Soil moisture conditions across Western Canada are “in reasonably good shape” heading into the 2015 growing season, but there are areas where farmers who might not be accustomed to farming in dry conditions are preparing for a dry start to the year.
As Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist with CWB, explains in the audio interview below, the subsoil moisture map for Western Canada shows three regions in particular where subsoil conditions range from dry to very dry — those being south-central and southeastern Manitoba, parts of west-central Saskatchewan into east-central Alberta, and the Peace River region.
“If you look at it, those three areas are regions that are typically not considered to be the dry areas of the prairies,” says Burnett, pointing out — at the other end of the spectrum — surplus subsoil moisture is still a problem in western Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan.
There have been scattered reports of seeding beginning in southern portions of all three prairie provinces, notes Burnett. Considering the current weather forecast, he expects to see some general seeding activity in the south by next weekend (April 19th), with seeding in central and northern areas still at least 10 to 14 days away.
Other seeding articles to check out:
- Canola School: Basing Seeding Rates on Thousand Kernel Weight
- Wheat School: Wheat Seeding Rates for Max Yield — What’s the Ideal?
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