By Alice McFarlane

Wind and rain delays spraying

Jun 18, 2020 | 11:38 AM

Farmers have completed seeding and have turned their attention to pest control.

Strong winds and rain have been a problem for producers causing spraying delays.

George Hinz farms southeast of Humboldt. He said a few days with light, or no wind would be welcome by growers trying to catch up on spraying.

“We’ve got a fair chunk to do when the wind quits and it dries up, we’ll have to go,” Hinz said. “I can probably do 500 to 600 acres a day if I have a good day so I can make up for lost time pretty quickly.”

This week’s crop report indicated the Humboldt area received 71 millimetres of rain with localized flooding.

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Hinz said he is happy with crop development but is concerned about how the wet conditions could affect pulse crops.

“The crops look fantastic; they really look good. The only thing I am concerned about with this water is I hope the peas don’t start going backwards with root rot,” he said.

Strong winds caused damage to the young plants and continued to dry out the soil in central and southern regions making emergence of later seeded crops like canola patchy.

Crops Extension Specialist Sara Tetland said some reseeding was needed.

“Particularly where it’s been quite dry and there hasn’t been good emergence of smaller seeded crops,” Tetland said. “Most of it has been in the southern and east central regions. It has been quite dry the last couple of weeks. Areas that have been dry there has been slowed growth of canola and allowed flea beetles to feed longer.”

Provincially, 70 per cent of spring cereals, 63 per cent of oilseed crops and 80 per cent of pulse crops are at normal development for this time of year.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF