Crop Seeding Affected by Strong Winds and Heavy Rains in Saskatchewan

25-May-2026 03:41 PM

Saskatoon. In Saskatchewan—Canada's leading agricultural province—crop seeding for wheat, pulses (lentils, peas, chickpeas), oilseeds (canola, soybeans, flaxseed), and coarse grains (corn, barley, oats, etc.) was disrupted during the week of May 12 to 18 due to stormy weather conditions and extremely torrential rains in certain areas. Seeding progress also slowed down in some locations where snowfall occurred.

By May 18, crop seeding in Saskatchewan had been completed on only 29 percent of the designated target area; this figure lags significantly behind the five-year average of 55 percent and the ten-year average of 52 percent. During the preceding week—May 6 to 12—seeding had been completed on 16 percent of the area.

By the week of May 12 to 18, the southwestern region of Saskatchewan province saw the highest rate of progress, with 55 percent of crop seeding completed. This was followed by the southeastern region at 41 percent, the west-central region at 30 percent, and the northwestern region at 16 percent. In the east-central region, only 11 percent of seeding was possible, while in the northeastern region, a mere 3 percent could be completed. The seeding process is expected to continue into June.

The pace of seeding for pulse crops—primarily including lentils and peas—is currently observed to be the fastest. Similarly, steady progress is being recorded in the seeding of cereal crops and oilseeds. According to available data, by May 18 in Saskatchewan, the sowing of 49 percent of durum wheat, 27 percent of barley, 25 percent of spring wheat, 15 percent of canary seed, 53 percent each of peas and lentils, 40 percent of kabuli chickpeas, 30 percent of mustard, 21 percent of flaxseed, and 15 percent of canola had been completed.