John Van Eaton says moisture in the form of snow in April will make a difference as spring seeding gets under way.
Van Eaton farms northeast of Maryfield, planning on planting spring wheat, barley, canola, and peas this year.
He says that the moisture that was received in April snowfall will make for ideal conditions for germinating crops, however additional moisture will be needed after seeding is complete.
“We’re still very concerned about moisture levels, not so much perhaps for germinating a crop but certainly for grassland and pasture. We’re going to be reliant on timely rains this summer because the subsoil moisture is not going to carry us through the season,” VanEaton said.
“We haven’t begun seeding yet. We’re working towards that and working on our cattle operation as well. We probably won’t be seeding until around the 2nd of May.”
He says that a healthy mixture of sun and rain would be ideal through May and into June.
“I wouldn’t say the moisture we got was nothing. Certainly, it was welcome moisture but it’s not going to be enough, especially on grasslands and pastures, it’s not going to be enough to adequately get that crop going. We’re not as concerned about field crops as we are about grasslands and pastures.
“We’re just like everybody else, we want to see some timely rain with no adverse weather and some warm, sunny days to go with it.”
VanEaton expressed concern regarding the federal Cabon Tax as well, noting its impacts on production costs.
He says that despite the higher than average grain prices, this additional cost has weighed heavily on producers.
“Costs have escalated dramatically. It’s been well-publicized about higher than normal grain prices, but they’re being offset by dramatically increased costs. Part of the reason for that is because of COVID-19 and also covering the federal government’s carbon tax. I think it’s understated, the effect that it has on the economy.”
