Rain, rain, go away, come again … next year. That seems to be the refrain from many producers as “significant amounts of rain” — up to 100 mm in some cases — fell across the grainbelt last week, flooding some areas and damaging crops, according to this week’s crop report.
“I think the majority of farmers are going to want the taps to shut off at this point,” said Daphne Cruise, regional crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Moose Jaw. “We definitely have enough moisture everywhere across the province to bring this crop in to harvest in fairly decent shape. We’re not lacking moisture … in terms of crop filling and to get a good yield.”
In fact, the problem is “too much moisture,” with some pulse crops showing signs of root rot and other diseases “Because of the wet weather we’ve been having all of July and most of June, a lot of those lentil crops and peas have been stressed quite a long time. In some cases, farmers are indicating some crop areas will not recover and there will be some yield loss, ” Cruise said.
Significant amounts of rain fell on much of the province throughout the week, with precipitation varying from trace amounts to 98 mm. Heavy rain over the past couple of weeks has caused crops to lodge, while diseases and hail have also caused damage. the report said.
In addition to crop damage from flooding and disease, farmers are concerned more rain will delay harvest operations. “If we keep getting all this moisture, there will be some harvest challenges with equipment in the fields,” Cruise said.
Crops across the province are developing normally, with 53 per cent of fall cereals, 69 per cent of oilseeds, 67 per cent of spring cereals and 65 per cent of pulses at their normal developmental stages for this time of year. “Producers are quite happy with what they’re seeing for yields. But yield doesn’t mean much when you can’t get the crop off in good (condition).”
Source : Leaderpost