(file photo/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Farmers slowly start seeding

May 7, 2020 | 12:11 PM

Seeding is underway in many parts of the province.

The first crop report of the year from the Ministry of Agriculture indicated seven per cent of seeding is done. This is just below the five-year average of nine per cent for this time of year.

Only two per cent of the crop has been seeded in the east-central and northwest regions and less than one per cent in the northeast.

Crop extension specialist Sara Tetland said the delayed spring has hampered field operations.

“In some areas of the province it has been a little slow just with the cool temperatures and with it still being wet,” Tetland told farmnewsNOW. “A lot of farmers haven’t been able to get into the field yet.”

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For the farmers who have started seeding it has been slow going. Bill Prybylski farms west of Yorkton.

“We started seeding peas on April 30. When we started it was quite wet, so we were getting stuck but it’s getting better every day,” Prybylski said. “The last few days have been going quite well. The ground is firming up nicely.”

Farmers are continuing to get their equipment ready for seeding, spraying, applying fertilizers, harrowing and combining last year’s crop.

Prybylski said they had a lot of crop to combine this spring.

“We had about 2,000 acres of cereals left over the winter with oats, barley and wheat left. We were able to harvest the barley this spring and we’re working on the oats right now and we still have the wheat to combine,” he said.

Rainfall was reported this past week throughout the province, particularly in the southeast and east-central regions.

Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as seven per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, 11 per cent short and one per cent very short.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF