.
“Sometimes, we panic and if we would have taken a little more time to do the job right, we’d get a lot better results – and it’s# the results that matter,” she said.
