Drought situation - Sask

[Wheatking]

Canola got smoked last night, only -1.3 here but some of it got it bad, hopefully it makes it through, hard to tell yet.

I am sitting here watching the temp instead of sleeping and it was down to 1.8 degrees at 11 and now at midnight it has warmed up over the last 15 min to 4.2. Maybe now I will get a better nights sleep.

[SASKFARMER3]

Last spring canola in our area had 5 frosts after it came up. Each time a few died out in hollows and odd hill. But the experts said don't worry. Fall came and Canola was poor in hollows and hill tops but sides were excellent yield, that's what the mapping showed. So conclusion yes it does damage. One neighbor is seeding over five pounds this year just for that reason. That's top hybrid varieties and he has the high yield in our area every year.

[furrowtickler]

We always seed at 4.8-5.3 lbs with top hi-breds. Frost - dry seed rows - wireworms - cutworms all contribute to seedling mortality. The only shabby canola stands in our area this year will be from the pinchers - less than 4lb/ac guys. I see it every year. And btw, by far the first to complain about seedling establishment,pinchers. Some seeding outfits can produce excelent stands at 3.5 - 4 lbs/ac, but a combination of the above factors will cause stand/yeild loss very quickly. In our area there is always something that takes out plant populations.
I agree with S/F the stongest yeilds almost always come from feilds seeded at 5 - 5.5 lbs/ac.

[SASKFARMER3]

Frost from last night in Areas around Rosetown -7 at airport. Should clean up a lot of canola.
That's Cold. We were at -1.
Cold Cold.
Last year the guys at 3 lbs didn't do well. Five frost cleared up that cutting back. Better to throw in some from bin and then add three lbs than risk three lbs. In a wet year any thing works for seeding but a dry cold year and you need to hit on all cylinders.

[furrowtickler]

Good point S/F, cutting back too much will kill guys this year.

[LWeber]

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/24_hour_conditions_e.html?wrj&unit=m

Rosetown - 24 hour temps to 11:00 a.m.

[freewheat]

Seeding canola today at 4.75 lbs. The "experts" say seed early,seed early, but there is a reason why I wait to seed canola. along with excessive moisture, no leaves, no growth out there, many guys jumped the gun this year... Nothing like previous frost experience to say to heck with the experts. The soil is warm. very wet, and it will catch up. It is'nt a race, I tell myself.

[freewheat]

I must add that i am sorry for those who may have lost some crop to frost.

[SASKFARMER3]

The experts are saying seeding early because their trying to get it to way higher acreage and thats comming in southern Sask in non traditional areas. If one seeds early down their could be flowering before the 98 degree summer arrives.
Its all about putting Canola south and West in Saskatchewan. THey dont care about what growers know in traditional areas.

[furrowtickler]

Canola seeded between the 10 and 15th is not early at all in our area. We try to put in our canola while the moisture is still good and soil temps are reasonable, that may be the 5th or as late as the 20th. We try not to seed canola after the 25th, 9 years out of 10 seeding after the 25th the canola will either burn up our in a cool season get froze in August. It is a delicate balance sometimes. It is still dry here and the last 5 days canola is going in up to 1 inch to be in moisture. We need a rain, and nothing in the forcast to speak of. Canola plants that were established have taken a beating 20-30% froze out so far, worse north of here.