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Rain on the plains has been great but, we could use more

Jul 11, 2018 | 4:08 PM

LETHRBIDGE —  Despite some recent rain, Alberta Agriculture says crops need more moisture to maintain growth and achieve desired yields.

Crop conditions improved in the South and Central regions while the Northeast, Northwest and Peace Regions showed a decline.
 
Details for the Southern Alberta region, which includes Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Foremost regions 

— Cooler temperatures and windy conditions were experienced across the region this past week with many areas receiving showers or rainfall and even a bit of hail.
— Spring cereals are in the late booting and early heading stages.
— Crop condition ratings of good or excellent showed a slight increase from 71.0 to 72.7 percent.
— Surface soil moisture with a rating of good or higher is at 59.0 per cent.
— Subsurface soil moisture with a rating of good and above is at 51.4 per cent.
— Pasture ratings showed moderate improvement from 55.7 to 59.1 per cent rated as good or better, while tame hay conditions remained the same.

All of the area crop condition ratings are currently higher than the five-year average, particularly the Peace and Northeast.