How's your moisture?

[cowman]

In my part of Central Alta. we had a real good snow year. Lots of snow and it stuck. Now I was talking to a guy out by Vermillion which is on the Alta/Sask border and he said they had quite a bit of snow this winter but it all blew into the brush/ditches.
So lets hear how you see your moisture shaping up as we go into spring?
We had some really foggy days right around the end of February. My old neighbor thinks he can predict the weather sort of thing and he says count 90 days after a fog and it will rain? I'm not too sure about that but I guess we will see! Should be raining about the end of May? Hope he's got it right!

[pandiana]

As if we didn't have enough to worry about, cowman, you had to say the 'M' word.

We are, west central AB, in a normally heavy moisture area. We had a moderate to low snowfall this year todate. We also had the winds that blew loose snow into drifts and ditches. A large percentage of this snow has melted and pooling in lowlands. The next month will tell the tale.

[kato]

Southwest Manitoba.. snow was really good this year. Good enough to drive the deer into the yard!

We got no moisture last year from the end of June until freeze up, so we needed a good snow year quite badly.

A nice slow melt would be nice. I guess we'll see.

[grassfarmer]

We have had good constant snowcover since 29th October - but a lot less than last winter. We had 13" before New Year and 12" since. Last year we had 53" between late October and end of March. Hopefully with a slower melt it will get deeper into the soil this year. It needs to as we were bone dry last fall.

[grassmarketeer]

Out here in East Central Alberta it is very dry. Powerful winds took most of the snow off the fields. Very little left now and it doesn't look like the good old creek has a chance to even trickle.

[les]

About 90 miles east of Red Deer... The fields are mostly bare now.Not looking really good for much spring moisture.

[bombay_43]

We have been told that our fields here in NE Alberta, have the most snow of anywhere! We are optimistic as last year was the first of many that was not drought up here. Perhaps our cycle is turning around??!

Cowman: Yesterday, Bonnyville council put forth a motion to support Red Deer Countys resolution to scrap education taxes on farm land during this BSE crisis. Small victory, but a victory non the less!

[Horse]

Norrh west of edmonton we had a good snow fall but no reserve and the wind did a number on the snow the pastures are in very bad shape and without good rain or snow we are in trouble right now I ddoubt the doughouts will fill 2 yr ago the doughouts were dry all summer

[cowman]

Hopefully more municipalities will get on the bandwagon to scrap the education tax on farm land. I was at a town hall meeting a couple of days ago and a farmer brought the subject up. The basic injustice of the farmer being taxed more than the town person for education is something that needs to be addressed? The only problem is, as our illustrious government likes to point out, is where will the money come from? Well if education is important for all Albertans then ALL Albertans should pay equally for it? Unfortunately our King Ralph likes to spend like a drunken sailor and throw money around so people will like him and besides he knows the rural peasants will never vote him out, so why should he make any changes? After all the King doesn't have to listen to the peasants right? The peasants duty is to the king not the other way around! Maybe we need a REVOLUTION? Do you know where we can find a good cheap used guillotine?

[bombay_43]

No, but I have heard that there is this "cowman" in southern Alberta, who is pretty handy building things! He's toying with the idea of getting out of cattle, maybe he would be willing to start building guillotins!

[moffat]

South east Sask. Little fall reserve,good snowfall but most of it blew bad. There will be a good runnoff how much goes in anybodys guess.

[cowman]

In the last few days we have been getting a slow melt under the snow and it seems to be going into the ground fairly well. I'm actually hoping we get the late"ugly" snow storm like last year even though it was tough on the calves! We basically pulled off a bumper crop from that last ugly May storm!
Do you ever get the feeling the damned weather is changing?