Stubble remains covered Snowfalls in early April will push back seeding dates to the middle of May for many producers
With 25 centimetres of snow still on the ground in the second week of April, seeding in southwestern Manitoba may be delayed until the third week of May.
Rob Pettinger, who farms near Minto, Man., said most farmers in his area cannot recall a spring similar to this one, with persistent cold and snowy conditions until the middle of April.
“Snow flurries on April 8 really isn’t uncommon. What’s uncommon is we’ve still got 10 foot snow drifts in front of the house.”
April has also been particularly chilly in Manitoba, with temperatures dipping below -10 C at night and rarely rising above zero during the day.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
Pettinger said the thick snow pack covering fields in southwestern Manitoba will not disappear overnight, even if the weather turns warm in the second half of April.
“There’s still a good foot of snow, right across (the region),” he said.
“You could jump on the Ski-Doo and ride anywhere you wanted. There’s no stubble showing through the snow at all.”
Pettinger said spring seeding on his farm might not start until the May long weekend.
“Even with the very best conditions you could get, we’re probably looking at close to May 20,” he said.
“Generally, we need three weeks after the snow is gone. And we’re a long ways before the last snow drift (melts).”
Chuck Fossay, who farms near Starbuck, Man., said the stubble is exposed on a few spots on his fields, but with 30 cm of snow blanketing most of his land, seeding is unlikely before the middle of May.
Fossay said the snow pack is insulating the soil, which should reduce the amount of water ponding on his land.
“We’re fortunate that there isn’t a lot of frost in the ground,” he said.
“So when it melts, it will go into the ground and won’t be standing out on the field for too long. The other thing is the snow is kind of sugary. Not a lot of moisture in it.”
Assuming the weather warms up soon, spring rain will likely determine when Manitoba farmers begin seeding.
In 2011, heavy rain in May and June overwhelmed already saturated soil across Manitoba. Approximately 2.9 million acres went unseeded that year.
On April 4, the U.S. National Weather Service predicted the cold weather in North Dakota and northern Minnesota would persist until the middle of the month, but the pattern would likely change in the second half of April.
Nevertheless, warmer temperatures increase the risk of spring showers, and “rain amounts greater than two inches are not uncommon in the last half of April,” NWS forecasters noted.
On the positive side, a slow and steady cool rain could help thaw the soil and melt snow, the NWS said.
Manitoba forecasters said in late March that there will be moderate to major flooding of the Red River and other waterways in the province.
