2025 Spring Seeding Crop Report
2025 Spring Seeding Crop Report – Oat and Pulse Market
From the desk of Mike Gallais, Director of Procurement
Here we are in the middle of June already. Summer has arrived, and seeding is complete. Everyone is waiting to see what weather mother nature has in store for us!
At Avena, we have many Sustainability Impact Projects (SIPs) on the go: some new this year, and several into their second year. Our experimental field plots are seeded for our much-anticipated Customer and Farmer Appreciation Day (CAFAD) in July. The 2025 CAFAD is looking to be bigger and better than ever! Hopefully, you have made your travel arrangements to attend.
Let’s get to what everyone is wondering about: how is the crop? As far as seeded acres go, I think that the projections from our Pre-Seeding Crop Report are correct. It will be interesting to see what Stats Canada predicts in their next report. It comes out in a couple of weeks.
In terms of moisture, the province is divided into two zones: the north division, north of Highway 16 (no rain since the snow left and getting dangerously close to a wreck), and south of Highway 16 (two weeks ago received anywhere from 1 to 5 inches of rain, depending on where the farm is located). The good news is that this past weekend, the northern area finally got some much-needed rain.
Northern Saskatchewan has had several large forest fires. As much as that is a bad thing, the smoke from the fires has shielded the crop from the piercing heat and that is a blessing.
Oat Crop Progress
The oat growing areas of the province are doing okay. With any luck at all, I would expect a good average crop; however, the next 30 days will be critical.
We do not have an abundance of soil moisture, and so we will need a few timely rains this season. In addition, hopefully it doesn’t get too hot. We should then be able to squeak out a crop. The difference between this year and last year is that this crop has a better root system already and so will be able to hold on a bit longer without loss of quality.
View the latest fieldwork in an early-seeded organic oat field in this video, courtesy of Rob Ardell, May 2025.
Pulse Crop Progress
The pulse crops are doing fine with most of the lentil and pea growing areas having good soil moisture. They are average in terms of maturity. We had a good emergence, and the timing of the moisture was awesome. When the rain system moved through, it was a 3-day rain, something that we haven’t seen in several years. It was money in the bank!
Most of our conventional growers are busy with crop spraying. Organic farmers are waiting for the weather.
See you at CAFAD 2025!
We look forward to seeing you at CAFAD in July! (Learn more about this year’s event and register here.) In the meantime, we will be watching the weather, and reading and reacting to the situation as it unfolds.
Enjoy the summer and travel safely!