Saskatchewan Agriculture reports sporadic showers brought much needed moisture and some hail to parts of the province over the past week, while cooler weather brought relief to crops still in flower.Saskatchewan Agriculture released its weekly crop report yesterday.
Kim Stonehouse, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture based in Tisdale, says despite the rain topsoil moisture declined over the past week.
Quote-Kim Stonehouse-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
This week we saw some sporadic showers in some areas of the province.
Heavier rainfall fell in the northwest, the southwest and the southeast but many regions received only trace amounts or none at all.The Richmound area reported 62 millimeters of rain while the Meadow Lake area reported 47 millimeters of rain and the Alida area reported 46 millimetres of rain.
Topsoil moisture actually declined in the last week.
Cropland topsoil moisture is rated at 65 percent adequate, 28 percent short and seven percent very short.Hayland topsoil moisture is rated at 55 percent adequate, 36 percent short and nine percent very short.Pasture topsoil moisture is rated at 55 percent adequate, 32 percent and 13 percent very short.
Most crops are rated as fair to good condition with a small number being rated at excellent and a few as poor.The majority of crops are showing a slight improvement in condition since they were last reported a couple of weeks ago and the lowest rated crops are occurring in the southwest, northwest and parts if the northeast where the driest conditions are.
Stonehouse says, while there was a little bit of hail reported this year as a result of some of the storms, the majority of damage is being reported from heat and dry conditions and gophers, grasshoppers, flea beetles and aphids are causing damage across the province.He says over the next week growers will be finishing up fungicide applications and preparing for harvest.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Source : Farmscape.ca