By Thomas Miller
The lack of snowfall in the Lloydminster area could have an impact on winter wheat crops.
Daphne Cruise, a regional crops specialist for Agriculture Saskatchewan, said those winter crops are in danger if moisture levels don’t improve and temperatures do dip as expected.
“If we don’t get a lot of snowfall and we get very cold temperatures into January and February then there may be some potential for some of those winter wheat crops to have some potential winter-kill,” she said.
Sherrilyn Phelps, a regional crops specialist for Agriculture Saskatchewan in the North Battleford office, said freezing temperatures would help the crops get through winter alive.
“Cycles of freezing and thawing can affect the overwintering ability of winter wheat crops,” said Phelps. “Other crops that would be planted in the spring are affected by the moisture that’s available in the spring.”
As for 2012, Cruise said she couldn’t make any projections off of our current weather, but an increase in moisture would help.
“Certainly in the Lloydminster region there are areas that are quite dry going into the winter, but if we get some good snowfall and some timely spring rains, there’s potential for a very good crop for a lot of the province, especially for the Lloydminster area,” she said. “It’s too early to tell at this point what we’re going to be faced with for 2012.
Cruise said, in planning for spring seeding, to look to the skies as the winter fades into spring and hopefully it brings rain along with it.
“It all depends on how the spring weather goes and what kind of runoff there is. And what kind of rains we get in the spring to determine what kind of progress we’re going to make and how timely that spring seeding is going to be,” she said.
Phelps continued on the importance of moisture because of potentially low reserves.
“Being that (we) came out of a fairly dry fall, our soil moisture reserves are lower, for the most part, than what they were the year before,” she said. “The snowfall helps to recharge some of that soil moisture and prepare the crops.”
Phelps said the crops that use the most amount of moisture in the spring are canolas and cereals, and while peas don’t use as much water during the growing season, they need moisture to help germinate.
Unfortunately, crops are at the mercy of the weather, added Phelps.
“There’s not a lot you can do about Mother Nature,” she said. “If you feel it is going to be a drier year you can choose plants that are more responsive in drier situations such as cereals and pulses. With the hybrid canolas, that are the majority of the canolas grown, they are also more tolerant of drier conditions than the original open-pollenated ones.
“Crop selection and variety selection can be important.”