By Angela Brown

Ag experts say more snow, moisture needed to replenish soils

Jan 18, 2022 | 3:41 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. – Following last summer’s drought on the Prairies, producers hope this winter’s heavy snowfall will help rejuvenate the soil in time for spring seeding.

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Crops Extension Specialist Allie Noble said the snowfall accumulation seen in the past couple of weeks in the northwest region was much needed.

“For the most part, snow coverage is good to average throughout the northwest, with certain areas in the south like Kerrobert and the Unity area not having quite as much,” she said.

Noble added it’s going to take a lot of moisture to replenish the soil moisture levels that suffered from the drought.

Looking ahead, the agricultural expert would like to see more snow, and gradually warming temperatures in the spring, and plenty of rain.

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“We’ll hope for a nice slow melt, so it can really penetrate the soil and hopefully help add to those soil moistures so we can have some improved crops this coming year,” Noble said. “No matter what happens, we’re still going to need some good rain this spring.”

She added farmers that keep the stubble on their harvested crop fields have a better opportunity to retain some of the moisture, compared to those with bare cultivated fields.

“That is definitely something to keep in mind when we are in a moisture-deficit like we are now,” Noble said.

Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA) chair Daryl Fransoo, who is also a local producer, grows wheat, barley, canola, peas and oats on his family’s farm near Glaslyn.

He agrees the amount of snowfall this winter has been good news for farmers.

“For this time of the year we have a tremendous amount of snow,” Fransoo said. “It’s going to help come spring-time to get our crops out of the ground. It’s not a save all. We are still going to be dry and we are going to need some timely rains, but it is nice to see we will have some moisture to start off the year.”

He noted most of the snow runs off and doesn’t actually go into the soil profile.

“It doesn’t put as much moisture in the ground as one thinks,” Fransoo said. “It’s still a good thing; it’s just not as big of a deal as one would think.”

With a new season ahead, he is hopeful there are timely rains throughout the whole growing season, in light of the challenges from last year’s drought.

“When you deplete the soil moisture so much like we did this past season, it takes a lot of moisture to get back to where we were,” Fransoo said. “So there is definitely concern about another drought coming up.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow