Seeding in the southeast area is progressing quickly with the warm, dry weather enabling farmers to get their crops planted in many of their fields, with the need for rain being the most urgent requirement right now.
The 3ASE and 2A crop districts, which covers the Radville-Lake Alma and Weyburn areas respectively, are the furthest ahead in the area at 48 and 45 per cent respectively, as of May 2, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture鈥檚 weekly crop report.
For Creelman producer Marcel Van Staveren, he is around 70 per cent finished seeding on the farm owned and operated by himself and his brothers as of Monday, and he estimates in the region producers are around 50 to 60 per cent done. 鈥淲e started around April 22. I think that was the earliest we鈥檝e ever started. We鈥檝e never been this far advanced (by May 9) in 25 years of farming,鈥� said Van Staveren.
Emergence has begun of some of the first-planted crops, such as the spring wheat crops, lentils and canola, with the latter two crops both coming up about eight days after planting.
He estimates that barring any rainfall, he and his brothers could be all done with another five to seven days of seeding, with the plan to seed their soybeans in about seven days鈥� time.
Van Staveren notes there is a forecast for some rain coming, and he鈥檚 hopeful this area will be able to get some of that.
鈥淪oil moisture levels are very good right now, but we are seeing dryness in the soil so a rain would certainly help us and definitely would make us feel better,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat would be our biggest concern at this time.鈥�
Van Staveren noted that there isn鈥檛 any weed problems coming up yet as the fall herbicide applications are doing their job, and no insect problems have yet emerged.
Commodity prices have generally been strengthening as well, said Van Staveren. 鈥淐anola has been up nicely in the last two to three weeks, and soybeans as well.鈥�
Coupled with this are diesel fuel prices that are at their lowest level in at least the last five years.
鈥淢ost farmers will burn about four litres of diesel per acre. These things add up and makes a difference,鈥� said Van Staveren.
As of the crop report issued for the period ending May 2, 42 per cent of field peas, 30 per cent of lentils, 22 per cent of barley, 20 per cent of mustard and spring wheat, 19 per cent of durum, 15 per cent of soybeans, 13 per cent of canaryseed, 11 per cent of canola and eight per cent of flax have been seeded in the southeast area.
The majority of winter cereals in the region came through the winter in good shape, with some reports that some fields have winter kill damage. There have been some reports of field fires, and there are concerns that fields are drying up faster than expected this spring. Some producers may consider changing their seeding intentions if moisture does not arrive soon.
