After a long winter, spring seeding begins for Saskatchewan farmers

Farmers across Saskatchewan are putting in some very long hours these days. After a spring that has, so far, been marred by back-to-back snowstorms, spring seeding is officially underway for those who are finally able to get out into their fields — and there is a lot of ground to cover.

“We’re going to seed about 14,000 acres this year,” said Jared Haight, who farms near Hanley, Sask.

That’s the equivalent of more than 10,000 football fields. With that much on the line, it’s important to get it right the first time. When you have that land to oversee, the planning begins months in advance.

“Seeding for us starts in the winter, planning what crops we want to put where, with our fertility planning based on soil samples,” said Haight. “And then from there we get into the execution portion.”

Haight has been spending recent days initiating the process of transforming the soil into flowing fields of canola, wheat, barley, durum and lentils. And it’s as much an art as it is a science, ensuring seeds that are sown are done so at the right depth and the right pace.

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Haight also needs to watch for any potential trouble, such as blockages in the seeder. There’s also a risk of getting stuck on a wet field.

“So, if you get stuck, you’re 130,000, 140,000 pounds, especially when you are loaded,” said Haight.

Fortunately for Haight, he farms in an area where moisture levels are ideal to start the season. That has not been the case in northeast parts of the province, or for some in east-central Saskatchewan. Areas such as the RM of Green River and the community of Nokomis have been dealing with high water from what has been a very snowy April.

“I feel for the guys up north. When you have water sitting, you can’t do anything. Your hands really are tied,” said Haight.

That flooding has been a major setback for many farmers, just one of the many challenges out of a farmer’s control each growing season. But as Haight points out, a lot has changed over the years that provide farmers with more control. Improvements in technology make the growing season much easier than it was in his grandfather’s day.

“A bunch of this land, they broke from grass with a three-bottom plow. And they would sleep in the grain bin at night and tell stories of how you’d have to put your shirt over your face, so the mice don’t crawl on you,” Haight said.

“That’s not the world we’re in now, so I am very thankful for what they did, and the generation I get to farm in.”

It’s a different era in farming, but still built on the same hope every spring.

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