By Sheldon Spackman

seeding delayed

Snow brings welcome moisture for local farmers

Apr 29, 2019 | 10:55 AM

The big snowfall that hit central Alberta over the weekend may have delayed seeding plans for many local farmers, but the moisture is more than welcome.

That according to Cody McIntosh, Agricultural Services Manager with Red Deer County, who says many area farmers were planning to get seed in the ground this week.

“This moisture will delay things but they were looking at seeding into some pretty dry soil,” he explains. “So I think the precipitation is very much welcome.”

Red Deer received 17 centimetres of snow on Saturday, according to Environment Canada. Sylvan Lake was hit with 30 centimetres while Innisfail and Rocky Mountain House received 13 centimetres.

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Although eastern parts of Red Deer County were generally a little drier before the weekend’s snowfall, McIntosh feels most of the county is now in the same position heading into the spring seeding season.

“This moisture was welcome all across the county,” says McIntosh. “Right now I think we’re on-par. We’re always worried about a late season frost here, so if you did get seed in the ground too early, then we’re worried about these minus nine and minus 10 overnight periods.”

On a broader scale, McIntosh says Canada’s canola trade dispute with China is also having an impact on area farmers.

“What a lot of (farmers) are talking about is changing their plans,” he says. “They’re looking at more diverse crops. I’ve heard of more acres of hemp going in this year and more acres of fava beans, peas and lentils. So it’s kind of a good thing from a crop diversity standpoint, kind of away from that canola-wheat-barley rotation.”

McIntosh feels it’s important to note, however, the need for overall health in local agronomic practices.

“Which would support adding another crop to your rotation and having as diverse a rotation as you can,” he explains. “It will help hedge you against this volatile industry and the peaks and valleys in one market. But it also helps the general health of that field, the health of the soil and it lowers the pressure of insect pests and even disease in that area, so continued crop rotation and diversity is our main message.”

Genrally, McIntosh feels the mood among area farmers is still mostly positive.

“We’ve had a couple of ‘fair’ years,” he recalls. “I wouldn’t say they were bumper crops or anything but there’s definitely a lot of optimism other than the canola market. I think (farmers) are optimistic about the season.”