A Saskatchewan Agriculture crop specialist is predicting seeding for the southwest region will start a bit earlier than the rest of the province.

Matt Struthers believes seeding in the southwest is a week or two away, as temperatures remain too cool to get into the field, despite most snow melting west of Moose Jaw and south of Swift Current, while other regions of the province will likely start in early May.

When asked how much later than normal it is, Struthers says it varies from year to year, as it’s all dependent on current weather conditions.

“When the moisture is low and the heat is turned on pretty quick in April, we’ve seen seeders start the first week of April,” said Struthers. “If we get started seeding with the majority of farmers in the beginning of May, they can make quick work of that as long as the conditions hold out. If we get any rain in early May, that will slow them down.”

Struthers noted soil moisture conditions in Saskatchewan are varied from region to region – the east and northern parts of the province had plenty of snow, while the west-central and southwest had very little, and run-off was minimal.

“They’re looking at a bit of a drier spring as they’ve had in the last couple of years, so hopefully those spring-time rains that they’ll desperately need to ensure that they’re crop can thrive.”

He was also asked what seeding intentions were this spring, but said he’ll know more in the next two weeks.

“Things always change with what’s going on in the market, what’s going on with the weather and conditions-wise, so when we get closer with the seeding operations getting underway, we’ll have a much better idea of what producers are thinking about putting in the ground.”