Fortunate farmers in eastern Sask. thinking of southwest farmers desperate for rain

Farmers on opposite sides of the province find themselves in two different situations throughout seeding season.

Farmers in the eastern part of Saskatchewan have received almost too much rain to help. Meanwhile, in the southwest, farmers have had their patience tested to new levels waiting for any rainfall they can get.

Bill Auley, a farmer near Regina, says while he would almost prefer to go without any precipitation this weekend as a storm closes in on his area, he knows his situation could be much worse.

“Well, you hate to ever chase moisture away, but 60 (millimetres, for which the forecast is calling) is probably too much right now for us trying to get our seeding done,” Auley said.

Auley says they are already roughly a week behind in seeding this year.

He wishes they could send the rain that’s projected to come this weekend to their friends in the southwest.

“There’s a lot of folks over there with pasture and cattle that could use it more than we could,” Auley said.

“Then the ones in the southeast probably don’t need anything at all, so I just hope that the storm stays west and helps the guys out on that side.”

It’s tricky to tell how much this incoming rain will have an effect on Auley and other farmers in the area, but he’s expecting some form of a delay.

“I used to say an inch takes us a week to recover, so if we get two inches, we’re going to be 10 days back from (where) we are right now,” he said.

Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips is optimistic this storm will be a good thing for farmers.

“This could very well be the wettest day in the last year,” he said, referring to the potential of two inches of rain.

The southeast corner has already received a lot of moisture, with two major snowstorms in April. But other areas that weren’t affected by that — like Moose Jaw, Humboldt and Assiniboia — will also get hit by the upcoming rain.

Phillips believes it could be a huge upside after last year’s drought.

“Rain that people might be complaining about today is maybe the billion-dollar rainfall,” he said. “It may very well be the rain (and) the moisture you need to have a decent growing season.”

Angela Jones, who farms just outside of Wadena, says her family hasn’t started seeding yet and isn’t too sure when that might happen now with the forecast calling for more rain.

“We’re only a few inches of untimely rain from maybe not seeding or getting in the field before the end of May,” Jones said.

According to the weekly crop report, seeding in the province is around 14 per cent complete. The five-year average for this time of year is 23 per cent.

“Comparatively to last year, the province was at 75 per cent complete on May 17,” Jones said. “Looking around our area right now, we’re going to be at zero per cent on May 17.”

While more rain isn’t ideal for Jones and her neighbours, she can’t help but feel crushed for the farmers in the southwest.

“It can be such a difference from area to area. There are areas that really need the moisture and I think overall, the moisture is still a good thing for the province,” Jones said.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Dom Lucyk