Desperate spin: Warmer weather, more moisture, and longer growing seasons could be bad for Saskatchewan farmers because then the weeds would grow better

Climate change could hinder farmers

With winter weather hitting -40 C for weeks at a time, and summers so dry that even the hardiest of crops cannot grow, Saskatchewan and the Prairies are a region of extremes.
Climate change and a steady warming of temperatures across the Prairies are going to have impacts on the seasons, and on agriculture, according to Dave Sauchyn, research professor at the Prairie Adaptation Research Collective at the University of Regina.
Sauchyn was a guest speaker at the Farm Progress Forum, a new speaker series at Canada's Farm Progress Show. His presentation focused on the changing climate and its effects on the water supply in the Prairies. Sauchyn has done extensive research into wet and dry cycles across the Prairies, looking at the rings inside of trees, and has identified a trend of 60-year cycles; 30 years of dry weather, and 30 years of wet weather.
The Prairies, according to Sauchyn, are entering a period of above-average moisture. This could be promising for Saskatchewan's booming agriculture industry. According to Natural Resources Canada, climate change could lead to increased productivity, the potential to grow new crops in a longer growing season, and less moisture stress, as well as other benefits. Of course, there are risks to a warmer climate as well. Higher temperatures and longer growing seasons bring a greater chance of insect infestations and the occurrence of disease. Crop damage, soil erosion and increased weed growth are just a few other problems that may occur as temperatures rise. Sauchyn pointed out that it's not certain which of these problems will manifest, and whether the benefits of the warmer weather will outweigh the negative aspects of inevitable periods of doubt.