More than one-third of the Saskatchewan crop is now in the bin, with good progress being made this past week in the southeast and northern regions.
An estimated 36% of the provincial crop was off as of Monday, according to the latest weekly crop report. That is up from 29% a week earlier and is well ahead of the five-year average of 22%. An additional 30% of the provincewide crop was swathed or ready to straight cut.
The harvest in the Northeast region gained 9 points on the week to move to 34% complete, while Northwest advanced 6 points to 21% done. The Southwest region continues to lead the way with 47% of the crop combined as of Monday, although that is up just 4 points from the previous week. The Southeast region was 42% combined, up from 30% the previous week, while the West-Central and East-Central were 36% and 25% done, compared to 27% and 22% a week earlier.
An estimated 99% of the winter wheat, 83% of the fall rye, 85% of the lentils, 84% of the field peas, 57% of the mustard and 40% of the durum, were harvested as of Monday, along with 11% of the chickpeas, 36% of the spring wheat and 11% of the canola. An additional 19% of the canola and 16% of the mustard was swathed or ready to straight-cut.
Many parts of the province experienced scattered rain showers this week, varying from trace amounts up to 77 mm in the Limerick area. Recent rains have helped green up pastures, “which might allow cattle producers to continue pasture grazing and save their winter feed stocks,” the report said.
Topsoil moisture conditions also continue to improve in most areas due to cooler temperatures and recent rains. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 1% surplus, 40% adequate, 34% short and 25% very short as of Monday, versus 1% surplus, 32% adequate, 37% short and 30% very short a week earlier.
Most crop damage this past week was due to heavy rain, hail, strong winds, insects and the long-lasting effects of drought. The rain has caused downgrading of many crops still standing in fields, with the biggest issues being bleaching, staining, sprouting, low kernel weights and fungal growth. Reported yields are far lower than average for many parts of the province with some areas reporting some fields that have yielded almost nothing.
Southeast:
Even though there was scattered rainfall throughout the southeast region over the week, producers were able to get out into their fields and continue harvesting. Forty-two per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up from 30 per cent last week. The five-year (2016-2020) average for this time of year is 34 per cent. An additional 26 per cent of the crop is swathed or ready to straight cut. Rainy weather has resulted in downgrading of cereals and pulses but has given pastures a chance to recover from the season long drought.
Rainfall last week ranged from one mm to 74 mm in the Briercrest area. Topsoil moisture conditions have slightly improved in the region with the recent rains. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 57 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and seven per cent very short.
Crop damage this week was attributed to heavy rains, strong winds, insects and hail. One producer reported severe damage to as much as 1,500 acres of canola due to hail. Others have reported that hail blanketed the ground and gave the impression it had snowed. The total extent of the damage for the entire region is not known at this time but it is likely several fields were lost where the hail was the most severe.
Producers are starting to move cattle, hauling water and waiting for the conditions to dry up so they can resume harvest.
Southwest:
Harvest progress was delayed greatly by rainfall this week, allowing only a small amount of crop to be harvested. Forty-seven per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up from 43 per cent last week but still well ahead of the five-year (2016-2020) average of 38 per cent. Still, many producers in the region have completed harvest.
The majority of the region did not receive significant amounts rain last week, although the Limerick area reported 77 mm. Topsoil moisture conditions are slowly improving in the region thanks to several days of cool rainy weather. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 28 per cent adequate, 38 per cent short and 34 per cent very short.
Most crop damage this past week was due to drought stress, strong winds, heavy rains and hail. Grasshoppers are still a large problem across the region and producers are trying to harvest as quickly as possible before more damage is caused, grasshoppers are also making grain cleaning a challenge.
Producers are busy moving bales and cattle while they wait for weather conditions to improve and let harvest resume.
East-Central:
Very little harvest progress was made over the past week, only twenty-five per cent of the crop is now combined, up from 22 per cent last week and well ahead of the five-year (2016-2020) average of 13 per cent for this time of year. Now that it has rained and some of the crop is coming off tough, producers are using aerations bins or grain dryers to lower moisture levels.
Rainfall in the region ranged from trace amounts to 73 mm in the Rose Valley area. The Bethune area reported 39 mm of rain, the Roblin area 35 mm, the Rama area 28 mm and the Kenaston area 15 mm. Topsoil moisture conditions have slightly improved in the region with the recent cool and rainy weather. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 60 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and 16 per cent very short.
The majority of crop damage this week was due to strong winds, heavy rains and localized hail. The strong winds have blown swaths around and have lodged or shelled out some crops. The rainy humid conditions have resulted in bleaching, staining, sprouting and lowered kernel weights for many crops.
Producers are busy hauling bales, moving cattle and combining or swathing where it is drier.
West-Central:
The west-central region was able to get some harvesting done before being delayed by rains. Thirty-six per cent of the crop is now combined, up from 27 per cent last week and well ahead of the five-year (2016-2020) average of 17 per cent for this time of year. Many crops in the region that suffered severely from the drought were either cut for greenfeed or not cut at all. Crop quality issues such as lighter bushel weight and small, shriveled seed are very common in the region.
Much of the region received rain this past week with the Macklin area reporting 51 mm. Despite the incredible moisture deficit across the region, recent rain showers have been able to improve the topsoil moisture conditions in the region. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as six per cent surplus, 28 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 24 per cent very short.
Drought conditions, strong winds and localized hail were the main causes of crop damage this past week. The strong winds have lodged crops, blown swaths around and shelled out standing crops. The rain has not slowed down the grasshoppers in the region and they still continue to cause issues for producers.
Producers are busy combining, swathing, hauling bales and getting ready to move cattle.
Northeast:
Harvest is nicely progressing in the region despite recent rain and cooler weather. Thirty-four per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up from 25 per cent last week and ahead of the five-year (2016-2020) average of seven per cent for this time of year.
Overall crops remain in poor condition with yields expected to be below average. While some crops are coming off dry, others are coming off tough and are being placed into aeration bins and dryers. Some fields remain wet and will need good drying weather before harvest can begin.
Most of the region received rain last week that delayed some producers in the field. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 42 per cent adequate, 47 per cent short and 11 per cent very short.
The majority of crop damage this past week was due to localized hail and strong winds that have blown swaths around and shelled some standing crops. One hailstorm was reported to have covered approximately 20 quarters and the damage varied from light to 100 per cent loss.
Producers are busy combining, swathing, desiccating and hauling bales.
Northwest:
The majority of the northwest did not receive large amounts of rainfall but conditions were still damp enough to slow down harvest progress across the region. Twenty-one per cent of the crop is now combined, up from 15 per cent last week and more than four times the five-year (2016-2020) average of five per cent. Initial crop yields and qualities are very low.
Rainfall this past week ranged from trace amounts to 50 mm in the Duck Lake area. Cropland topsoil moisture conditions are rated as 13 per cent adequate, 34 per cent short and 53 per cent very short.
Most crop damage this past week was due to strong winds that have blown swaths around and shelled out some standing crops. Hail was reported in some areas but the damage is not known at this time.
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