CNS Canada — Seeding in Alberta is nearing completion, with about 90 per cent of the crop reported in the ground as of Friday, despite the southern part of the province starting about two weeks later than normal.
“Although it was a late start to the year, we had really good conditions for people to get the crop in,” said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with Alberta’s provincial Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “There were very few interruptions.”
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The crops that haven’t been seeded yet are mostly for swath grazing and greenfeed, he said, adding there weren’t too many crops seeded outside of their optimal windows.
Overall, crop conditions are good so far, as most regions received at least half an inch of rain to start the season and help with emergence. But more rain will be needed soon across the province, said Brook.
“That (rain) has all gone into germination, but there’s not much subsoil moisture down there,” he added.
Forecasts call for variable rain showers in some parts of the province next week, but nothing really widespread across the province, according to Brook.
HOW’S SEEDING COMING? We’d like to see photos of your seeding progress by email at [email protected].
Forage crops look good so far, but grass may see some productivity problems this summer because there were a lot of cattle sent to pasture too early this spring.
“I think guys just ran out of hay; we had such a long severe winter and people went through their feed supplies faster than they expected,” Brook added.
There aren’t too many concerns about disease or insect damage yet, though there has been some canola sprayed for flea beetles. Cutworms weren’t a big problem as of early June, as the insect seems to be at its low cycle in Alberta.
— Terryn Shiells writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.
