Northern wild rice well below average due to high water levels
A major purchaser of wild rice in northern Saskatchewan is expecting 25 to 35 per cent of an average year at most.
“We’re not expecting a bumper crop that’s for sure,” Riese’s Canadian Lake Wild Rice Owner Lynne Watt said. “I think there is some rice out there, but I don’t think it will be anything close to an average year. It’s going to be way down as far as the volume of wild rice we’ll be able to harvest.”
The reason the wild rice harvest is expected to be so poor is because the high water levels at lakes across the region. Since the beginning of June, there have been multiple advisories issued by the Water Security Agency about above-normal stream flows in all section of the Churchill River system. While some lakes are higher than others, Watt believes some lakes can be one foot above normal.
The water level is key when it comes to specific growing periods for the wild rice. For instance, Watt noted 36 inches of water is the ideal level when it first starts out, so sunlight can reach the bottom of the plant and germinate the seeds. It’s also crucial when the plant reaches the floating-leaf stage at the end of June when there is the potential for the plant to rip from the roots and die.