Farmers in Saskatchewan’s west-central region praying for rain

It has been a stressful time for many Saskatchewan farmers early on this season, with many desperate for rain to help with crops.

Mallory Scott and her family farm near Landis, a community about 130 kilometres west of Saskatoon. They’re praying the weather gods can bring them as much rain as possible this week.

“It’s very welcome. We’ve had next to nothing for rain so far this spring. We are looking for some moisture,” Scott said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s crop report issued last Thursday, seeding in the west-central and southwest regions of the province was nearly complete. But producers were concerned their crops wouldn’t survive without rain.

The weather forecast is predicting plenty of precipitation this week across the province and Scott says it’s hard not to get excited about the potential for her crops and cattle.

“(It) gives us a little hope that things are going to grow for the season,” Scott said.

“The crop’s coming up and it looks OK, but (it’s) definitely moving along slower and we’re just really wanting some moisture so we can feel a little more at ease through the summer if things progress.”

Right now, rain would solve a ton of the issues Scott and her family are facing.

“We’re hoping all of our crops get a little bit of something and we have cattle (so rain is needed) as well for our pasture,” she said.

If the rain ends up missing Scott’s chunk of land, she says they could face dire consequences.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve had any complete loss so far from the dryness, but (it’s) just a matter of time now, I guess,” she said. “Another couple weeks, it might be different for some for sure.”

Scott says stress is something every farmer deals with on some level and it’s part of what being a farmer is all about.

“It’s stressful knowing the risk that we’re in by farming,” she said, “but we just have to remain hopeful as we wait for some rain to come and hope that this is the week.”