Saskatchewan hosts 43% of Canadian farmland. Efficiency within agricultural zones is fundamental to resilient food production.
Water and wetlands are an important part of this equation. Water can improve productivity or limit production and field efficiency, and is an important part of functional AG ecosystems.
How do we classify water in the AG zone?
Saskatchewan farmers are responsible for managing the more than 4.6M acres of wetlands in agricultural zones.
However, temporary water-filled depressions (often mistaken for true wetlands) harm crops, create salinity issues and lead to a significant loss of production. These are the most critical wet land areas that reduce productivity, land use efficiency and cropping sustainability.
The AG zone is the farmable and potentially farmable acres within the field boundary. Soil zone, topography and climatic zones fluctuate across the province and dictate where productive agriculture zones are.
Temporary Wet Land
With temporary wet land, excess unmanaged water can result in crop death within 24-48 hours and can negatively affect acres up to 2-3 times their size. Barren land presents a high risk for nutrient washouts, accumulation of salinity, reduced microbial populations, diminished soil health, increased weed populations and wide spread economic loss.
Class 1 – Temporary Wetlands (1-2 days)
They are temporary, shallow depressions that hold water for 1-2 days each season.
Class 2 – Temporary (1-2 weeks)
These are temporary, shallow depression areas holding water for 1-2 weeks before drying up.
Temporary Seasonal Wetlands
Seasonal wetlands can negatively influence acres up to 2 to 3 times their size. These areas are prone to overlap, compaction, development of resistant weed species and overall poor field efficiency and soil health.
Management of temporary seasonal wetlands restores soil health, improves field efficiency and reduces the environmental footprint of food production along with economic benefits for the farmer.
Class 3 – Temporary Seasonal (1-2 months)
Class 3 wetlands are seasonal wetland areas holding water for 1-2 months before drying up, depending on the year. Responsible drainage of class 3 seasonal wetlands depends on the location of the wetland area within the field and the nuisance effects on the AG zone.
Semi-Permanent and Permanent Wetlands
These permanent water wetlands within agricultural producing regions are called the Ag Eco Zone. They are crucial for flood control and the prevention of nutrient spillage along with numerous other environmental benefits. Managing temporary and seasonal wetlands ensures that farmers can manage these important ecosystems to remain on the landscape.
Class 4 – Semi-permanent
These permanent water wetlands within agricultural producing regions are called the Ag Eco Zone. They provide numerous environmental benefits such as water retention and recharge, nutrient storage and stable habitat ecosystems. These areas also need to be managed to provide active storage capacity and overflow management.
Class 5 – Permanent
Class 5 wetlands are permanent wetland areas existing within the agricultural landscape. They are vital for water storage capacity, flood control, environmental integrity and offer a stable, beneficial ecosystem. 86% of Saskatchewan wetlands remain intact within agricultural zones.
What is an AG Eco Zone?
The areas voluntarily retained as healthy, functioning upland or wetland habitat within the AG zone.