June 4, 2009
Alberta crops in need of rain, heat
Spring seeding is mostly complete in Alberta, but producers in the province are now in desperate need of some rain and warmer temperatures to help their crops along, said an Alberta Agriculture crops specialist.
"This might not be the year to grow corn, let's put it that way," Harry Brook, a crops specialist with Alberta Agriculture's Ag Info Centre, said Wednesday (June 3).
Cold temperatures throughout the spring, highlighted by frost earlier this week has led to crops that are 10 days to two weeks behind normal, he said. In addition to the cold temperatures, much of the province is also very dry, said Brook. The east-central and northeast areas of Alberta are particularly dry and will need precipitation in order to help with germination.
However, he said nearby forecasts are not that promising with only the chance of spotty showers.
Overall, Brook estimated that seeding was more than 90 percent complete across Alberta, with only silage and greenfeed crops left to go in the ground. Emergence was starting in many areas, although at a slower pace than normal.
Brook said the canola was no further than the three-leaf stage of development, which is slow for this time of year, while the most advanced cereals were also around the three- to four-leaf stage.
Reports of insects, including cutworms and flea beetles, were starting to come forward from some localized areas around the province, said Brook.
Slow emergence and thin crop stands have led to talk of reseeding in some areas, said Brook. He expected some of the especially thin canola crops would be reseeded, most likely to barley.
Pasture growth has also been hampered by the cool, dry conditions, with some alfalfa crops killed off by recent frosts, said Brook. He said the year was shaping up to be poor for hay fields, which means livestock feed will be in short supply.
While the cool, dry conditions are widespread, Brook said there were some isolated spots that are doing well. He said the western half of the Peace River region was probably in the best shape so far this year.
