MOOSOMIN — In this province, conversations about the weather aren’t just an excuse for small talk, it’s a downright crucial topic for many people’s livelihoods across Saskatchewan. That’s why the provincial Ministry of Agriculture is looking for more volunteer crop reporters this season — it’s a small way to make a large impact.
“We send out a survey each week during the growing season, between April and October,” explained Tyce Masich, a crop extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture. “The survey only takes about five minutes to do, and reporters only have to answer the questions that they have an answer for. So we ask both crop and livestock-related questions. The only requirement we have is to give us the rainfall data that you collected from the week.”
Currently, there are 220 crop reporters across the province, but 131 rural municipalities (44 per cent) are without someone to represent their area.
“We really promoted the crop report at Agronomy Research Update, which is a conference we hosted in December, and then at Crop Production Show,” Masich said. “Since then, I’ve had a few more people email me, interested in being a crop reporter.”
According to a Nov. 28, 2024 map of current crop reporters, many RMs in the southeast are in need of volunteers, including Moosomin, Hazelwood, Wawken, Walpole, Maryfield, Moose Mountain, Brock, Willowdale, Spy Hill, Montmartre, Wellington, Grayson and McLeod.
“Any time is a good time to sign up to be a crop reporter,” Masich said. “But now is a great time because it’s slower in the ag industry right now. Farmers, agronomists, anyone interested in being a reporter, they can sign up. We can get them a rain gauge and survey booklet in good time.”
Information gathered from volunteer crop reporters is utilized every week during the growing season through the provincial crop report, detailing rainfall, topsoil moisture conditions, seeding and harvest progress, crop development and damage, livestock feed supplies, and pasture conditions.
“We would like reporters more in the south, especially in the RMs along the U.S. border,” Masich said. “We don’t have a ton of reporters down there, and then in central areas, there’s a couple pockets that don’t have reporters.”
Given how conditions can change quickly within a small area, Masich encourages people interested in volunteering who might already have a reporter in their RM to apply regardless.
“We still highly encourage you to sign up, because crop conditions can vary within an RM and rainfall as well,” he said. “So it’s good to have two sources of information for each RM. We welcome everyone, and we value everyone’s data equally.”
Some reporters have been around since the provincial crop report was in its infancy, a milestone that does receive recognition.
“The crop report has been out for close to 50 years, and this year is the first year we have a reporter hitting 45 years,” said Masich. “Each year, we put on an appreciation event for long-term reporters that hit milestones, so 25 years, 30 years, etc. and this year was the first year we have somebody hitting 45 years. So that’s quite the milestone, quite the achievement, and we sure appreciate the dedication from our reporters.”
Over the years, thanks to all the data collected by dedicated reporters, the crop report has come to be relied on and looked forward to each week.
“It’s got a very significant impact,” Masich pointed out. “it’s one of the most — if not the most — popular publication we put out, just because it’s viewed by so many each week.”
Masich says with a laugh that on some Thursdays during the growing season if the report is late by even five minutes, public panic tends to set in.
“I have a flood of emails from people wondering where it is because they’re just anticipating it and wanting to know what’s going on,” he said, adding that the report’s audience reaches beyond Saskatchewan borders as well. “Not even just within the province, but worldwide as well. Producers and agrologists read it to assess risk, moisture conditions and predict crop yields in their areas. Also, policymakers, marketers, investors, and trading partners all around the world read the report because they want to know how our grain and commodities are being produced and conditions in production.”
For more information, and to sign up as a volunteer crop reporter, email the Crop Report Team at [email protected]
