By Brittney Matejka

Farmers in Cypress County say they are happy with amount of spring moisture

Mar 19, 2018 | 5:31 PM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB. – The first day of spring is tomorrow and farmers in Cypress County are already gearing up to get back in the field for the upcoming growing season.

Cypress County councillor Dustin Vossler farms near Seven Persons, AB. He says the remaining snow is helping to hold the moisture on his fields.

“We’re looking really good this year, compared to last,” he said. “This time last year it was t-shirt weather, there wasn’t a stitch of snow to be seen.”

Depending on how the snow melts, Vossler said he doesn’t expect to be in the field till the middle of April.

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“There is quite a bit of snow and there is frost in the ground still,” he said. “We are going to need some good temperatures before that starts to happen.”

Vossler explained the slower the snow melts, the less will be lost in run-off to river and instead the water will instead stay in the fields.

“With a slow melt, it gives quite a bit of moisture to soak into the ground,” he said. “It gives us that sub-moisture that we need to get lots of dry land acres started growing.”

Andy Kirschenmen farms near Hilda. He said farmers who were affected by the wildfires in October are thankful for the winter snow to help avoid soil erosion.

“Pretty good snow cover the whole winter, we have been very fortunate with the amount of snow we’ve had,” he said.

Kirschenman explained that most farmers with burnt ground in the Hilda area will be trying to seed those acres first to take advantage of the spring moisture.

“We do have enough to get a crop established,” he said. “I would think there is enough to get the grassland that was burned growing nicely and get some cover back on there.”

Although both farmers in Cypress County say they are happy with the amount of spring moisture, Vossler says they will always take more.

“No one is going to complain about rain,” he said. “It’s easier to pray for rain than to pay for it.”

Vossler said they have had some minor flooding in Cypress County with blockages of a few culverts but it is not out of the ordinary for the spring melt.