Warm weather, little snow leave Manitoba farmers optimistic

While drivers in Manitoba's major centres may be grumbling at the warm weather and the potholes it's producing, farmers in southwestern Manitoba are welcoming it with open arms.

"It's not that bad a time of year to have things dry up," said Dan Mazier, president of Manitoba's Keystone Agricultural Producers and a farmer near Justice, Man.

Mazier predicts producers in the southwest will be getting out a bit earlier than usual this year preparing fields for seeding.

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"I know guys are getting a little bit itchy [to get going] already," he said.

Typically, seeding occurs around the beginning of May, with field work beginning in April after the ground thaws out.

But this year, much of southwestern Manitoba and the Red River Valley have little to no snow, according toCBC MeteorologistJohn Sauder. Normally, 14 cm of snow is on the ground in March.

Even though field work might start earlier this year, Mazier doesn't think many will actually start seeding until around the beginning of May, even if the weather continues thewarm trend.

Too early to seed

"We always hear reports [of early seeding]," Mazier added. "Someone is going to go out and try it. We're an eager bunch... that's the beauty of our province. We're so diverse and what's happening down in Altona might work, but definitely not up in Russell."

"The bottom line.. the sun still isn't there," he said. "The days aren't long enough. It's still way too early to sow a crop."

Pam de Rocquigny is a provincial cereal crops specialist. She said warm weather in 2012 led to the crop-growing season starting early across much of the province, something that could be possible this year if the weather holds.

"It really depends on what sort of weather we get over the next few weeks," she said.

Change in weather could damage over-winter crops

But the warm weather does come with its problems. Crops seeded prior to winter could be damaged if they start growing too soon.

"If it gets too warm, these winter crops, if it warms up and cools off in April that might hurt those crops," said Mazier.

The warm weather will also help pull frost out of roads, which could lead to a shorter period of spring road restrictions, said Mazier, something producers who are still trying to get grain to market would welcome.

However both Mazier and de Rocquigny agree that there is still a lot of time between now and the normal start of the growing season.

"We're still at March 10th," she said. "There is still a lot of time for things to happen."