Saskatchewan Pulse Seeding Wrapping Up

VANCOUVER - Jun 9/11 - SNS -- Seeding of all crops in Saskatchewan is considered 79% complete, up nine points on the week, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report. This compares to the five-year average of 90% seeded by the first week of June and just 70% complete at this time last year.

Farmers in Saskatchewan's wettest areas say they have either given up trying to plant a crop or that they have abandoned their original seeding intentions. In southeastern Saskatchewan, for instance, crop reporters predict there will be a shift to oats, barley, greenfeed and possibly flax if the fields dry up enough in time to put the crop in before this year's crop insurance deadlines.

The deadline for planting chickpeas, lentils, dry beans and potatoes is June 15 in all crop districts in Saskatchewan because "they require more days to reach maturity." Crops such as barley, oats, mustard, peas and polish canola can be seeded and insured up to June 20.

Because of last year's quality problems on pulses planted in June, seeding of those crops is considered essentially complete. This suggests farmers in Saskatchewan will only plant around 80% of the lentil area they intended, versus 94% of the intended field pea area and 73% of the chickpeas.