Sask. farmers could see relief from drought in coming weeks after abnormally dry April

Areas of Saskatchewan could catch a break from the long-lasting drought. Meteorologist Peter Quinlan says more spring precipitation is on the way.

It is that time of year when farmers are heading into spring seeding season but Mother Nature still needs to play catch up.

What was said to be the biggest snow storm in decades left behind plenty of snow for many southern parts of the province. Now there is more snow on the way and while many people are ready to put winter behind them, farmers are welcoming any extra moisture after last years’ drought.

Plenty of areas in the province are still seeing excessively dry conditions.

As of March 31, the Canadian Drought Outlook map showed dry to extreme conditions for central and southern areas of Saskatchewan.

While their outlook map for the end of the month shows some improvement, moisture levels are still below average according to Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan.

“We’ve only seen two millimetres of precipitation so far this April. Normally we would see 22 millimetres so we are looking at these dry conditions kind of spread out from western Saskatchewan into the Saskatoon area,” said Quinlan.

With the dry conditions carrying on into this years’ crop season, University of Saskatchewan professor Greg Penner was looking into another way to keep cattle hydrated.

The study looked at supplementing cattle with sodium and potassium to hold water in their system longer.