Seeding delays become critical

Saskatchewan is about one more rain away from a very big problem. Depending upon where you look and who you ask, we may already have a very big problem. When it’s the middle of May and there’s a major rain event, the conventional wisdom is, “Don’t worry, there’s still lots of time.” Now, it’s the end of May and there is still time to complete seeding, but it’s running late. A lot of areas need some significant drying before seeding will be possible. Even light showers will cause further delays. June 20 is the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance seeding deadline for most crops. A few years ago, I remember producers seeding right up until that deadline, but the results weren’t very good on anything seeded after the middle of June. It’s common for 15 or even 20 per cent of the Saskatchewan crop to be seeded in June, but this year there’s about 40 per cent left to go in the ground. There are lots of producers who have more than 70 per cent of their crop left to seed. That will take time, especially as you pick your way around newly formed sloughs. Abnormal weather creates problems, but it can also solve problems. Perhaps the weather will cooperate and by the time fall rolls around these seeding delays won’t seem like such a big deal. Here’s hoping. I’m Kevin Hursh.