Ashley Messier builds hockey legacy with sights on PWHL, Olympics
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Mark Messier is her distant cousin, but this Sask. hockey product is carving her own path.
As farmers wait for better weather to continue with harvest, the prolonged period of rain this week helped cropland in the long run.
After a record dry April across central Saskatchewan, crops extension specialist Cory Jacob said cropland soil moisture has turned a corner, now putting the land in a much better position.
“We were starting the year on the lower side for topsoil moisture reserves. Now we’re kind of to the point where we’re filled back up almost so it’s definitely good for now,” said Jacob.
Thursday’s crop report said topsoil moisture conditions on cropland rated 17 per cent surplus, 75 per cent adequate and eight per cent short.
One year ago, it is was the opposite with moisture conditions rated 75 per cent short or very short and 25 per cent as adequate.
The rain also sets up the land for the winter months for good crop germination next spring, which farmers were struggling with this year.
“It takes a little bit of the stress off for next spring where we’re hoping for that rain when we’ve already got some of that moisture in the bank or in the soil,” said Jacob.
Last winter was drier than normal, which amplified the drought-like conditions in the spring, leading to troubles for farmers at the start of the season.
Jacob explained this rainy end to the summer could prevent that in 2020, adding no one knows for sure how much snow is going to fall.
“It’s good to have your moisture in the bank now rather than hoping for some later on,” said Jacob.
The biggest concern for the near future is if the rain continues to fall, leading to flooding. Fortunately, after a mostly rainy week across Saskatchewan, the forecast calls for the return of sunny weather on Friday.
“After (Thursday), we should be pretty favourable for drying,” Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Carlsen said. “It looks like — aside from the potential for some showers and thunderstorms on Monday, which are spotty — we should be fairly dry over the next week.”
Carlsen said over the last few days, Regina had received 46 millimetres of rain — and that number likely increased during the day Thursday. Moose Jaw had received 58.5 mm.
The normal rainfall for September for both cities was in the range of 35 mm, Carlsen said.
“We’re blasting well past the monthly normal in just a few days,” he said.
— With files from 980 CJME’s Joseph Ho