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Snow a benefit for some growers |
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Wednesday, 23 April 2008 |
The recent snowfall may have interrupted the spring sports season but to local farmers, the precipitation is welcome.
By Garrett Simmons
Taber Times
"It was so dry," said Vern Warkenten, executive director of the Potato Growers of Alberta.
He added many growers were considering whether or not to seed right before the snowfall, as little moisture was in the soil. The snow and cold has halted those plans, likely for the better.
"Actually, the snow is beneficial from two perspectives - No. 1, it provided moisture, which was much, much needed and No. 2, it created an insulated blanket to keep the frost from getting into the ground."
Warkenten added the PGA's technical director has been out doing field tests, and has found the temperature down to seed level has been about zero degrees Celsius. That is good news for the few producers that had already put seed into the ground.
"They had only been at it for a week and a half. They were just barely started."
Once the snow clears and temperatures warm, Warkenten added potato growers will be out in earnest. He added the 2008 season will see a three to four-per-cent drop in acres for processed potatoes, and a yet-to-be-determined drop in seed-potato acres.
For local sugar beet growers, the snow fall and cold has not been a hindrance to them either, according to Rogers Sugar agricultural superintendent Andrew Llewelyn-Jones. Before the snow hit, only about 2,000 acres of the 2008 crop had been planted, and he added half of that total was centred in the Vauxhall/Enchant area. He added the beets that are in the ground are safe.
"The beets that went in last week wouldn't have had time to germinate."
Llewelyn-Jones added if the snow and cold had arrived two or three weeks later, when some of the crop had emerged, some re-seeding likely would have to take place.
One thing the snow may impact, however, is the schedule for the sugar beet plant.
"It puts us a little behind where we have been in other years," said Llewelyn-Jones, who added even that impact will be minimized if temperatures return to normal very soon. "If a lot of seeding goes on at the end of this week to the beginning of next week, we won't be that far behind."
Matthew Stanford, of the Canola Council of Canada, added a couple thousand acres of canola is in the ground in southern Alberta but for the most part, seeding was just getting underway before the snow.
"Most people were going to seed canola this week, so the majority of the canola in southern Alberta has yet to be seeded."
He added once temperatures warm, the crop will be high on the priority list for many farmers, who are already a little behind the eight ball with the unusual weather.
"I anticipate that the first thing most people will be seeding when the fields dry off later this week will be canola. Ideally, in most areas of southern Alberta, especially the warmer dryer areas east of Lethbridge, canola should be seeded by the end of April. That helps the crop get to the flowering stage before we reach our hottest days which typically arrive in July."
Stanford went on to say growers need to be careful to get the proper plant populations in place, to help combat any future inclement weather.
"I would encourage people to target canola stands of 7-14 plants per square foot, in case we run into another frost or insect pressure later on. If producers start the year with recommended plant populations, they can lose some plants to different uncontrollable factors without sacrificing too much yield." |
