Recent rain in the southeast region has arrived just as seeding was completed, according to the latest Alberta Crop Report. Cattle graze beside an irrigated pasture in this May 6 file photo.--News File Photo
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Seeding was completed before heavy rains rolled through southern Alberta over the weekend, according to the Alberta Crop report released late last week.
That report, which includes conditions up to May 31, stated 86 per cent of cropland in southern Alberta was rated fair to poor for moisture content.
Seeding had been completed ahead of the five-year average, but with hay acres in poor conditions and emergence stunted by dry weather.
In the entire south region however, driest conditions existed in a triangle from Calgary to Brooks to Lethbridge, plus areas stretching to Pakowki Lake and the Onefour range.
Moisture there was considered the driest for this point of the year in half a century, while bands outward from Medicine Hat were considered low to moderately low.
Reporters in all areas stressed the need for rain, which arrived over the weekend, including several inches in the Vulcan area to cause localized flooding.
Receiving less but substantial amounts were Medicine Hat (20 millimetres), Onefour (29 mm), Queenstown (30 mm), Seven Persons (37 mm) and Irvine (20 mm). More localized rain in western Saskatchewan saw Maple Creek receive 15 mm on Sunday. About 25 mm is equal to one inch.
In southwest Saskatchewan, up to a one-half inch of rain in the preceding week boosted soil moisture in the southern stretches as seeding was virtually completed throughout.
Crop land moisture sat at 58 per cent adequate after a dry fall, winter and spring, though pasture is showing signs of deterioration due to heat and wind.
Provincially, crop and pasture conditions across Saskatchewan are considered to be fair to good.
In Alberta, regional discrepancies in crop outlook are related to precipitation, though heavier than usual weed presence in pastures is reported throughout.
