By Geoff Smith

Crops on or ahead of schedule

Jun 23, 2016 | 2:02 PM

Timely rain has helped keep the crops on track, according to this week’s crop report from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In the northwest region, 98 per cent of fall cereals are at or ahead of the average stage of development for this time of year, 97 per cent of spring cereals and 96 per cent of oilseeds and pulse crops. Gophers are blamed for some damage in the area.

The west-central region reports 99 per cent of fall cereals, 93 per cent of spring cereals, 96 per cent of oilseeds, and 93 per cent of pulses are at or ahead of schedule and most crops are in good condition. Damage from cutworms is being reported.

Another round of timely rain has helped. Daphne Cruise, cropping management specialist, said there was some crop stress starting to show.

“I think right now the area around North Battleford, Spiritwood, even more (so) closer to Saskatoon, looks like most areas received about an inch, even sometime a little below the inch mark, and in some cases a bit higher,” she said. “(Particularly in this area,) I think that moisture is quite welcome, because some places have always been quite dry even since the start of seeding.”

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A quarter of the hay and pasture land in west-central Saskatchewan has less than adequate moisture, and 12 per cent of the crop land. In the northwest it’s a little drier – one third of hay and pasture land is short moisture, and 19 per cent of crop land.

The Meadow Lake area reports between two and three inches of total rainfall since April 1. Frenchman Butte has had three to five inches, depending on the location. Near the Battlefords, a total of two and a half inches of rain was reported so far, and less than two inches in the Wilkie area.

Crop quality is still a little early to judge, according to Cruise.

“We’re still in the early stages of flowering, and even pre-flowering for most crops,” she said. “(The) crop condition, I think for this time of year is quite good and in some cases, excellent. But time will tell how the actual harvest goes.”

gsmith@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @smithco