The torrential rains, winds and a brief hail interlude, didn’t seem to negatively impact the agricultural community around Estevan last week, at least not to a great extent.
Sherri Roberts, regional crop specialist for the Ministry of Agriculture, said it seems most of the producers in the area will be able to continue their yearly gamble with Mother Nature holding the house cards.
“You can go to the casino, or you can go farming,” she said with a chuckle. “That’s the way it has always been with farming hasn’t it?”
Roberts said though that “some fields did show symptoms of having too much water and are now submerged as a result of the July 10 storm, as well as substantial rain events that succeeded it. “Some fungal bodies are thriving and you can’t beat it now,” she said.
“But some crops can handle it for a few days, like corn and soybeans and even some wheat. Lentils and peas though, well, water is tough on them.”
Roberts said the frequency of rain events in the southeast, have brought the current state of crop development on. Ergot is being found in some fall rye fields. There was enough rain in the area while those crops were flowering that led to that situation.
Sooty mould and fusarium are also showing up in some crops. Roberts added though that “this year a lot of farmers have been more proactive in getting the crops sprayed, but it still comes down to a matter of timing. If the timing wasn’t right, the spraying might not have done any good, and there is a lot of variation around the region,” she added.
In some sectors, crops are maturing rapidly while in areas around Wood Mountain, the cereal crops have not even headed out yet, “so it could be a long season.”
So far there have not been any major insect problems other than a few aphids and they are so low in numbers that it wouldn’t be economically feasible to go after them, she suggested.
“Canola crops are coming along well and no major hail damage reported yet.
Speaking of the variables in the entire region, she said there are some sections in southeast Saskatchewan that are needing moisture badly while other areas such as those around Weyburn and Estevan, have had more than enough.
“We are still aiming for some real good yields this year because there were some timely rains.”
Pasture lands are looking strong and healthy, but the frequency of the rainfalls has meant that most farmers and ranchers haven’t been able to complete the first cut of hay and if they do get at it, “it’s certainly not guaranteed to be dry, and putting up wet hay is not a good thing at all.”
Roberts said she hoped producers will take some time to attend some regional field days. She said she attended one in Wood Mountain two weeks ago that focused on an organic field with over 70 producers on hand. “The focus was on cover crops, and it was a good presentation. Another one is planned for Outlook soon.”
With commodity prices remaining relatively firm, Roberts said the hopes were for a good harvest and a good return for their labours in the farming community.
“Lentils could take a dive because we planted over 4.5 million acres into them this year, but if the water damaged a lot of that, then the price won’t drop that much. Soybean prices have rebounded and while most producers here are still looking at corn as a forage crop, not as a grain yet, it could be a good year for that crop as well.”
On the durum and red spring wheat side, prices could be decent, while prices for peas remain good.
