The province endured some erratic weather this past week ranging from strong winds, a little hail, some cooler than normal temperatures and random rainfall.
At this time there is standing water in some fields while others are parched.
Recent rainfalls have contributed to an overall increase in surface soil moisture rated as good or better, moving from 67.3 to 68.3 per cent. Having said that, sub surface soil moisture levels are still low in the majority of the province. The importance of sub surface soil moisture is increasing with advancing crop stages; more rain is critical to maintain active crop growth and to achieve desired yield potential.
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Crop conditions improved in the South and Central regions while the Northeast, Northwest and Peace Regions showed a decline over last week. All of the area crop condition ratings are currently higher than the five year average, particularly Peace and Northeast.
Haying has now begun across all areas of the province. Very few dryland hay yields have been reported, however they are expected to be low in all regions. Pasture conditions have been sustained in areas where rain was received,but all areas could pretty much use rain.
