NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — A prairie-wide crop tour organized by CWB uncovered few surprises during its first day of travel through northwestern Saskatchewan.
Crops in an area stretching from Saskatoon to Prince Albert to North Battleford are in generally good shape with above average yield potential.
Participants on the Saskatchewan leg of the tour are expecting to see more of the same on Day 2 as they continue west of North Battleford toward the Alberta border.
“What we saw on Day 1 were some very good crops with very good yield potential,” said CWB’s Bruce Burnett, who is leading the tour’s Saskatchewan entourage.
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“Some of the yield potentials (in the North Battleford area) are probably very similar to last year.”
CWB’s 2014 crop tour kicked off yesterday with three touring groups.
Each group will travel a pre-determined route through one of the prairie provinces.
In Saskatchewan, the tour originated in Saskatoon and surveyed crops to the north and west of Saskatoon before convening in North Battleford.
According to Burnett, crops west and northwest of Saskatoon are in generally good shape.
“Areas west of Saskatoon are in better shape than areas east of Saskatoon,” Burnett said.
In the western half of Saskatchewan, farmers have enjoyed a relatively good growing season so far.
Crop staging is slightly behind normal due to a cool, wet start.
Since then, crops have advanced nicely in most areas.
Canola figures prominently in crop rotations in the North Battleford area.
Yield potential in canola, at least so far, looks to be easily above average.
Yield potential in wheat is also above average, although lodging is evident in some cereal crops.
Many pea fields in the northwest got off to a rough start and struggled to get established through a cool, wet spring.
Farms in some areas west of Saskatoon have encountered damaging weather during the past few weeks.
High winds and hail have taken a heavy toll on crops in localized areas north and west of Highway 4, connecting Biggar and Rosetown.
But in general, farmers are hoping for another good harvest.
Unseeded acreage in the province’s west-central and northwestern areas is low. Post-seeding crop losses caused by excess moisture and spring flooding are also minimal.
Burnett said the industry is still trying to get an accurate handle on lost acreage in the province’s eastern and southeastern areas.
“There’s still a wide range of estimates out there right now,” he said.
“We think it’s somewhere in that 3.5 to 4 million acre range that’s been either not planted because of too much moisture or has been drowned out after seeding by the heavy rains.”
Participants on the Saskatchewan leg of the tour will travel as far west as Camrose, Alta., today before returning to Saskatoon Wednesday via Biggar, Sask.
