(File photo/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Thursday May 20, 2021

May 20, 2021 | 10:25 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — Most winter wheat crops have hung in not too badly.

Prairie regional agrologist for Ducks Unlimited Paul Thoroughgood said the dry winter did not affect crops too much.

“Basically, the crops came through fairly well, there was the odd one that did not,” Thoroughgood said. “That’s thanks to management practices that we all try to employ like seeding shallow and seeding early and using a seed treatment.”

The only region that experienced significant winterkill was in south-central Saskatchewan where crops had to be terminated due to lack of snow cover and cold temperatures.

Thoroughgood said winter wheat will need rain soon.

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“Our spring crops are out there trying to germinate in very dry conditions whereas our winter crop, because they are ahead and at the tillering stage and actively growing, they need rain in the next week or two or we will see them start to decrease the number of tillage they have which will have an impact on yield.” Thoroughgood said.

The one positive is current winter wheat prices.

“Hog barns are paying nearly milling wheat prices for feed wheat,” Thoroughgood said.

There was a sharp reduction in winter wheat area seeded on the prairies last year, he said.

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The arrival of the May long weekend might mean the completion of seeding in some areas of the province but the wait continues for much needed rain.

Provincial crops extension specialist John Ippilito said seeding is going very well in the Kindersley area.

“We have had really good progress, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80 percent,” Ippilito said. “A lot of people indicate that sometime this week they will actually be done seeding.”

There has not been much weed growth and farmers in many cases have delayed spraying.

In the Muenster area, George Hinz said the rain will be more than welcomed.

“The top three quarters to an inch is basically powder dry but we do have good subsoil moisture below that,” Hinz said.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser