Only three per cent of crops have been planted across Alberta which is down from the five-year average of 11 per cent and 10-year average of 12 per cent, the May 2 provincial crop report said. Temperature swings with cold nights caused snow packs to melt slowly well into April delaying seeding.
The report noted that temperatures in March were below normal for the south and central regions, but statistically April was closer to typical temperatures. However cold nights with large daily temperature swings resulted in snow packs taking until well into April to melt off making for delays to spring field operations in those regions.
Seeding is most delayed in the southern region where farmers are 25 per cent behind the five-year average of 32 per cent complete, the report said. The central region is over two per cent done compared to the five-year average of five percent, and 10-year average of eight per cent. And the remaining areas are near normal within one to two per cent of the historical averages.
“Given that seeding has just begun, few to no crops have emerged as of yet. Those few acres that have emerged are in the south,” the report said.
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