The snowy season has been lasting well into spring this year. The west central region even received a few centimeters of snow this week.

Regional Crop Specialist for the Kindersley area, John Ippolito, said the extra snowfall we received this past week probably won't have a huge impact, "The snow contribution to soil moisture is often only 20% to maybe 50% of what actually is there in the form of moisture. That range is mainly due to what kind of melt we get in the spring.

A slow melt will help to add some moisture, which according to Ippolito, will be a good thing, "The soil profile wasn't full in the fall so anytime that we can add a little bit to it, that helps us."

Ippolito said last year we had a soil profile that was wet to a depth of 3ft-4ft. This year, our soil profile is closer to 12-24 inches. "We're still going to be a long ways away from where we were even a year ago when the soil profile was full. We're definitely going to need some timely rains over the growing season."

At this time of the year, producers are usually preparing for the seeding season and getting machinery ready. Ippolito commented, "Given the snow cover we currently have, we're a little behind in that regard. But we're not behind to the point where it's going to be a problem for us."