‘It’s good news’: Farmers await possible thunderstorms

Severe thunderstorms could hit Saskatchewan on Thursday night, and that could be good news for farmers.

The latest crop report from the Ministry of Agriculture showed there isn’t enough topsoil moisture in 44 per cent of cropland and 65 per cent of hay and pasture land.

Todd Lewis, a farmer near Regina and the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said he welcomes the possibility of a storm.

“The interesting part of this system is that (it could bring) a significant amount of rainfall across a really significant area of the province. It’s good news,” he said. “It’s going to be really good to get the crop established.”

Winston Van Staverin farms close to Creelman in the southeast. Early on in the season, he was worried about drought-like conditions.

“It’s a lot better now … As soon as we finished seeding, we got rain right away, so that really saved us. We’re pretty happy about that,” he said Thursday.

Even so, he welcomes the idea of more moisture.

“We’re hoping to get a lot here,” he said. “That would be really nice.”

Layne Abrahamson is a rancher close to Hanley. He needs moisture for his pasture land and also for the crops he grows to feed his cattle in the winter.

He’s also feeling good about his topsoil moisture, but pointed out it has been a while since he has seen a year with a lot of rain.

“We’ve been in a cycle of drought for three (or) four years. So every year, our subsoil moisture is getting less and less. Every year, in some respects, it gets more desperate. You keep getting drier and drier,” he explained.

“If you drive around and look, there are sloughs that have no water in them … That gives you an idea of the reserve moisture out there: There really isn’t much.”

Because of that, he’s welcoming the chance of a major storm.

Lewis said a single rain won’t fix that problem, but it will help out.

“In a lot of Saskatchewan right now, the moisture is only a couple feet deep … Let’s hope that we continue to see some rain events throughout the year and come off with a decent crop,” he said.