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By Alice McFarlane

Saskatchewan Crop Report 2021

Saskatchewan farmers complete seeding and focus on scouting

Jun 3, 2021 | 3:00 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — Dry conditions this past week have allowed Saskatchewan farmers to nearly complete seeding in all regions.

The latest crop report from the Ministry of Agriculture said 97 per cent of the crop is in the ground which is ahead of the five-year average for this time of year of 92 per cent.

The southeast, west-central, northeast, and northwest regions are at 98 per cent, 96 per cent in the southwest and 94 per cent in the east-central.

Minimal precipitation and strong winds have reduced topsoil moisture conditions across the province. There was a small amount of rain with the Cando area reporting the most with 23 mm, Kindersley at 20 mm, and the Spruce Home area reported 15 mm. While the ran was welcome, more will be needed soon to replenish fields and boost pastures.

Smaller seed crops like canola have had a tough start with frost, wind, heat, and flea beetle pressure.

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Prince Albert Crops Extension Specialist Allie Noble said farmers need to be checking for the first round of pests.

“We have been seeing a number of flea beetles,” Noble told farmnewsNOW. “It’s definitely something that you should be scouting for, especially when you’re in that cotyledon stage with your canola.”

Canola is the most susceptible until the four-leaf stage. Nobel said defoliation in the range of 25 per cent is the level at which you should be checking the crop on a regular basis.

“That’s the economic threshold and that’s when you could potentially start looking at spraying. The Canola Council has some really great resources online if you just Google flea beetles in canola. Just make sure you’re at that economic threshold,” she said.

Now that seeding is almost wrapped up, farmers are busy spraying herbicides, assessing possible frost damage, and moving cattle to pasture.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW