Thunderstorms Bring Moisture and Some Hail to Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports thunderstorms that swept across parts of the province over the past week brought much needed moisture to crops along with some hail.Saskatchewan Agriculture released its weekly crop report Thursday for the period from June 24th to June 30th.Kim Stonehouse, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture based in Tisdale, says dry conditions combined with heat and wind are causing the most crop damage and additionally those dry conditions are allowing grasshoppers and flea beetles to persist while producers in areas of the west central, east central and northeast regions are reporting minor damage from excess moisture in low spots due to storms over the past week.

Quote-Kim Stonehouse-Saskatchewan Agriculture:

Growing conditions in Saskatchewan were quite variable this past week.We had storms in parts of the province that brought some well needed moisture but also brought some hail with it and producers will be out assessing the crop damage over the next week or so to determine what impact it might have.Southern regions of the province received very limited rainfall and this continued to stress crops and accelerate crop development.

In the northeast for example, the Archerwill area and Beatty area received 115 and 85 millimeters respectively.Kinistino and the Middle Lake areas received 75 and 65 millimeters of rain respectively but areas in the southwest and in  the northwest received very minimal amounts of moisture last week if any at all.
Crops developed fairly swiftly last week due to the drier conditions.Fall cereal crops are the most advanced followed closely by spring cereals and pulse crops.

Oilseeds and annual forage crops are the furthest behind of their expected stages for this time of year but are significantly ahead of where they were last year at this time.The southwest and the northwest crops are the most advanced in the province due to the persistent hot and dry conditions that we're receiving this year but, on the other hand, there are crops in the central regions that are the furthest behind.

Stonehouse says most producers have wrapped up their herbicide applications and are now focusing on scouting for insects and disease and spraying when necessary.He says timely rains will be needed through July and August to sustain yield potential.