By Angela Brown

Overall rain helps producers who need it, but some fields flooded

Jun 26, 2022 | 4:47 PM

Producers in the North West region are reporting improved conditions overall, after receiving rainfall where it was especially in need over the past couple of weeks.

“A lot of the parts of the North West were very dry. So now that they have got some pretty heavy rains I’m sure a lot of producers are happy, especially since all their seed is in the ground,” Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture crops extension specialist Matthew Struthers told battlefordsNOW.

At the same time there are still some dry areas in the region that need to see more precipitation.

Parts that were hit by heavy rainfall include the Meadow Lake area, receiving 97 millimetres of rain, and the Spiritwood areas 84 mm for the period from June 14 to 20.

The Battlefords received about 20 to 30 mm of rain in some areas, and in other parts even more.

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The City of North Battleford advised residents the city was approved for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program for the June 13 heavy rainfall event leading into the week, a one in a 100-year rainstorm over a six-hour period. Environment Canada reported the Battlefords saw more than 30 mm in about one hour on that day.

For producers in parts of the region there have been some reports of crop damage due to flooding over the past week.

“There is not much you can do when the water comes down that fast over a short period of time,” Struthers said. “But hopefully the damage wasn’t widespread. Of course damage was not only to crops but also to buildings and infrastructure as well.”

A few areas around Lloydminster also received heavy precipitation.

Struthers said some crops can handle a little more water than others. But no field can withstand too much rain for too long.

“Hopefully, that water moves off the fields, or it’s absorbed by that field and then moved down into the soil, rather than sitting on top and suffocating those plants,” the expert added.

Many areas that received precipitation needed it to replenish soils, while other places can still benefit from more rain, particularly in light of last year’s drought.

The recent rainfall delayed spraying to control weeds and insect pests in parts. So the focus now for producers will be getting into the fields to make sure their crops are in good condition.

Looking at crop progress, Struthers said right now oilseed crops and pulses are ahead of cereals for development. Overall conditions are favourable for producers.

“The pulses get seeded a little bit earlier; same with the cereals,” he said. “Then, the oilseeds are coming right up behind them. So things look very good in the North West, even though they were dry at the start of the spring. It seems their crops have bounced back quite quick.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow