Environment Canada reports that April 2018 was the driest April in southern Manitoba for the past 30 years. It was also the fourth driest April since precipitation records started being kept in 1872.
Large swaths of Manitoba were under drought conditions, with an area including Niverville, Ste. Agathe, St. Adolphe, and Île-des-Chênes falling into the D2 drought classification, indicating “severe drought conditions.”
Rain finally came in mid-May, easing many people’s minds about the growing season.
One of those people was Ken Krahn, a local farmer who operates a 3,000-acre farm a few kilometres northwest of Niverville.
“We were a little concerned earlier on when we were seeding,” Krahn says.
Dry soil makes it easier to seed quickly. Despite this year’s later thaw, according to Agriculture Manitoba, seeding across the province rapidly caught up with last year’s dates.
Most years, even if there isn’t much rain in the spring, the melting snow leaves enough moisture in the soil for crops to start growing. But while the average annual snowfall for the region is approximately 76 centimetres, this past winter saw only 54.6 centimetres.
“Rain in the Red River Valley is generally quite reliable,” says Krahn, who has been farming for 30 years. “Our bigger problem is usually too much rather than too little since our heavy, clay-rich soil stores moisture really well.”
Krahn’s farm has four crops in the ground this year: corn, soybeans, wheat, and canola. Like most local farmers, he doesn’t run irrigation to water crops.
“We rely on timely rains, and generally in our area that does happen most years,” he says. “This year we are on the lower side of normal, but generally what we hope for in a growing season is 25 to 35 centimetres of rain, and we can still get that this year. And we certainly don’t want to get it all at one time.”
After the mid-May rains, most crops have begun to emerge. That rainfall was particularly timely and went a long way to ensuring a solid start to the growing season.
The question now is whether the drought conditions will return, since not much rain has fallen since. Meanwhile, the windy conditions have made spraying weed-combatting herbicides a challenge.
While regular rainfall is important, adds Krahn, the soil’s capacity to store moisture and the plants’ ability to send roots down deeper to seek water both mean that even new crops can go a couple of weeks between rainfalls.
So for now, Krahn says he’s feeling optimistic about the growing season, particularly with rain in the forecast for early June.
“If we could get an inch of rain or so, that would be perfect. Ideally sooner rather than later, but we just need any sustained rain within the first week of June to avoid any trouble.” He pauses, though, and jokes, “Of course, we can always rely on rain on the Niverville Fair weekend. So there’s that.”
