Farmers across the Prairies are heading into yet another dry spring, which has many wondering if they need to change up their seeding plans.

Best management practices for seeding dates, depths, spacing and more, are well established for a reason — they’ve proven themselves over time. But after three straight years of drought conditions, is it time for farmers to think differently about seeding? Here’s what two professional agrologists have to say.

ADAPTING TO DROUGHT

Jason Voogt is a Certified Crop Advisor and Professional Agrologist with Field2Field Agronomy in Miami, MB, an independent crop consulting firm.

He says that during a drought, seeding earlier could be more helpful in the long run for your crops. “If you seed early, then at least you can take advantage of the moisture that’s there,” says Voogt. The longer you wait the more potential for moisture loss.

Shannon Winny is also a Certified Crop Advisor and Professional Agrologist, and owns GroWest Ag Ventures, an independent agronomy and farm management company near Harris, SK. She emphasizes that finding the perfect time to seed can be a difficult balance between going early enough to maximize moisture but late enough to avoid frost.

“I would not push your seeding dates to be too early because you’re putting your crops more at risk of an early frost, and cold soils increase the risk of soil-borne diseases and that’s going to hurt your yields,” says Winny.

KEEPING MOISTURE IN

On the Prairies, it’s all about finding the moisture where you can, and Voogt says that there are some ways you can maximize the moisture already in the soil.

For instance, while tillage isn’t as prevalent as it once was, pre-seed tillage operations are still used sometimes to manage residue and control germinated weeds. But in a prolonged drought, think carefully before hooking up the cultivator.

“Anything you can do to minimize tillage ahead of seeding is going to help conserve moisture,” says Voogt. “The least amount of soil disturbance that you can do is always going to be a good thing.”

Winny agrees. “Guys are harrowing less, so there is less soil disturbance going on, and that’s helping to preserve as much moisture as possible,” she says.

Voogt adds that there is a movement towards single-disc drills, which could help during a drought. “(Single disc drills) are going to disturb and move less soil, which means opening less soil and allowing less moisture to escape,” he says.

SEEDING DEEPER

When there isn’t enough moisture in the first few inches of soil, seeding deeper can often be the fallback plan for many farmers. However, Voogt says, this isn’t always the answer.

“If things are dry, the tendency is to go deeper because, more often than not, there’s maybe more moisture down below,” he says. Some farmers might be able to make that work but beyond two inches, you start running into issues such as the crop taking too long to emerge, which can delay maturity, or expending too much energy getting out of the ground, which can leave young plants more vulnerable to pests and abiotic stressors.

Aiming for recommended seeding depths during drought is more helpful in the long run, says Winny. “If you have a good seeding depth, you’re more likely to be in a moisture area. So, when you do get those rains, the crop is going to have more vigor and actually grow well.”

But, Winny adds, crop type and soil dryness will ultimately determine your proper seed depth. “With canola, some think you can just scratch it in and barely put it in the seedbed,” she explains. “But if you do get a little bit of rain, then there’s nothing surrounding the seed, which makes it that much more likely that the canola is going to run out of steam. It will have enough (energy) to germinate, but it won’t have enough to really grow.”

LOWER SEEDING RATE, HIGHER REWARD?

“In the past, when we’ve run into dry situations later in the reason, having a lower seeding rate has been better,” says Voogt. “You don’t have as much plant competition within the row itself.”

It makes sense but, as with seeding depth, you have to balance the risks and rewards of altering them based on moisture conditions. “If you go too heavy, you’ll have too much inter-competition among the plants,” says Winny. “But if you cut your rates, we’re looking at more issues with disease pressure, weed pressure, and you’re just not going to have adequate plant stands to achieve high yields.”

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to best practices for seeding during drought. Both Winny and Voogt say it’s important to remember that conditions are different across the Prairies and taking the time to evaluate what’s best for your specific situation is key. It means really walking the fields this year to accurately assess conditions and talk to your agrologist.