Saskatchewan Spring Planting Well Ahead of Five and Ten-Year Averages

Saskatchewan Agriculture reports spring planting is running well ahead of both the five- and ten-year averages across the province. Saskatchewan Agriculture released its weekly crop report Thursday for the period from May 6th to 12th.Meghan Rosso, a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says planting advanced rapidly over the past week.

Clip-Meghan Rosso-Saskatchewan Agriculture:

Limited precipitation over the past week has allowed producers to make substantial seeding progress.Seeding is currently 49 percent complete across the province which is up 31 percent from last week.This is significantly ahead of the five-year average of 32 percent and the ten-year average of 34 percent.
All regions were able to make considerable seeding gains this week.Currently the southwest region continues to lead in seeding progress with 76 percent complete.The northwest region sits at 49 percent complete.

The southeast, west central and northeast regions are all reporting 43 percent  complete seeding and the east central region is reporting 33 percent seeding completion.Overall producers are busy planting pulse crops as they continue to lead in seeding progress across the province, closely followed by cereal crops and some producers are moving into oilseed crops such as canola in the southern parts of the province.

Over the coming weeks producers will be busy seeding while scouting their early seeded crops that are beginning to emerge.Many are also applying pre-seed herbicide products for weed control as the weather allows along with harrowing, land rolling and rock picking.Livestock producers are checking fences and starting to move cattle to pasture but have noted that although pastures are starting  to green up, growth is slow due to the drier conditions we've been experiencing.

Rosso says the warm, dry and windy conditions are continuing to deplete topsoil moisture across the province and producers are hoping for moisture in the coming weeks to help support crop development and improve hay and pasture conditions.