It could be a very busy weekend for local farmers..

According to the latest crop report, only one per cent of spring seeding is complete in the northeast and east central parts of the province. Provincially five per cent of the 2011 crop is seeded.

"Some areas reported rain anywhere up to 20 (millimeters), so the topsoil moisture is still pretty wet, they're indicating about 61 per cent is still in a surplus condition, so it's very challenging for the producers," explained Saskatchewan Agriculture's Grant Maclean.

Farmers continue to play the waiting game, this week, in hopes to see drier pastures.

It has been next to impossible for them to begin spring seeding due to fields being just too wet.

Farmworld's Tex Prete says farmers in Melfort and the Kinistino area are being patient.

Shock, frustration, anger, and rebuilding the family business.

That's what the last ten years have been like for the McCrea's in Baldwinton, near Cut Knife. Trevor McCrea remembers all too clearly what happened in the spring of 2003.

The outlook is looking better for Saskatchewan farmers in terms of seeding.

Seeding got off to a late start this spring due to the never-ending winter. But after falling behind in early spring producers have now caught up to the five year average for seeding.

Producers are getting closer to where they're supposed to be for spring planting.

In the weekly crop report released Thursday, Saskatchewan Agriculture reported spring seeding had reached the two-third mark and is now almost on par with the five-year average, said crop specialist Grant McLean.

“Our reporters are indicating we have around 67 per cent of the 2013 crop planted and that’s pretty close to the five-year average of 70 per cent.”

The province is investing in your food starting with how it grows.

The Saskatchewan government is putting $5 million toward wheat research projects.

The first three projects will receive about half that money. The researchers are focusing on improving wheat breeding, higher quality and performance wheat varieties, and looking at wheat fungicide strategies.

The money is coming from the province's agriculture development fund, and will be combined with another $5 million from the Canadian Wheat Alliance.

 

In a time when it may seem like the family farm is fading away, Saskatchewan is seeing 355 families celebrating working the same land for at least 100 years.

This spring, Information Services Corporation (ISC) is recognizing each of those families with an ISC Century Family Farm Award.  On Monday, a celebratory luncheon was held in Regina to honour a portion of those families, with luncheons to be held in Swift Current on Tuesday, and in Saskatoon on Thursday.

About 200 people in Saskatoon took part in a march against agriculture giant Monsanto.

Demonstrators joined hundreds of thousands of people in over 250 cities worldwide who demonstrated against the agriculture chemical and seed maker.

Things are drying up around Saskatchewan, and although there are still pools of water on some farmer’s fields, that extra moisture can actually serve as a benefit later on in the summer.

Right now conditions are still fairly wet for some to get on their fields and start seeding. The latest provincial crop report outlines how seeding is just over a quarter finished in the province. That’s behind the five-year average.

Saskatoon researchers may have found a way to save Canadian farmers millions of dollars.

Scientists at the Saskatoon Research Centre have developed the first crucifer flea beetle-resistant strand of canola.

“The flea beetle is the worst insect pest of canola,” said Margret Gruber with Agriculture and Agi-Food Canada.