An Estevan area agriculture producer was among those delighted to see the moisture that the region received earlier this month.聽
鈥淚t was huge. We really, really needed it,鈥� said Troy Adams. 鈥淚t was a really good thing to see for us.鈥澛�
The precipitation started on April 11 as rain, and then shifted to snow as the temperatures dropped. Since the temperature hovered around zero for most of the storm, most of the moisture came as wet snow.
It鈥檚 hard to say how much precipitation was received, but Adams believes his farm received at least 20 centimetres of snow. And they received about two-tenths of an inch of rain.
The bonus is that the snow was wet, thick and heavy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just the moisture that we needed, and a nice, slow melt, so it all settles into the ground nicely,鈥� said Adams.聽
Once the fields dry up, he鈥檒l be able to start seeding. Many of his fellow producers are also looking forward to seeding鈥檚 start.
Prior to the snow arriving, he was facing the possibility of seeding into dry ground. It was something that concerned Adams.
鈥淲e were holding off,鈥� said Adams. 鈥淲e probably would have started this week on Monday (April 12), right when it started to snow. We were holding off until it warmed up a little more, and we were really waiting for some moisture.鈥�
Other producers were happy to see the moisture as well, and it鈥檚 given them some optimism as they start the season. 聽
A couple of producers that he knows had seed in the ground before the storm.聽
鈥淚 would think now everybody would be getting ready 鈥� to get out in the field,鈥� said Adams.聽
Adams family farms about 14,000 acres of land. They expect to seed yellow peas, canola, wheat and durum, which is a normal rotation for them.聽
鈥淲e switch some things in and out. Sometimes there鈥檚 some soy beans and sometimes there鈥檚 some lentils and that sort of thing, but that鈥檚 where we settled in this year,鈥� he said.
The dry conditions did have some influence in what they were going to grow, and they were locked in with seed and chemical when the precipitation arrived. 聽
Adams said they will need some more moisture over the course of the spring. He expects this will be enough to keep the dust down and keep people satisfied temporarily, but there鈥檚 no sub-soil moisture out there at all, so they will need some really timely rains throughout the season to carry them through.聽聽
