Recent snowfall a good sign for southern Alberta farmers

Farmers in southern Alberta say they were worried about a dry start to winter, but recent moisture could be changing conditions.

Lethbridge and much of southern Alberta didn’t see much snow or cold weather in December and parts of January.

That’s since changed as the region has seen its fair share of cold and snow over recent weeks.

“A lot of December was above average. We have had a few above-average periods in January as well, up until this recent cold spell,” said Justin Shelley, an operational meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

That’s good news for farmers counting on full reservoirs to start the growing season.

Producers have seen several years in a row of less-than-full reservoirs, so more snow could mean farmers get off on the right foot.

“We have had a little more snow lately, which is a good sight to see. It came with the cold, unfortunately, which nobody likes, but we definitely need more snow to help refill the reservoirs and to help get some snowpack into the fields to melt down for springtime,” said Sean Stanford, who farms outside Magrath.

While the snow is good, the cold has posed challenges.

Extreme conditions make it difficult to work outside and get the necessary preparations done.

It can also take away some vital moisture.

“When it’s really cold like this and the wind picks up, the wind tends to blow all the snow away, either into the ditches or it just keeps heading east,” Stanford said.

“So, I know some fields that are cultivated or have been worked last fall, they start to blow when the wind early picks up. So heavy, wet snow would be best in my mind.”

Southern Alberta will likely see more cold and snow for the rest of February. The start of spring is also expected to bring rain.

Forecasts predict the region will see average to above-average precipitation in March heading into April.

“A lot of the trends we are seeing currently are towards a bit more precipitation in the earlier part of the spring, with a lot of the modelling, at least for the March period coming in. We’re above average in terms of precipitation,” said Shelley.