Farmers in the district are finally starting to be able to get into the fields after delays caused by the long winter, say officials.
“It has been a delayed start and people are just now starting to think about getting in the fields,” Grant Lastiwka, with Alberta Agriculture in Olds, said Thursday. “It’s a slow start to spring and it is going to be very rapid movement when it gets going.
“Certainly winter hung on longer than we’ve seen it hang on for many, many years and with that in mind, it’s delayed the start by a couple weeks. It has delayed the seeding of cropland.”
The long winter has brought “much-needed moisture for pastures and hay,” he said.
“They wanted the moisture and would like more. On the grain side they are really delayed and they are really going to have to work when the sun shines.”
The moisture for pasture and hayland was lacking in 2017, he noted.
“This year it’s really important to give those pastures time to grow and more time for the pastures that were set back last year,” he said.
Asked if the delay in starting to work in the fields is a concern, he said, “The ability to seed large amounts of acres quickly with the present equipment makes this acceptable. However, it is going to be one of those years where they are going to have to rush a little bit more.”
On the cattle side, he said, “Prices have been pretty good. Certainly there are concerns with large cattle inventories across North America, but the cattle prices have held in there pretty well.”
