Improved moisture conditions boost Saskatchewan crops

A Crop Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture says recent rains have dramatically improved soil moisture conditions and helped crops but the majority of crops still range from poor to good across the province. As the result of limited early season rainfall crop development across Saskatchewan is highly variable. Cory Jacob, a Crop Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, reports crops in some areas of the province are behind their normal staging, we have crops at multiple stages in the same field, which will cause some issues down the road, some crops that are at their normal stages of development and a very small percentage of crops that are ahead.

 

 

The moisture situation has definitely changed in the province. We went from lacking of moisture to now, we’re good for now. A few weeks of no moisture then moisture in a couple of weeks to help the crops would be just ideal. Topsoil moisture on the cropland is rated at four percent surplus, 85 percent adequate and 11 percent short. The topsoil on the hayland and pastureland is rated as two percent surplus, 76 percent adequate, 21 percent short and one percent very short so we’ve seen a very good turn around in our crop soil moisture conditions in the province. We would still be calling crop conditions in the poor to good condition across the province. That would be the majority of crops.

Video: Sclerotinia and Lygus in Seed Canola: Field Update with George Lubberts, CCA | Enchant, Alberta

Join Certified Crop Advisor George Lubberts for this Prairie Certified Crop Advisor (Prairie CCA) field update from Enchant, Alberta. In this 12th video of the series, George takes us into a seed canola field where the male rows have been removed and the female plants are filling pods. This video was taken in the third week of August 2025.

George discusses the early signs of sclerotinia stem rot, explaining how infection begins in the stem, impacts pod development, and leads to premature ripening. He also shares insights on lygus bug management, including timing of spray applications to minimize feeding damage and maintain seed size and quality.

With cool, damp summer conditions, George notes that while disease pressure is present, overall field health remains good. The crop is just beginning to show early seed colour change, signaling progress toward maturity.

Topics Covered:

•Sclerotinia stem rot identification and impact

•Managing lygus bugs in seed canola

•Crop stage and seed colour change observations

•Timing insecticide sprays for optimal protection

•Insights from a CCA field perspective in southern Alberta