While there is much trepidation among farmers that a soggy spring will delay or prevent seeding in some areas, there is some optimism that moist soils will get the 2011 crop off to a fantastic start in other regions.
“Spring flooding doesn’t always equate to poor growing season conditions,” said Doug Chorney, president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers.
“If weather conditions normalize, you have your soil moisture completely recharged and ideally set up to grow a good crop.”
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Manitoba endured what he called “the flood of the century” in 1997 and still managed to plant and grow a “pretty darn good crop” that year.
Chorney said people need to understand it was the excessive moisture throughout the growing season that caused most of the damage to the 2010 crop, not the spring flooding.
“I’ve tried to make that point with business reporters who are trying to frame out the beginnings of a disaster at this point. I always emphasize it’s far too early,” he said.
Most grain farmers he talks to are optimistic because prices are high and they’ve got plenty of moisture to nurture their crops.
“There’s a pretty upbeat mood,” he said.
Of course there are exceptions. Growers in the northern Interlake region of the province haven’t seen a crop for three years and are looking at a fourth washout.
“You’d have a hard time finding a farmer there to say things are ideal. They have land that they haven’t even been able to spray until July,” said Chorney.
Greg Marshall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said farmers in the waterlogged eastern half of the province are full of apprehension about what spring will bring but there are many in the western half that are thrilled.
He recently passed through the Swift Current area, where there is plenty of snow in what is typically a dry area.
“(Farmers) are just smiling. It couldn’t be better for them,” he said.
Humphrey Banack, president of Alberta’s Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, said there’s considerable optimism in his province.
“There is some water out there. The nectar of profit for us,” he said.
The one area of the province that was exceptionally dry last summer received an abundance of winter precipitation.
“The Peace River region in northwestern Alberta is ecstatic with the snowfall they’ve got up there,” he said.
Banack described soil moisture levels as “very sufficient” throughout most of the province and abnormally wet in eastern Alberta, where there are vast areas of grassland prone to drought.
“For the cattle producers out there this will be a real boon to them. They may have some grass for the cattle this spring,” said Banack.
“To see those surface water areas filled again has got to be a real uplifting experience.”
It could be a dicey spring on Banack’s farm near Edmonton. Some fieldwork will be in order to repair the ruts caused by his combine last fall and there may be a need for temporary drainage and pumps. But he’s not overly concerned about the prospects for a wet spring.
“Give us two weeks of hot, windy weather and a lot of water can disappear in a hurry.”
Chorney said he’d rather be too wet than too dry. He has witnessed the devastating effects of drought while touring through Saskatchewan and Alberta during dry years.
“We definitely are going to be in a better position with moisture than without,” he said.
But he hopes the rain that comes during the growing season is more moderate than it has been the last couple of years.
