The seeding season is starting up in Saskatchewan with farmers out in the fields spraying, tilling, and seeding.

Farmers will look to get seed in the ground as soon as possible for a number of economic and logistical reasons.

Southeast Agrologist Edgar Hammermeister says the southeast has seen a good start with some areas seeing different effects.

"There is a bit of a gradient in soil moisture conditions. So in the Estevan west area, they were started a lot earlier than us east of Estevan. They probably had the opportunity to go for a week earlier now."

Some of those circumstances include some recent rain in the eastern area as well as more snowpack from over the winter which kept the ground wetter for longer.

"Overall there was a lot of diesel fuel starting to get burned here starting the last few days and that takes a little bit to kind of shake the rust out and work out the bugs on the drills as things come out of winter. Even though you think you have everything ready to go, once the machine is working, there's always something that pops up as a surprise."

Hammermeister expects the area's farmers to focus more on durum due to some of the current market factors.

"I think there's going to be a bit of a slant toward the durum acres. There's a pretty good premium over spring wheat, but aside from that, I think the farmers are going to be following their usual rotations, fairly closely. The cereal acres will be cereal and the pulses will be pulses, just that they'll skew their spring wheat a little bit toward the durum." 

Hammermeister asks that people keep an eye out on the roads this seeding season as farmers will be on highways and dirt roads moving equipment.

"We're not moving very fast, so if you see something big on the highway, please start slowing down and just give us a little bit of patience as we're trying to maneuver the equipment. We're going to try and get off the highway as soon as possible and we appreciate your cooperation."