Lyle Antonenko spent a relaxing morning on his farm last weekend, watching a billion dollar rain breathe life into his crops near Biggar, Sask.
“I spent a good portion of the day just looking out the window,” said Antonenko, who received more than 50 millimetres of rain June 21 on his farm, about 20 kilometres northeast of town.
“We definitely needed it. I don’t think we were in panic mode yet like some areas were, but we are coming into July and that’s typically when the heat hits.
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“It was coming down pretty hard at times so it was certainly a welcome sight.”
Throughout west-central Saskatchewan, producers were breathing a collective sigh of relief along with Antonenko.
Rainfall throughout the region has been scarce this spring with some communities receiving little more than a sprinkle since April 1.
The weekend rain delivered varying amounts over a broad area of Saskatchewan. Heaviest accumulations fell in a triangular area stretching from North Battleford to Saskatoon to Biggar, where amounts ranged from 37 to 62 mm.
Outlying areas including Lloyd-minster, Melfort, Prince Albert, Nipawin, Wynyard, Regina, Swift Current and Kindersley also received significant amounts, generally between 25 and 50 mm.
Eastern Alberta, which has been waiting desperately for spring rain, was mostly shut out, as were many areas of southeastern Saskatchewan.
More rain and showers were forecast across much of the West for the early part of this week.
“The most significant (weekend) amounts were on the west side of Saskatchewan around North Battleford,” said Dan Kulak, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“There was not much on the eastern side of the province and nothing of any significance in eastern Alberta.”
For Antonenko, the weekend rain will provide much needed relief for the 2009 growing season.
Despite receiving little rainfall this spring, moisture reserves in the area northeast of Biggar were sufficient and germination was good.
Some canola crops were hit by frost and a few producers considered reseeding frost damaged canola to oats for greenfeed.
Supplies of hay and greenfeed throughout west-central Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta are expected to be tight this year.
A few kilometres east of Biggar, cow-calf producer Doug Weekes has been planning for a tight feed market.
Weekes, who has 500 cow-calf pairs and about 350 yearlings on pasture, said the condition of pastures in his area has been variable, with native grass and older stands of tame grass showing stress.
Hayland has also suffered due to a lack of moisture and a cold start to the growing season, he said.
“The hayland was really poor. The rain will definitely help but I don’t know whether there’s time for it to recover or not,” Weekes said. “It’ll never be a good crop but it might make half a crop.”
Weekes’s pastures near Biggar and Perdue, Sask. received as much as 60 mm of rain.
The moisture will boost parched pasture land and will likely enable Weekes to keep his cow herd intact and continue feeding his yearlings until the fall.
Before the weekend, he wasn’t sure if he would be forced to sell his yearlings early.
The sight of a heavy rain last weekend brought a smile to his face.
“It was unbelievable,” said Weekes.
“I haven’t seen it rain like that in years. There were sheets of it pouring down. I just stood there in amazement. It’s been that long.”
