'Hoping for rain': Hot, dry weather stresses Sask. crops

Hot, dry weather conditions continue to burden Saskatchewan crops.

Some areas in the southern parts of the province haveseen less than 100 millimetres of moisture since April, according to the latest crop report.

The only thing producers can do iswait.

"I can't remember when it was last this dry. It's been a lot of years," Kelly Garchinski said. He operates a cattle farm with pasture land about six kilometres north of Regina.

"A nice two-inch rain in the next couple of days would be the best."

Saskatchewan Agriculturereleased the July 4-10 crop report on Thursday.

"Hoping for rain:that's probably the easiest and the hardest thing we can do,"said Shannon Friesen, acting cropmanagement specialist with the provincial government.

The latest crop report suggests that most are developing "normally". However, there is a significant need for rain and cooler temperatures in some parts of the province.

"Many areas they were quite dry to begin with at seeding time, and the rains didn't come," Friesen said.

Certaincrops in the south arethin or flowering earlier than normal because of heat stress.

Conditions vary across the province, from excellent condition in the north to very poor in the south.

Localized flooding and bouts of hail have also caused severe damage in other parts of the province.

There's beenheavy rainfall in some areas, but Friesen said it's not as beneficial as a slow rain, because itdries so quickly.

It's not just the elements that are affecting the crops.

"We'renow seeing quite a bit of insect damage out there," Friesen said, adding it's not unusual to see insects at this time, but it's worse when paired with the other challenges.

Pests like alfalfa weevils,caterpillarsand wheat midge are damaging crops.

"We've also heard of many areas where the gopher populations have exploded," she said.

A dry season isn't abnormal in Saskatchewan, but Friesen said it's "definitely worse this year," noting some producers could be on the brink of losing everything.

Garchinskisaid the hostile conditions have him wondering what the next seasons will bring.

"If we don't get some more moisture in a hurry here, we're going to have to start feeding the cattle hay that we have a lot earlier this year, and then we might run short."

He said his farming friends are in the same boat.

"They're all a little bit in panic mode and they're trying to line up other hay or buying hay and cutting as much as they can," he said. "It's going to be a tough winter."

Producers should call crop insurance if they're dealing with a lot of damage, Friesen said.

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