Concerns about the quality of this summer’s hay crop and its impact on Saskatchewan livestock producers dominate this week’s crop report from the provincial agricultural ministry.
Released Friday, the report says producers have about 10 per cent of the hay crop cut and five per cent baled or put into silage.
“Hay quality is currently rated as four per cent excellent, 41 per cent good, 24 per cent fair and 31 per cent poor,” the ministry said, adding that many hay swaths are significantly smaller than normal and bales will be in short supply this year. As a result, pasture conditions are continuing to decline due to the lack of rainfall.
In response, the ministry is reminding producers of its forage, feed and custom service listing for producers to advertise and acquire feed products. It is available at www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/FeedForageListing.
With new rules letting ranchers put cattle onto crops ruined by drought, the government has “done all they can short of giving us money,” said Bill Jameson, chairman of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association.
Jameson said the biggest problem facing cattlemen is the possibility they’ll have to begin liquidating cattle just as prices are finally high after many lean years. “Hopefully, that doesn’t happen,” said Jameson, who noted the price of hay has tripled in the last year.
The ministry said rainfall over the past week has ranged from trace amounts to several inches in some southeastern areas. With hot and dry temperatures, topsoil moisture conditions are “quickly deteriorating”.
Provincewide, these topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 32 per cent adequate, 48 per cent short and 20 per cent very short.
On hay land and pasture, topsoil moisture is rated as 23 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 37 per cent very short.
Turning to crops, the ministry’s report said their development is “advancing nicely” in most of the province, although many crops in drier areas are short, thin and heading out and/or flowering earlier than normal.
Sixty-three per cent of fall cereals, 58 per cent of spring cereals, 52 per cent of oilseeds and 59 per cent of pulse crops are at their normal stages of development for this time of year, it said, adding “crop conditions vary throughout the province, but the majority of crops are in poor-to-good condition.”
Source : Leaderpost