The Storm sucked for moisture, had lots of wind, lets do a poll how dry are you?

[RD414]

Biggar Rosetown area is dry. Dry on top, dry farther down. Quit raining here first week of July and less than a foot of snow. Yesterday’s storm only couple inches snow. We are starting this trip with the tank on empty.

[SASKFARMER]

I find it's a topic farmers don't want to talk about. Most haven't told their sons what happened in the 80s. I remember my dad telling me about 1961. We only had a crop where he seeded sloughs. Hay was so tough to find you cut everything you could find. You know some areas had only crops where the water ran in spring. When I say crops I mean some growth the rest of the field was black. Friends seeded and that was it went to the lake. No fungicides no fert no nothing just 1 bus or less and wait. The rain never came.

Drought is rough and not fun like to wet. It sucks the life out of a farm and Ag Stab 2 won't do shit all.

[FarmJunkie]

Not sure how accurate those maps are as I don’t witness too many probes going in the soil right now but we are definitely drier than usual but the last 2 snow storms that melted helped the top moisture. Not sure how much will stick around with the freezing and drying we get every night. Gonna be the shits if some actual rain doesn’t come next month.

[SASKFARMER]

It's the ground moisture that carried us through and yes the floods I cursed were the reason we had very good crops the last two years. The Gas tank was full and as long as the roots went down it could handle anything.

The weather pattern is the same since July. That is worrisome.

I know right now the two layers won't meet once the melt is done.

[AllisWD45]

I have a simple question since the media or any farm group doesn't seem concerned at all. Hell, it's April and we still have time for 2021.

Like Les Henry said the gas tank is empty it's not direct seeding that's saved you in 2020 it was a full groundwater table. Most of the prairies are dry and the storm pattern is the same. Big talk and no action like a Trudeau on a date.

March was just as bad as the earlier months with min snow. Actually two storms but most times the wind blew it away.

The last big rain we had was early July.

So here it is, How dry are you, and what's your sub-soil-like.

I'll start.

We are dry and our subsoil on most of the farm is ok but nothing to write home about. We have dug with the hoe down and the top foot is dry. Closer to town and valley worse.

We need a good soaking in April and early May to get the layers to meet.

But again the same weather pattern has not been nice so the chance of spring rain looks very unlikely. So is the drought-like the 30s on its way or 1961 or 1975 i think?

Simple question.


1. Dry
2. Dry but some subsoil moisture.
3. Dry with no reserve.
4. Ok.
5. Wet top but dry below. Timely rains.
6. So nice it not even funny we live in the land of milk and honey.

Answer #3

[WiltonRanch]

Neighbor and I were talking about zero tillage and guys working stubble with the high speed disks. Funny how oat stubble cut a foot high has moisture compared to worked stuff. They’ll be parked in the fence row with the rodweeder for another 20 years.

[Guest]

nothing in the northeast swamp , maybe 2" snow in the last month
this last 1" is in the bush , real drying wind last couple days

[nibs1]

Answer south west -1

[beaverdam]

I'd say we're a #5, top 8" ok, but I know how quickly that moisture can disappear after the soil is opened(even with minimal till). Especially if weather pattern is going to continue with strong winds.

Received about 1-2 cm, so no moisture in this storm, it'll be evaporated by Saturday.

SF3, Your comment, "Drought is rough and not fun like to wet." I don't know what to make of that comment, nothing about being too wet is fun!
1- towing is hard and damaging to equipment, big drills stuck, sprayers, combines, trucks, etc
2- it's dangerous pulling out that stuff, plus the loss of time.
3- weeds grow unchecked, when some areas are cut off because of standing water or water runs.
4- damaging to the land with moisture within the soil profiles moving about and seeping out.
5- don't forget the over lap and extra time, for planting and spraying.
6- battling to get harvest completed, combining in Nov not fun.
7- small window, if any to do fall work and prepping for next year, some years all for not, as wet the following spring wipes out the work you did get done.
8- too wet = high humidity = constant disease pressure.

I just thought you needed a small reminder of what "too wet" actually means, seems you forgot already.

[Herc]

7. If you don’t look you don’t have a problem....

Where’d the snow go ffs. Think it was just blowing farmers tears around. The weather pattern is shaping up. Not a good one for here....