Last week’s provincial crop report highlighted plenty of rainfall in Saskatchewan. For some producers with late seeded crops, the rain was a welcome sight, while others with early seeded crops are concerned about the potential impact of the rain. The prevailing hope among producers is for warm and dry weather in the coming weeks to support crop development. “Especially in the southwest, they have been hammered with rain the last three to four weeks and they would just like some dry conditions to get crops maturing,” said Government of Saskatchewan Crop Extension Specialist Tyce Masich. “In the northwest, it has been quite a bit drier up there relative to the rest of the province, so if there’s anywhere in the province that wants to see more rainfall, it’s producers in the northwest.” Masich added that for most crops at this point in the season, it is too late for any added rainfall to make a difference as the crops mature. He said canola crops, which are later seeded crops, were one of the main beneficiaries from the recent moisture. According to the report, excess moisture was the main culprit in crop damage last week, but it was minor and not widespread. “So, excess moisture can cause crops to become bleached or discoloured. So, it can lower grain quality once producers go to sell it,” Masich said. “Another thing that can happen is in fall, rye and barley crops, sometimes the seeds can sprout before their harvest, which means you can’t sell them to a grain elevator, for example,” he added. The full crop report can be seen here.
