Melting Alberta snow floods fields

One farmer estimates his planting is almost a month behind schedule

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Flooding caused by melting snow has put some Alberta farmers’ seeding plans on hold.

“As far as planting, I think we’re two to three weeks behind,” Ryan Mercer, owner of Mercer Seeds, a seed retailer in Lethbridge County, Alta., told Global News yesterday.

Around the clock operations may be needed to recover the lost time, he added.

With much of the ground frozen, soils can’t absorb the water. So, it runs off into roads and backs up drainage systems.

Lethbridge County declared a state of local emergency on Monday morning and lifted it this morning.

Until the water recedes enough, all farmers like Mercer can do is make the necessary preparations for when field conditions cooperate.

“We’re just trying to be as organized as possible, having the seed in place and having the drills ready to go,” he told Global News. “So when we do actually get in the field we can just get the seed in as fast as we can.”

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