SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Crops south of Lethbridge are holding their own amid high temperatures and dry conditions.
Day 2 of the Alberta leg of a crop tour organized by CWB took a route from Lethbridge to Stirling, Foremost, Etzikom and Hilda in Alberta and through Burstall, Leader, Sceptre, Cabri and Swift Current in Saskatchewan.
Though the soil was cracking with dryness near Stirling, conditions were better going east toward Foremost, where Joe Waldner of the Prairie Home Hutterite colony said winter wheat crops look excellent and he anticipates above average yield in most of the colony’s crops.
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The colony grows peas, wheat, lentils and canola, and Waldner said temperatures at and above 30 C so far this week are not doing any favours for canola crops.
However, Carrie Butterwick of Agro Plus Sales and Service in Foremost said the crop outlook looks reasonably good.
“Considering the heat, they’re holding on,” she told the crop tour group yesterday.
There has been no significant rain in the region for a month, and a good rain about 10 days ago would have been perfect, she said.
That didn’t happen, but on the bright side, late-seeded pea crops have caught up to their usual maturity at this point, and desiccation and harvesting are expected to start this week or next.
Butterwick said she expects yields in most crops will be down from last year, though not a lot. Last year saw phenomenal yields in this region and across much of the Prairies.
Wheat crops are expected to have higher protein than last year due to this year’s weather conditions.
Durum crops east of Foremost were in very good condition, the best that had so far been seen on the crop tour. Wheat crops north of Etzikom were also in good shape.
Soil moisture conditions were good in the often-dry region north of Medicine Hat, toward Hilda, and appeared good as well heading eastward.
A lineup of grain trucks at the Great Sandhills Terminal near Leader and a wealth of grain haulers on regional roads indicate last year’s crop continues to move.
On Day 3 of the crop tour, this group will travel south from Swift Current, Sask., to Assiniboia, Sask., and then make a southern swing southeast of Moose Jaw, Sask., before returning to that city.
