‘We need to get in the field:’ Some Sask. farmers starting to feel the strain

While some farmers in Saskatchewan would do just about anything for a solid downpour, others have already had enough.

Large amounts of rain were hitting various areas in the eastern part of the province on Friday, further delaying the start of seeding season for many.

David Renkas, the owner of Parkland Agronomy in Ituna, says farmers are kind of split about the current state of the weather.

“We need the precipitation, but on the other hand, we need to get in the field,” Renkas said. “Right now, we do need things to dry up and get our equipment out in the field and get our seed in the ground really quick.”

According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s crop report Thursday, seeding was just 14 per cent complete in the province, well below the five-year average for this time of year of 23 per cent.

Farmers in the southwest region were the furthest along with 34 per cent of their crop in the ground, with producers in the west-central region next at 20 per cent. But seeding was only seven per cent completed in the southeast, five per cent done in the northwest, three per cent complete in the east-central region and one per cent done in the northeast.

Renkas says farmers in his area have barely got seeding underway so far this spring.

“It has been a very low percentage start here. We did have a few growers that did start within the last day or so, but (they’re) really just struggling with the snow that’s still hanging around,” Renkas said.

The rain coming in over the weekend might help the matter, according to Renkas.

“Hopefully this rain takes away that snow now, and if we can get some warm weather, everything will be a go here in the next week or so,” Renkas said.

Last year, seeding was able to start earlier in the year, which helped farmers prepare for harvest in a timely manner.

“You always want to get the seed in the ground early in decent time in May, because in September and those cool nights, frost is always something we think about,” Renkas said.

Farmers haven’t reached a panic mode quite yet, but Renkas says they are counting on sunny days ahead to help make up for the rain.

“There is a calm right now, but if we don’t get some decent weather here over the weekend and into next week, then there will be more of a panic mode,” he said. “It’s not like we need any more stress on the farming community.”