Seeding is well behind pace in southeast Saskatchewan, as producers wait for their fields to dry out enough to get into the field, particularly in the eastern half of the region.  

In the weekly crop report from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, it was reported seven percent of the crop is now in the ground. This is well behind the five-year average of 27 percent. Much of the progress seen so far has been in the western half of the region.  

“It’s That snowfall that we got at the end of April and this early May rain that’s holding the farmers off their fields,” explained Matt Struthers, a crop extensions specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture.  

While the rain is welcomed, the forecast is calling for more rain in the region in the coming days, with upwards of 50 millimetres expected. 

“I know a lot of farmers would like to see this rain maybe hold off another two weeks, so they could actually get in the fields, and then once their fields are seeded, they can let the downpour happen,” Struthers added. “Hopefully there’s not too many issues that come about this rain. It will hold a lot of farmers off their field but also could result in some minor flooding and some issues there.” 

The moisture levels in the region have been getting a benefit from the precipitation. The topsoil moisture for cropland in the southeast is rated as 16 percent surplus, 76 percent adequate, six percent short and two percent very short. For hay and pasture land, topsoil moisture is rated as four percent surplus, 77 percent adequate, 17 percent short and two percent very short.