With the recent rainfall across the province in the past week, crop development has improved.  The warm and wet weather was welcomed in areas that were experiencing moisture stress.

Eighty-eight per cent of fall cereals, 60 per cent of spring cereals, 56 per cent of oilseeds and 70 per cent of pulse crops are at or ahead of their normal stages of development for this time of year, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Weekly Crop Report.

"However, in southeastern Saskatchewan the numbers are a little bit different. 72 percent of the fall cereals are at their normal stage and 19 percent are ahead of the game. Spring cereals are at about 67 percent, oilseeds at 60 percent and pulse crops at 66 percent. They're somewhat similar, but just a little difference between the southeastern and provincial averages for that," shared Brent Flaten, an Integrated Pest Management Specialist with Agriculture Canada.

"A lot of that has to do with moisture. Depending on certain areas, some of the crops were stalling out because of a lack, and in some parts of the province there was harvest to be completed from last year too."

He noted, though, that things are doing pretty well overall.

Most of the province received rain in the past week, ranging from trace amounts to 112 mm, with a provincial average of 26 mm.  Across the province, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 10 per cent surplus, 68 per cent adequate, 18 per cent short and four per cent very short.  Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as eight per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and eight per cent very short.

"Again, it varies depending on what part of southeast Saskatchewan you're in, but generally on the annual crop land the topsoil moisture is rating 9 percent surplus, 77 percent adequate, 12 percent short and 2 percent very short. For hayland and pasture, it's rated 9 percent surplus, 75 percent adequate, 13 percent short and 3 percent very short. You can see by those numbers that some areas even within southeastern Saskatchewan have gotten a lot more rain, and they are in a surplus situation, versus some west of Estevan and Weyburn are actually short of moisture. There's quite a wide range in topsoil moisture conditions for both hayland and cropland," Flaten explained.

Topsoil moisture is lowest in the area south of Assiniboia (Crop District 3ASW), where 90 per cent of the cropland, hay land and pasture are short to very short of moisture, followed by the area around Shaunavon (crop districts 3BS and 4A), where 60 per cent of cropland and 84 and 80 per cent of hay land and pasture, respectively, are short to very short of moisture.  The wettest crop districts are in the northwest (crop districts 9AE and 9B), where 45 and 46 per cent, respectively, of cropland and 40 and 35 per cent, respectively, of hay land and pasture have surplus topsoil moisture.

Persistently strong winds have damaged crops and delayed in-crop weed control in many areas.  Cutworms, flea beetles, localized flooding, and lack of moisture continue to damage crops.

Producers are busy controlling weeds when they can and preparing for haying.  Cattle have been moved to pasture.

"Hopefully we get the rain where we need it, and don't get the rain where we don't need it. That's always a challenge in Saskatchewan, there's a lot of variability," Flaten concluded.