Alberta farmers only made minimal harvest progress during the week ended Oct. 16, with the completion rate only rising 3.2 points, to 49.9 percent, according to the latest provincial report from the Alberta government.
Producers who took advantage of the small windows of opportunity to combine were taking the crops off tough or damp and have been busy drying their grain, according to the report. Frost was prevalent across the province which will tell in the grades of canola that may have had a higher green count or not yet mature.
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Alberta crop conditions improve: report
Varied precipitation and warm temperatures were generally beneficial for crop development across Alberta during the week ended July 8, according to the latest provincial crop report released July 11.
Canola was 30.3 percent harvested, which was up from 26.0 percent the previous week.
There were some reports of sprouted cereals in areas due to the moisture and lodging that occurred from heavier snowfall. Combines were already out in the field with the warm and drier weather, and with more of the same forecasted for next week “hopefully considerable crop will be harvested in the coming days,” said the report.
Due to lack of harvest progress, very little change was reported in yield estimates. To date yield estimates are at 46.4 bushels per acre for spring wheat, 32.9 for durum, 59.0 for barley, 77.5 for oats, 39.2 for canola and 39.9 for peas as a provincial average. The condition ratings for fall seeded crops were 63.2 percent good to excellent, as reported for South, Central and North East regions.
Provincial soil moisture ratings were gradually improving. The average surface soil moisture was rated 74.3 good to excellent, with the South at 41.6 percent and North East bringing up the average at 97.2 percent.
Sub surface soil moisture provincial average was 57.4 percent good to excellent, with the same pattern displaying low percentages for the South at 20.0 per cent and with North East higher at 86.0 per cent. Overall pasture ratings have improved and were currently reported as 25.6 poor, 40.3 fair, 31.2 good, and 3.0 excellent.
