Spring seeding in east central Saskatchewan came on in a fast and furious manner after a warm and relatively dry spring. Many farmers were able to see their crops go in early, and in cases where rainfall has been generous, they are seeing positive results. However, the rainfall through the latter parts of the spring and into summer has been spotty and sporadic, resulting in concerns for some.  

That’s part of the observations to mid-July from Department of Agriculture agrologist Ashley Kaminski, based on her tours around the Humboldt area.  

“It’s definitely led to some variation in the crops,” says Kaminski. “There are definitely crops in the area that are way ahead of what we expect at this time. Then there are others that are relatively on time for what they should be. As the rains have been spotty, you can tell within a few miles that there’s a big difference in crop conditions.” 

There are variations in yields for some farmers from field to field. While Humboldt and the Highway 5 corridor and south have generally seen adequate rainfall in the late spring, just a few kilometres north, rain has skirted some locales, leaving patches that will see lower yields.  

In the province-wide picture, Kaminsky says the Humboldt region is doing well. 

“Around Humboldt and heading into the Lake Lenore and St. Brieux area, things look pretty good considering other places I’ve been to in the province. Heading south and southwest, it gets a bit more variable and spotty. The barley is the cereal that’s getting hit the hardest.” 

The rain that’s passed through the region in the past 24 hours has been welcome, but Kaminsky is concerned that some of the earlier seeded crops will not benefit from the added moisture. In those cases, the weights and yields are almost set.  

Farmers are coping with an overall drier trend in their cropping decisions, notes Kaminsky. While she doesn’t have firm data on cropping trends, she noted that malt barley acres are down, while wheat is up.  

Pests like grasshoppers have also presented concerns in the south and southwest, particularly in regions with lighter soil, says Kaminski. There are pockets of damage, but those pests are less of a concern in the eastern portions of the region. 

“As for disease, there has been fungicide application this year, but definitely less than on average.” 

Kaminsky says producers might want to consider fall soil sampling to determine fertilizer and other needs for the coming crop year. 

“Farmers paid a pretty penny for their fertilizer for the 2023 crop year, and since a year ago now, prices have come down quite a bit, so I think if I were a producer, I’d start lining up logistics to get soil sampling done for fall and have that be a priority for planning for the next crop year.” 

Kaminski reminds grain producers about the resources available to them through the Ag Ministry. Along with the regional office in Humboldt, farmers always have access to the online crop report with weekly overviews of what is happening in the region. Farmers can have a hand in assembling information for the provincial report.  

“We are still in need of additional crop reporters, so if someone is interested in giving a weekly report to the Ministry, you can head online to get more information.” 

Weekly crop reports are available through the provincial government website at saskatchewan.ca.