Rain improves topsoil moisture across Sask.

Rain in the past week was a welcome gift to many farmers, but not all crops are getting the moisture they need.

The provincial crop report for the week of May 29 to June 4 said moisture across Saskatchewan has not been consistent. While the southeast is flooded, the southwest is still dry.

“We were all really smiling big when it first began to rain, and then for some areas, it just kept raining and kept raining,” said Shannon Friessen with the Ministry of Agriculture.

She said if the soil is really saturated already, it doesn’t have room to hold more moisture. If the soil is dry, it doesn’t take long to soak up moisture.

After months of dry conditions, the crop report said 67 per cent of the crops across the province now have adequate topsoil moisture.

While the recent rain helped some areas, Saskatchewan Agriculture cautions that continued lack of rain may affect crops and hay yields over the rest of the season.

The report said farmers completed 96 per cent of seeding. This is ahead of the 90 per cent average for the previous five years.

Most crops are still behind their development for this time of year. Flooding, hail, wind, insects, and lack of moisture are also causing crop damage in certain areas.

Friessen said moving forward, crops need both heat and rain because of inconsistent rainfall.