After a worryingly dry start to the year, Saskatchewan has finally seen some moisture, and it shows.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” says Sherrilyn Phelps of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “Over the past month…we’ve gone from where crops are barely hanging on in some areas where it’s been so dry, to getting that rain and all of a sudden things start perking up, and some of the pulse crops look absolutely fantastic at this point.”
In fact, according to Phelps, peas in particular look the best they have across the province in a long time. She attributes this to a combination of factors, perhaps most notably a somewhat forced rotation. Many producers, Phelps says, gave up peas for a while due to disease challenges.
“Rotation does matter, especially with peas,” Phelps says. “When you get them healthy right off the get-go, and they don’t have the root rots…they can just grow.”
Though many pulse producers in Saskatchewan are predicting above average pea harvests, Phelps says the crops need to see some dry conditions, some heat, and then a bit of moisture to help fill.
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