Favourable conditions allow for early planting this spring
With the exception of winter wheat producers, the weather over the past winter and current spring has been ideal for most New Brunswick farmers.

The unusually mild, snow-free winter permitted many producers to start planting much earlier than usual this year, said Peter Scott, acting crop development director for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

There was so much rainfall last spring, Scott said farmers had trouble getting their equipment onto the wet, muddy fields. He said potato producers in the Hartland area were unable to start planting until May 24.

It was May 13 last year before many farmers could plant cereal crops, such as barley, wheat and oats, and even then, they had to put "winter coats" on them, he said.

This year, with the warm ground dried by the end of March, Scott said potatoes were being planted as early as April 12 and 13. He said grains were also planted last month in various parts of the province.

He said the lack of snow cover for much of last winter allowed freezing and ice to get into the ground. But this should actually help the potato yield, as the ice will destroy a lot of the diseases that could attack the crop, later.

However, with the winter wheat, the opposite result occurred, said Scott. Once the rain froze in the ground, he said the ice it created literally suffocated the crop by stopping any oxygen from getting through to it, thereby destroying it.

However, with the ground drying out so early this year, the provincial agriculture spokesman noted that all the crops planted in the spring, such as potatoes, peas, carrots and corn, will get a headstart.

"With conditions being so favourable this spring for planting, a lot of corn was planted early this year," said Scott. "Corn needs heat and the farmers wanted to get the corn in the ground early to take advantage of all the heat in the earth created by the warm, dry winter."

The one risk, however, would be if there is a late frost which could seriously damage the corn and some of the other crops planted early this spring, he said.

But it is certainly a more promising situation for the corn this year than the previous two springs, said Scott. Both were cool, wet springs, he explained, and corn growers were spared a bit last year, thanks to some hot weather in August, which produced a good late yield.

Even the arrival of the rainy weather this week is a benefit for the province's farmers. Along with the dry ground and early planting start, Scott emphasized the farmers also needed rain right now.

And the type of rainfall they require is a slow, steady drizzle, which is exactly what they have been receiving the past two days, he said. It is the kind of moisture that soaks into the ground and helps the crops to mature faster, he added.

Meanwhile, showers with the risk of thundershowers are being forecast for Metro Moncton, today. The projected high is 16C (61F) with the low expected to be 4C (39F).

Periods of rain are predicted for tomorrow, with the high expected to climb to the 18C (64F) mark and the low to increase to 6C (43F).