The snowfall in March has some farmers feeling a little more optimistic heading into Spring seeding.

Many areas, of course, are still looking for some early spring moisture.

Crops Extension Specialist John Ippolito says the dry conditions last year meant disease wasn’t a major factor.

He does note, however, that Clubroot disease was found in Saskatchewan last year.

"We did find commercial fields with infected plants, in the north particularly two crop districts to the west of Prince Alberts," he said. "That was the first time that we've actually found commercial plants with infections that were visible."

He says it’s important to note Clubroot is spread in the soil so having good bio-security measures in place on the farm is important.

The disease spread rapidly in and around Alberta through equipment and vehicle movement.

Root rot in Pulses is a disease issue that normally is an issue in wet years but also showed up last year in a few areas.

John Ippolito is a Crops Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture:

"We are finding that there is a lot of fields that have pathogens present," he said. "It's a case now, where we know the pathogens are their, as long as we continue to grow peas and lentils in those fields as host plants. If the moisture conditions we can expect to see more rots on those pulse crops."

Root rot can have a dramatic impact on crop development and of course yield.

He notes it means producers are going to have to take root rot complexes more seriously that we have in the past.