To say the Weyburn region got hit with a lot of snow could be considered an understatement by some. The city itself saw close to 35 centimetres fall, while other areas were reporting quite a bit more.

For producers in the region, after an extremely dry 2017, the moisture was welcome.

Dale Paslawski farms near Cedoux. He said they received just a little over the foot.

“I don’t know how much moisture there is in that snow,” Paslawski said. “Usually the old rule of thumb is 12 inches of snow equals one inch of rain.”

“It’s great for everyone in the game of agriculture, and more specifically for cattlemen that right now are considering taking action and reducing herd size based off of what appears to be very little to no spring run-off,” added Marcel Van Staveren.

With the last major precipitation coming to the region in June of last year, it is hoped the snowfall will provide enough come the melt to help with seeding. Van Staveren explained it will be nice to see some more precipitation.

“This is the first of hopefully two or three more events we get over the next few weeks,” he said.

For those who are in the middle of calving, it can make things a little tougher as well. Paslawski explained care will need to be taken to ensure calves don’t get caught in a snowbank and will bring a little more work around corrals.

In the long run, though, both Van Staveren and Paslawski agree this is a good start, but more moisture, whether rain or snow, will be needed before seeding is over, and then more throughout the growing season.