An Agricultural “Island” in the Saskatchewan River Delta

Much of the Saskatchewan River Delta, a large inland delta that straddles the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is too wet for extensive farming. But amid the delta’s winding channels, lakes, and marshes, an “island” of straight-edged fields breaks up the curvy contours. These fields, west of the town of The Pas, make up Manitoba’s northernmost agricultural area.

Known as the Carrot River Valley (Pasquia Area Settlement), the area lies within the Rural Municipality of Kelsey. Its actively farmed land spans more than 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) between the Carrot and Pasquia rivers—tributaries of the Saskatchewan River—and is surrounded by wetlands, including the marshes of the Saskeram Wildlife Management Area to the north.

These images show the valley at two points during the 2026 growing season: on July 2 (left) and September 21 (right). They were acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the NASA-USGS Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 satellites, respectively.

Landsat data feed into the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada annual crop inventory. The 2026 inventory was not released as of late September, but the 2025 map shows that farmers in the Carrot River Valley grew mostly canola and spring wheat that year, along with small patches of Canary seed.

The July 2026 image shows green crops across many of the valley’s fields. Planting in the area, part of Manitoba Agriculture’s Northwest crop reporting region, began later than in parts of the region to the south because of wet conditions. Still, fertile soils and long summer days at this northern latitude can help crops grow quickly.

By the time of the September image, the pattern had flipped. The Pas recorded little rainfall in the preceding week (1.6 millimeters, or 0.06 inches), while wetter weather elsewhere in the Northwest region (up to 43.9 millimeters, or 1.7 inches) held up the harvest. By then, farmers across the region had harvested about 10 percent of the canola and 50 percent of the spring wheat.

Managing water has long been a challenge in the valley. In the 1950s, a major flood control and drainage project got underway, and farming in the area today still depends on diking and pumping for agricultural flood protection.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

References & Resources

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2025) Annual Crop Inventory. Accessed September 30, 2026.
• Jardine, T. D., et al. (2023) Healthy Delta, Healthy People: The Past, Present and Future of the Saskatchewan River Delta. In Wantzen, K. M. (Ed.), River Culture: Life as a Dance to the Rhythm of the Waters, 397–421. UNESCO Publishing.
• Kelsey Conservation District, Carrot–Saskatchewan River Integrated Watershed Management Plan: A Summary of Watershed Values (PDF). Accessed September 30, 2026.
• Manitoba Agriculture, Reward Versus Risk: Seeding Early In Manitoba. Accessed September 30, 2026.
• Rural Municipality of Kelsey, Elected Officials & General Information. Accessed September 30, 2026.

Source: NASA