May 12 was “Day 1 around here,” said Rod Ross of Camrose, Alta.
The first day of seeding came a full two weeks later than usual for Ross and most of the other farmers in the central and western regions of Alberta.
“Thirty percent are under way today. I expect everybody will be running by Wednesday,” said the farmer, custom operator and agricultural supplies dealer.
“We’ve got 7,500 acres to seed and about 10 days to do it in, so we hope the rain will hold off….It’s really mucky right now but we all have to get going or face frost on the other end of the season,” he said.
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Snow left more than 35 millimetres of moisture on Ross’s land.
Precipitation left most of the farmers in the province stalled with their seeding.
“Only the pastures are benefiting from it right now. But we never turn away a little rain, except today,” said Ross.
Rain cut into Tyler Wilson’s seeding plans in southwestern Saskatchewan, near Admiral.
“I was stuck this morning. It’s still pretty wet, though,” he said.
“We’ve managed to get in 2,000 acres so far. The lentils and peas, some grass seed. Tomorrow we start on the B-90s (Kabuli chickpeas),” he said, with 6,500 acres still to seed.
Shirley Bennett of Biggar, Sask., said the rain has kept her and husband John from the fields as well this season.
“After no rain for two long years it seems we just can’t remember how to seed if it’s wet,” she said.
During the second week of May, the Bennetts did recall how to harvest and managed to combine their remaining mustard crop from last year before the week ended.
“Everybody is pretty optimistic around here. We’ve got moisture. Enough to start a crop. Seeding is under way north by Unity and the Battlefords, but we’ve just been getting a little rain all the time,” she said.
After a good start that “began right after the snows melted,” Claire and Charlie Berberat near Roblin, Man., finally were forced to take a break last week.
“We got nothing but a long slow rain. About (40 mm) fell and it made us quit seeding for a while,” said Claire.
The couple farms their own land as well as custom crops for other producers and she said seeding is well under way in their area.
“Our spring wheat is already out of the ground, the moisture is good. Now we wait for everything else the weatherman will bring.”
The rain that fell near Roblin continued south to the American border, improving conditions for producers in a dry southwestern Manitoba.
Dry conditions continue in the Red River Valley region where seeding is nearly complete.
