'While there are dozens of factors that ultimately determine a successful year, getting the right moisture at the right time remains one of the most important,' said Saskatchewan farmer Kristjan Hebert. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Daniel Reech, CKOM News Staff

Rainfall in south could bring billion-dollar boost to Saskatchewan’s crops

Jul 2, 2024 | 9:39 AM

“Million-dollar rain” is a phrase one might’ve heard from farmers over the years.

It describes an ideal amount of rainfall that producers are looking for to help the growth of their crops.

Economic Development Regina decided to put the idea of the sweet spot to the test, taking a look at the impact of a “good soak” like what much of the province experience in June.

In partnership with Regina-based tech and agronomy company Crop Intelligence, Economic Development Regina discovered through data collection and modelling that 25 millimetres of rain can have a massive impact on the yield potential of Saskatchewan farms.

“We looked at a geographic area around Regina all the way up to Saskatoon, actually. (We) looked at what is the value of an inch of rain in the seeded acres that we have at the time that we were getting it,” Economic Development Regina’s Chris Lane explained during an appearance on The Evan Bray Show.

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“It turns out that it’s a 12 to 15 per cent yield bump, potentially, in the major crops that we grow here – so cereals, pulses and canola.”

According to a news release from Economic Development Regina, crops in the southern third of Saskatchewan have seen a $1 billion boost in yield potential from the rain. The extra moisture will be welcomed in many areas which struggled under drought-like conditions during the 2023 growing season.

Crop Intelligence’s model said 25 millimetres or an inch of rain provides a 13 per cent increase to cereal yields, a 12 per cent boost to canola yields, and a 12 per cent increase on pulse yields

Lane said Economic Development Regina and Crop Intelligence worked with farmers like Kristjan Hebert, who perform bushels-per-acre yield calculations based on what’s been seeded, when it’s been seeded and where it’s at during the growing phase, as well as how it interacts with moisture, heat and chemical applications.

“A model like this has probably five or six different input points, and you sort of jam it all together and you come up with what is potentially a significant increase in yield,” Lane said.

Lane said this form of modelling is useful across numerous different sectors, but it’s only as good as the data that can be collected and put into it.

“We are at a point where so many acres are measured in a way that they wouldn’t have been measured before, so it allows us to know more about what’s happening,” he said.

Lane said the calculations are only based on potential.

“Every farmer knows that you’ve got to get through bugs and plant disease and hail. If we don’t get the right heat at the right time, that’ll change things,” Lane said.

“There’s a long way to go here before you take off a crop that’s been well soaked.”

Despite some producers struggling with excess water in their fields, Hebert shared the optimistic outlook.

“While there are dozens of factors that ultimately determine a successful year, getting the right moisture at the right time remains one of the most important,” said Hebert, who is based in the Moosomin area.

“While nothing counts until the crop is in the bin, the boost in soil moisture we’ve seen this spring puts crops in a strong position heading into the summer.”