STE. AGATHE, Man. – In fields stretching from Winnipeg south to Emerson, Man., wheels were turning and fields were being worked.
A few days of dry weather and warmth were all it took to make farmland north of the U.S. border farmable.
“It’s slow,” said Ste. Agathe, Man., farmer Richard Bartmanovic as he and others worked to load fertilizer and corn seed at the side of a field.
“It’s a bit mucky, but it’s got to go in.”
Fields in eastern Manitoba have been sodden since last summer because of repeated heavy rain. It’s an area of thick, water-holding soil that doesn’t easily dry and the weather hasn’t helped. Normally, farmers in the region are among the first on the eastern prairies to start seeding, but this year they were the last.
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However, the soil finally dried enough by May 29 for most farmers on the Canadian end of the Red River Valley to seed and there were few fields that didn’t have machinery moving.
It was a different story south of the border, where even wetter conditions have prevailed and farmers in some areas are beginning to believe some of their fields will not be seeded this year. Few tractors could be seen moving near the Red River, although by May 30 some farmers were getting long-delayed work done.
A liquid sheen appears in many low spots, revealing the entrapping mud that lies just beneath the surface of most fields. Seeding is about a month behind.
Crystal, N.D., farmer Brian O’Toole’s problems with wet soil extend beyond his fields. He has trouble crossing his own yard because of mud beneath the thin crust of dry soil.
The road to his house is blocked off and unusable and getting deliveries and pick-ups is difficult some days.
His business hasn’t been too busy this spring, even though he’s a wheat seed grower and many local farmers rely on his seed.
Seeding has been so delayed that farmers don’t know which varieties to plant and whether to consider switching to soybeans or corn.
“A lot of people aren’t sure what they’re going to do right now,” said O’Toole.
But while fields look wet, a few days of dry weather could get farmers out seeding.
“We still have time to get a crop in,” said O’Toole. Crop insurance deadlines are beginning to pass and shorter season varieties will offer lower yields, but farmers will be able to get a crop in, he said.
“We’re getting ready to go tonight,” said O’Toole, eyeing the blue skies but mentioning a weather forecast of showers on the weekend.
Fortunately, for most farmers in North Dakota’s Red River Valley and in western Minnesota, the rain threatened in the forecast didn’t arrive and a warm, dry wind removed some moisture.
