Despite the floods that continue to pound communities and farms in southern Saskatchewan, some crops surrounding Weyburn and Estevan remain stable. Others are facing serious problems.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture's July 3 crop report, cropland topsoil moisture conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Local slough, lake and creek levels have risen significantly as well. Reports of stranded livestock have been received, and several communities in the immediate surrounding area have reported flood levels exceeding 150 mm. Low spots in the crop fields are completely submerged under water. Unlike the areas surrounding Moosomin, which has recorded the greatest amount of rainfall since April 1 with 520 mm and contains severely damaged crops, some farmlands around the Energy City are still in fair condition.
"Sadly, there are likely some fields that are totally wiped out, while others are looking pretty good," said Sherri Roberts, regional crops specialist in the Weyburn office of the Ministry of Agriculture, but she noted that certain fields, which have been on the receiving end of Mother Nature's recent downpour, are not past the point of recovery.
"It depends on the crops, but certain fields have their own adaptive ways of dealing with being waterlogged, others are much more sensitive. It will also depend on the state the soil was in before the deluge," she explained.
Many farmers however, have given up on parts of their land that are under water, said Roberts, and Warren Ward, agronomy specialist from the Canola Council of Canada, suggested producers discontinue treating extremely poor areas of the field.
"If you're constantly worrying about what you've already lost, you're putting the rest of the crops at risk," he said, adding the dangers sclerotinia pose to established crops during wet conditions deserve a lot of attention.
When excess rainfall hits canola crops, they become highly susceptible to sclerotinia, a fungus that rots canola stems. Ward said as farmers head into the fungicide management period, they should be aware that sclerotinia can still destroy fine areas of crops if left unchecked.
"With all the moisture we've had, when you're looking at canola, sclerotinia would be front and centre in terms of the weed control people are considering right now," he said.
Roberts said some farmlands around Carnduff have been hit with diamondback moths, which don't regularly cause significant damage, but in certain years, have swarmed crops and contributed greatly to the overall millions of dollars in lost revenue. Bertha armyworm moths are another potentially serious hazard, especially when they accumulate into large armies. Lygus bugs have emerged in the Weyburn area, she said, alongside the small sap-sucking insects called aphids.
Ward said producers should keep the economic threshold in mind, and spray fields only when large numbers of insects are visible.
Farmers also have to deal with the problems that occur beyond the farmland, like the deterioration of certain highways.
Despite the improvement in areas around Esterhazey, Rocanville, Yorkton and Melville, Highway 10 between Balcarres to Melville remained closed as of July 4, said Doug Wakabayashi spokesman for Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure. Soft spots and potholes are dotting many roadways, while the shoulders of many highways and grid structures are gone, he warned.
Roberts said farmers operating large machinery on the highways must remain vigilant, and not cut corners.
"In some of the really heavily flooded areas it's more of a concern because waterlogged soil can move on you, and banks can give away," she said.
The extent of the damage done to crops so far cannot be represented by numbers, said Shawn Jaques, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, noting how they need to wait until the water levels go down, so they can go out and inspect the fields.
"Our offices have been pretty quiet so far," he said. "We don't want to speculate on what the impact would be. I'll have to wait on the number of claims we have and what the producers are reporting to us."
Though the recent calamity has caused some to harken back to the 2011 floods, Ward said the erratic weather over the past several years has caused producers to adapt, and it's showing in how many have handled this situation.
"To say everything is back to normal since 2011 is a big leap, but defining normal in weather nowadays is hard to do. People have adapted, and their mindset has changed in terms of what ideal conditions are. They are an innovative group and they will look for the best way to get things done," he said.
