(Resource News International) — Dry and seasonable conditions allowed producers in the Peace River region of northern Alberta to make significant seeding progress, according to a provincial crop specialist on Wednesday.
“Seeding is virtually complete in most of that area,” said Neil Whatley, a crop specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre at Stettler. The lack of precipitation in that region combined with warm enough soil conditions, resulted in rapid seeding progress.
The lack of precipitation in the area, however, has caused some concern, as subsoil moisture levels are non-existent, he said.
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Seeding in the remainder of the province has been slow as various levels of precipitation have kept producers off the fields.
“Alberta’s now had a few days of sun and warm readings, and if that continues producers will likely resume seeding operations within the next day or two, if not sooner,” Whatley said.
Seeding progress in areas other than the Peace region varies widely, ranging from just beginning to well underway, he said.
“The recent precipitation has provided a good base from which to stage crops, but additional rains will be required within the next 10 days to keep crops in good condition,” Whatley said.
Pasture areas in most of Alberta were greening quite nicely due to the recent moisture, with the hay crop outlook also improving significantly. Dugouts for livestock have also been filling up nicely, he said.
“The only exception to this is the Peace River region, where pastures are in extremely bad shape,” he said. “The hay crops needed moisture about two weeks ago, but still have not received any measurable amounts of precipitation.”
Winter wheat crops in Alberta were in good shape, with the recent precipitation seen as extremely beneficial for development, Whatley said.
