Wet weather and waterlogged soil shouldn't dampen farmers' spirits even if spring seeding is delayed a few days.
"This is not a problem - this is a good thing. To not get into fields because of moisture is a good thing," said Extension Agrologist Elaine Moats.
Sask Ag and Food's latest crop report shows preparatory seeding activity has started to take place in most areas of the province, with limited activity in the southeast, where spring runoff peaks were high, and spring rain continues to fall.
However, given a choice between dry conditions allowing for early seeding, and having to wait a couple of days because of moisture, most farmers have been telling Moats they would choose the latter.
Spring seeding in the Weyburn area usually starts the first week in May. A handfull of farmers north of Radville have started seeding due to the soil type in the area.
Moats said moisture won't be a cause for concern unless it persists in the next couple of weeks.
The crop report also indicates fertilizer use is expected to be down by four per cent in the southern area of the province. Moats attributes that to a cash flow problem.
"This year is difficult - because of the shortage of operating funds, producers are more reluctant to pre-buy inputs or make their arrangements ahead of time," she said.
Crop reporters in the southeast corner have indicated some shortages of granular innoculant for pulse crops. Since this is a new product, Moats said the manufacturers have had problems getting production up and running. That, coupled with an increase in the acres of pulse crops planted in the area, have caused the shortage.
There are also shortages of some canola varieties in the southeast. Moats said a number of farmers who planned on canola did make their arrangements early on, but those who didn't may not be able to get the specific variety they wanted.
"Lots of good varieties are still around, so producers can work around that problem with other varieties."
Weyburn-area farmers will be on the lookout for wheat midge again this year, since cocoon densities were very high in the area. Pockets of moderate to severe grasshopper infestation are expected on land close to the border, but shouldn't be a major problem for most farmers in the area.
Bertha army worms have been a cause for concern in the past few years, but Moats thinks this will be the year they start to fade away.
"Last year they were a considerably smaller threat than the year before. They tend to run in 4 to 5 year cycles with a big outbreak, and then they die off," Moats explained.
Testing for the bertha army moth will take place on some canola fields in the area in a couple of months.
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