Tough decisions ahead for Blades despite strong start to season
5h ago
The Blades are third in the eastern conference with a record of 11-5-1-1.
Seeding is underway for some Saskatchewan farmers.
Matthew Struthers, a crops extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture, said the recent warm weather has allowed some producers to get out in their fields.
“It’s good to see the seeders are out there rolling, and producers are able to get this season underway,” Struthers said.
Seeding is behind this year compared to previous years, he explained, as it typically starts in mid-April. But the late arrival of spring wasn’t exactly conducive to getting the seeding season started.
Still, Struthers said producers in the southwest of the province, such as the Kyle and Elrose areas, west-central areas and the North Battleford area have started to seed.
He noted there’s still wet areas and cool soil in southeast parts of the province, such as the Yorkton region.
“It’s all about how much snow you got, and how much water is sitting around,” Struthers said, adding the season is looking good for most of the eastern half of the province when it comes to moisture.
“The spring storm certainly helped,” he said. “That was a lot of moisture that came down in the form of a wet snow, and thankfully it had been warm (before) that, and that allowed some of that moisture to get into the soil.”
Struthers said the first crop report of the season will be released next week.
Dan Howell, a cattle and grain farmer who lives north of Lumsden, said his seeding season will be delayed due to the extra snowfall the province got earlier this spring, but he said he is seeing a noticeable change with drier weather.
Although seeding is delayed for Howell, he said the moisture has been great compared to the last two dry seasons he experienced.
Looking ahead, Howell said the biggest challenge he will face this season will be getting crops planted in a timely manner.
“You don’t know when the first frost comes in the fall, so the sooner we get it in, the less risk there is of getting it off properly,” he told Greg Morgan Morning Show guest host Kevin Martel.