02/21/08 Canadian Prairie could see wet, cold spring planting

Farm and Ranch February 21, 2008 Farmers on the Canadian Prairie may have some challenges with planting their spring wheat, barley and other crops this year. Dr. Art Douglas, retired Creighton University atmospheric science professor explained why at the recent Pacific Northwest Farm Forum. Douglas: "We look up into Canada they have had a real brutal winter. That jet, which has been forced north of normal because of La Nina conditions, is probably keep that cold and snow on the ground for quite some time into spring. And then when we finally get into summer a La Nina summer is one in which the high pressure zones move way far north. This allows Canada then to warm up and dry up. So the Canadian situation may be on in which they have problems with flooding, wet soils towards the end of the spring when they want to be planting. And then as they go into the summer they may dry up and really get hot and again that may put some stress on the crop." Douglas says that heat and dryness will also likely impact Montana and the Dakotas. Another area of the world to keep a watch on says Douglas is South America. He says La Nina usually means drought in Argentina. Douglas: "And the crop area of Argentina has most certainly been hit by the drought. There has been some spotty rainfall recently, but as we go towards the southern hemisphere winter, in other words the months of June, July and August, there is a pretty strong likelihood that they will also have another cold winter and possibly dry winter in the wheat areas of Argentina." Douglas sees Australia's next winter wheat crop starting with dry planting conditions. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Ag Information Network.