Prairies flooded

[SilliamWhale]

I'm not sure what's burning up? Locally planting just started the last few days, too cold and wet before. This is maize and soy. nearby is still way too wet to think about planting but it won't affect yield for a little while yet.

If the prairies are wet, that could raise yield over last year. I've heard it was unbelievably dry, like powdery dry soil ten and fifteen feet down.

Always find it amazing that you guys can grow a crop in 3.5 months

 

[glasshouse]

May be difficult, probably growing row crops like maize so row dependent for harvesting.

No, its wheat and rape to sow first

 

[Sid]

Eastern prairies are wet but very regional. If we get no rain niw we’ll be going by Friday. Five miles west of us are still under water. Keep going west and into lighter land seeding is happening albeit a struggle. Western Saskatchewan and Alberta are still dry. Most of the prairies were very dry at the end of last year bu we’ve had record snow and continued rounds of heavy rain. Last years dry and heat doesn’t seem that bad when knee deep in mud. Seed in dust and your bins will bust,seed in mud and crops will be a dud.

On an aside how are things shaping up in BC after those devastating floods that wiped out farms?

 

[Strungup52]

Can you not broadcast it and harrow in?

We could broadcast or ‘float’ the seed on, works for Canola but fertiliser application becomes an issue - urea likes to gas off - and suddenly we are at 3 passes on iffy ground after the harrowing. Not sure about wheat broadcast re depth of seed. The likelihood is that after we would have broadcast seed and fert and harrowed to cover seed we would also dry out that top inch, then 3 or 4 days later the temps would get to high 20s with seriously drying winds and dessicate new germed seed. This year fert supply is an issue - our urea is on farm - or we could switch to liquid and apply with the sprayer after the crop is in and up and the ground drier.
So yes we could, but at this point I shall retain my patience. Tomorrow (Mon) we should be able to glypho the next 320 acs and seed it Tuesday but another 1/2”+ forecast for Thursday.
As always we won’t know which decision would have been best until after.
To le bon paysan, thankfully at this point all our crops are combined with normal grain heads, so from that point of view broadcast would work. If it gets to 22 or 23rd and still too wet for drill we may have to consider broadcasting at least some Canola.