Recent Rains Help Crops

After what has been a dry Spring crops and pastures have received much needed rainfall. Moose Jaw and the area around it has benefitted from rains in the past week.

According to the provincial crop report the rain has been highly beneficial to pastures many which were in poorer conditions before the rains.

Crop development is progressing in the province as a result of warm weather and recent rainfall.  Fifty-nine per cent of the fall cereals and 24 per cent of spring cereals are in the heading stage.  Thirty-seven per cent of canola and mustard and 48 per cent of pulse crops (peas) are in the flowering stage.

The Moose Jaw region is no exception with flowering canola and field pea crops receiving moisture from rain. Adequate moisture is key to potential larger yields for canola and peas as it ecourages greater numbers of flowers and resultant seed pods.

Recent rains have come at the right time for many areas crops including this canola field north of Tuxford - MJ Independent photo

Despite the beneficial rains many areas received hail and strong winds.

Last weekend’s hail and tornadoes in the Meyrrone, Assoniboia and Weyburn areas amongst others has damaged crops although the extent of the damage is unknown at the present time.

The most heavily hit region wa the Tisdale area where reported damaged crops and property due to storms last Thursday and isolated areas in the southwest region received heavy hail over the weekend which reportedly damaged crops.

Haying has started throughout the province.  Livestock producers now have eight per cent of the hay crop cut and three per cent baled or put into silage.  Hay quality is currently rated as eight per cent excellent, 66 per cent good, 20 per cent fair and six per cent poor.

Recent rains have improved pasture conditions - MJ Independent photo

Regions which have seen fainfall over the past few weeks have reported inmproved pasture conditions. Across the province pasture conditions are rated as 12 per cent excellent, 49 per cent good, 30 per cent fair, seven per cent poor and two per cent very poor.  Pastures in the southern and east-central regions have been rated as fair-good compared to the other regions rated as fair-excellent.

Despite some reports of some saturated fields in the more nothern areas of the province over all the majority of cropland topsoil moisture - 82 percent - is rated as having adequate. The majority - 71 percent - of hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as adequate.