The planting of the 2020 crop is mostly finished in the southeast region, with 97 per cent of the crop seeded for the southeast, and 99 per cent in the Weyburn crop district.
Seeding is not quite finished in the Radville-Lake Alma-Minton area, where seeding was at 94 per cent complete, according to Sask. Agriculture’s weekly crop report.
Provincially, seeding is 96 per cent completed, which is ahead of the five-year average of 92 per cent for this time of year.
For the southeast region as a whole, 99 per cent of the durum, field peas, chickpeas, canaryseed and mustard is planted, along with 98 per cent of the spring wheat and lentils, 97 per cent of the canola, 96 per cent of the flax, 95 per cent of the barley, and 91 per cent of the oats and soybeans.
The crop conditions for the southeast region were reported as of June 1, broken down by the various crops.
Winter wheat was reported to be 62 per cent good and 18 per cent excellent; fall rye is 45 per cent good and 47 per cent excellent; spring wheat is reported to be 20 per cent fair, 77 per cent good and two per cent excellent; durum is 23 per cent fair, 73 per cent good and two per cent excellent; oats are 25 per cent fair, 71 per cent good and two per cent excellent; barley is 28 per cent fair, 68 per cent good and one per cent excellent; and canaryseed is rated as 54 per cent fair, 43 per cent good and one per cent excellent.
Flax is 39 per cent in fair condition and 60 per cent good; canola is 38 per cent fair and 58 per cent good; mustard is 47 per cent fair and 53 per cent good; soybeans are 16 per cent fair and 83 per cent good condition; peas are 16 per cent fair, 77 per cent good and six per cent excellent; lentils are 21 per cent fair, 69 per cent good and nine per cent excellent; and chickpeas are 20 per cent fair, 77 per cent good and three per cent excellent.
Continuous wind conditions have been drying out the soil and reducing emergence of some crops. Most of the crop damage in the past week was due to strong winds, dry soil, flea beetles, cutworms and light frost in some areas.
There was limited rainfall in the past week or so, prior to the showers on Saturday and Monday in the Weyburn region.
The RM of Brokenshell received 3 mm, Weyburn had nil, Fillmore had a trace, Wellington saw 1 mm of rain and Francis received between 2.5 and 4 mm of rain, with the RM of Laurier receiving around 2 mm of rain.
Windy conditions continued this week, reducing topsoil moisture levels, and some later-seeded and shallow-seeded crops were showing delayed emergence in some areas. The wind has also prevented farmers from pre-seed burn-off and delayed in-crop weed control.
Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 59 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and five per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil is rated as 48 per cent adequate, 39 per cent short and 13 per cent very short.
