By Angela Brown

Farmers in northwest planning for spring seeding

Apr 21, 2022 | 5:00 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. – Charlie Smith who grows canola and wheat on about 2,000 acres on his farm in the Rabbit Lake area is starting to make plans for spring seeding.

He said more than half of his farmland is still covered in snow, but he estimates around mid-May he will be ready to start production.

Fertilizer is harder to get due to current supply challenges, but Smith said he purchased his product last fall fortunately.

“My bins are full,” he told battlefordsNOW. “I don’t think we are going to have any issues. Maybe near the end there might be a problem, but right now it sounds ok.”

Last year was a difficult time for farmers due to the drought, so Smith is crossing his fingers, wishing for better luck this year.

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“Hopefully we get moisture,” he said. “That’s about the biggest thing.”

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Crops Extension Specialist Matthew Struthers said the province is having a little later spring this year compared to last year, so there won’t be an early start to seeding.

“In the Northern parts of the province there is still some snow out in the fields,” he told battlefordsNOW. “But after a few warm days that will disappear. Then, once the ground warms up enough they will get out there to seed.”

While the winter’s snow storms will somewhat help the dry soils following last year’s drought, that is just a start.

“It’s looking a little bit better in some areas, and other areas are just as dry as they were last year,” Struthers said. “I’m sure every producer in the province would take a little bit more rain once we get into the season, and there are a lot of areas that could take quite a bit of rain.”

Some of the crops farmers will plant this year in the northwest region include cereals, canola, and pulse crops, as well as some specialty crops in various areas.

As far as farmers having issues acquiring fertilizers and other farming inputs, Struthers said that continues to be a concern.

“It’s been a big topic for the last few months, just the supply chain issues we have been experiencing all around the globe,” he said. “It’s been tough to get fertilizer to our community producers.”

Some producers were able to lock in their order early and obtain their fertilizer, while others are slowly getting it now.

“Hopefully everyone is able to get what they need, and start the season good,” Struthers said. “But I’d highly recommend getting a soil test done if you haven’t already to really determine what you need. And also look at the situation you came out of the drought with, and then have a realistic goal.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow