Seeding is behind the five-year average
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Saskatchewan farmers are seeding at a slower pace than in past years.
As of Saskatchewan Agriculture’s crop report on May 11 documenting from May 2 to 8, the first for the season, about 9 per cent of all crops are seeded.
This is below 14 per cent in 2022 and 38 per cent in 2021.
Overall, the five-year average is 23 per cent of crops seeded by this time.
“Seeding is furthest advanced in the southwest, west-central and northwest regions,” the report says. “Seeding progress is slower in the eastern regions where snowfall was heavier and water in the fields is taking longer to disappear.”
In the southwest region, which includes Coronach, Assiniboia, Mossbank, Swift Current, Maple Creek and other communities, producers have seeded 13 per cent of their crops.
“Producers in the west half of the region are already reporting that their crop land and pastures are dry and would like to see widespread precipitation,” Sask. Agriculture’s report reads.
Farmers in the west-central region, which includes Hanley, Kindersley, Biggar and Arelee, are also concerned about dryness.
Farmers have 14 per cent of their crops seeded and are looking for Mother Nature to provide some support.
“Producers are already raising concerns about how dry their cropland and pastures are and would like to see it rain in the coming weeks,” the report says. Cereals and pulses are the main crops that have been seeded so far with some producers waiting to seed canola until they get some rain.”