By Chris Brown

Dry weather

Still time for winter moisture before farmers and ranchers get worried

Jan 28, 2021 | 10:43 AM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB – A lack of snow makes for better conditions for those on the road, but those who also have to worry about the conditions of the field aren’t exactly fans of the dry winter so far in the area.

Weather analyst Bruce Burnett told Farm News Now recently that significant production last year used up most of the soil moisture in southern Alberta and soil reserves are currently drier than normal.

Except for the large dump of snow that came in the middle of November, there hasn’t been much of the white stuff falling.

Scott Lehr of Short Grass Ranches says most of that has gone into the ground.

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“It’d definitely be nice to get some more snow before spring to get some more moisture in the ground and get some runoff to fill our waterholes for cattle for the summer,” he says.

Short Grass Ranches has operations – including forage production, dryland hay production and a cow-calf herd – on land on the northeast edge of Medicine Hat and in Cypress Hills, near Irvine and around Highway 41.

According to Environment Canada, total precipitation in January 2020 was 14.6 millimetres, and this year just 1.8 millimetres has fallen so far in January.

There is still time though before the lack of moisture becomes a concern for farmers and ranchers at seeding time.

“If there’s not enough moisture at the surface to get the seed germinated and the crop growing then that’s a concern and if there’s not enough water in waterholes then to make the summer then it becomes a problem at some point during the summer for grazing cattle on fields,” says Lehr.

Lehr adds most of the best moisture for spring comes in later winter or early spring.

For now, there’s nothing farmers or ranchers can do, he says.

“Mother Nature gives us what she gives us and we kind of have to work with it. As far as grazing cattle water supplies go, short of developing new water supplies somewhere, drilling wells or that kind of thing or hauling water there’s really no other ways to get water for the cattle.”