The continuing rains in the past week have caused over 80 per cent of crop reporters in the southeast area to indicate crop lands have surplus moisture, which has resulted in seeding to fall far behind.

As the calendar edges closer to the crop insurance deadline of June 20 for seeding, some farmers are done but many producers are not yet finished seeding in the southeast area, and a few producers haven't even begun seeding yet.

Weyburn area producer Eldon Strawford, who farms west of Weyburn, said he has three quarters left to seed, and is reaching the point where he may not be able to seed those quarters at all.

He was able to get 500 acres in of spring wheat and barley, and the crop that has been emerging is looking yellowish, in bad need of warm sunshine to begin growing.

"I'm in that hardpan clay; once it's dry it really gets dry, but right now we're soaked up. I've never seen it like this," said Strawford, estimating that since the snow came on May 11 he has received 10 inches of rain, "enough to plant two crops."

With the crop insurance deadline of June 20 fast approaching, he doesn't know if it will be possible to get anything in the remaining quarters of land, so he may have to take the crop insurance payment provided for conditions where seeding is not possible.

For Creelman-area farmer John Van Staveren, he's about 97 per cent finished as they started seeding operations on April 24.

"We've been going every day we could, going night and day sometimes," he said, adding that some farmers in his area are finished and others are about half-done.

"A lot of the crop has emerged, but the trouble with the wet weather is we're having trouble getting out to spray weeds. The crops are coming up okay but it's kind of slow; we need some heat," said Van Staveren.

He estimates his land has had about six inches of moisture, including the snow, and it's been able to handle it so far, "but it's getting to the point we can't handle any more."

There has been some flooding in low-lying areas, although soil erosion has not been a problem as he doesn't summerfallow fields anymore.

Fillmore-area farmer Terry Hansen said he's about 55 per cent complete with seeding, and estimated many farmers in the area to be between 30 and 50 per cent done.

Of the crops that were seeded, a lot of it is two to three inches high already, but like many others, it's very weedy.

"More and more people here have gone to zero-till. Those crops are going to be a bit of a problem in terms of weeds," said Hansen, estimating his land has had about nine inches of moisture in the last three weeks or so.

In his travels, he said the area from Tyvan to Kronau looks to be in even worse shape in terms of excess moisture.

According to the weekly crop report from Sask. Ag and Food, crop development for all crops is behind due to the cool and wet conditions, and flea beetle damage has been showing up in canola crops.

Rainfall in area RMs ranged from 32 millimetres in Tecumseh, 34mm in Lake Alma and 35mm in the RM of Weyburn to 40-50mm in most RMs, including Cymri, Griffin, Brokenshell, Norton, Fillmore, Wellington, Caledonia, Francis, Surprise Valley, Laurier and The Gap.