It’s not as bad as a year ago, but the moisture situation heading into winter wasn’t good either, the province said in its final Agricultural Moisture Situation Update of the season issued Oct. 25.
A year ago, most of the province had moisture deficits that are only seen once every 25 to 50 years.
Things have improved dramatically since then, but “most of the province has soil moisture reserves well below average… More than half of the North East Region is sitting near one-in-50-year lows,” the report states.
Read Also
Economist outlines 3-point plan to reclaim agri-food dominance
An RBC policy analyst says the country is losing share in the global agri-food trade, but may be able to regain its status by diversifying.
Winter won’t change that, as it only accounts for 20 to 30 per cent of annual moisture. From November through to March, most areas receive less than 20 millimetres.
“So overwinter deficits, while they are not comforting to see, are typically not as severe as moisture deficits that are experienced during the peak growing season (May, June and July),” the report says.
