Saskatchewan Agriculture Reports Variable Crop Development Due to Irregular Rainfall

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports growing conditions throughout the province continue to vary with rainfall and warm temperatures in some areas allowing crops to progress nicely, while dry conditions have been stressing crops and leading to rapid development in other areas.Saskatchewan Agriculture released its weekly crop report yesterday for the period July 1st to 7th.

Kim Stonehouse, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says growing conditions were fairly variable across the province over the past week with some areas seeing the crops progressing fairly well while other areas have experienced very dry conditions which are causing stress and rapid crop development.

Quote-Kim Stonehouse-Saskatchewan Agriculture:

Crops are at varying stages throughout the province and there's definitely some irregular rainfall that is causing this to be quite varied.Some fields are relatively uniform but others are noting that there's inconsistent staging due to dry conditions that happened early on in the growing season and this is definitely making timing of things like fungicide spraying very challenging.

Dry conditions and hot temperatures have caused the most widespread damage in crops but a lot of this damage is considered minor in most cases although there are some areas that have had extreme damage from this.Wind is also continuing to cause minor damage to crops in a few areas and there has been some hail.There is minor insect and wildlife damage being reported in various crops and gophers, grasshoppers and cabbage pod weevil appear to be causing most damage.This is causing some producers to have to spray insecticides for the insect activity and producers in some areas have received moderate to high rainfall and this is causing them to apply preventive fungicides on pulses, cereals and oilseed crops.

Stonehouse as the season continues producers will be scouting crops for staging while applying insecticides and fungicides where necessary.He says producers throughout the province are hoping for timely rainfall to accommodate crops and their high-water usage at this time of year.
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