Unidentified airborne substance in fields this spring

[AlbertaFarmer5]

What is this powdery substance I see floating in the fields behind me everytime I drive across? I know from considerable experience that it is not snow, not water and not mud, but what else could it possibly be in April in big swamp country? Any one else have any experience with this stuff? I suspect it may cause problems that I am may have forgotten how to deal with, such as plugging radiators and air filters, covering windows and making it hard to see. It has been so long since I have dealt with anything except mud that I literally have not even blown out a rad on a field tractor for years. Could be an interesting spring. I am looking at bone dry ruts half way up the hillsides and I don't know which is harder to believe, that it was that wet for so long, or that it is really this dry.

[TOM4CWB]

Alberta5,

I have heard that a practice called "Recreational Tillage" (RT)has become more widespread in recent times... as fuel prices plunge the likelihood of increases in this cultural shift back to the future will intensify and increase the likelihood.

Recent increases in cattle profitability have further pressured these folks to innovate as the need to increase RT dominates the minds/culture of many folks after long cold Canadian winters.

[Braveheart]

There is a farmer here that was seeding 2 weeks ago and already has a crop insurance claim. His fields blew out. Tilled last fall. Heavy harrowed at high speed this spring. High winds stripped about an inch of soil.

Some people never learn.

Incidentally, this farmer had trouble last spring with too much moisture.

[wmoebis]

There is a spray for that but you have no control over it, chem companies don't sell it and application timing is everything, it effects everything from quantity, quality and price.
Enjoy the dust you maybe praying for rain someday.

[SASKFARMER3]

Their is a difference from wet and soggy to fricking mud. Some felt like they were wet some really were wet and still wet. This spring is exactly what is needed. A normal spring.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Lots of recreational tillage going on out here this spring. Normally that isn't even an option as we would still be under water till about the middle of May. Tillage in this area started nearly a month ago. I haven't and won't be doing any that isn't vital and . Normally I don't do any recreational tillage because of the compaction of working in mud. This year I want to conserve any moisture we have. The ground is still muddy barely below the surface, but the top layer is powdery dry, makes a dust cloud just driving across a stubble field to check cows. Not going to panic about a lack of moisture yet, looking forward to seeding without mud for once. Scary part is that it seems that once a pattern like this gets established, it persists. Keep forecasting good chances of rain, but nothings come out of it. We don't need much moisture in our clay to grow a crop, but neighbors with lighter soil must be starting to get concerned.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

SF3, what is a normal spring/weather? I've pondered and researched this question a lot. I don't have a good answer. But I'd be happy if this year is closer to normal. Maybe I'm not old enough, but it is beginning to look like normal is extremely wet, and dry is the exception. Historical weather records seem to suggest that dry is normal and excess moisture is the exception.

I hope last year wasn't normal. Record snow that was barely melted by May, no frost, so the snow all soaked in, then oozed out of the hillsides until late June, throw in a couple of 2" rains in the middle of seeding.....
Year before was even worse

I have land that used to be considered the most productive anywhere, deep, black, good surface drainage, decent slope, heavy subsoil, that has been completely worthless for 8 of the last 9 years, just totally saturated for months. Out here, with our moisture and temperatures, I don't even dream of farming anything remotely flat, but in recent years, even hills are flooding out. I really admire the flat fields in the real farmland in your area, but with our climate and subsoil, it wouldn't be farmable 9 years out of 10.

[sumdumguy]

Environment Canada Satellite shows another right behind this one. No real moisture in Regina yet. We can wait until May 26.

[freewheat]

Alberta farmer, you sound like someone I know!