Cold and wet conditions hit most of Alberta during the week ended Sep. 18 putting a halt to harvest progress, according to the latest crop report from Alberta Agriculture.
The harvest was 32.6 percent complete on a provincial basis, up only 4.4 percentage points from the previous week and well off the five-year average of 52.2 percent done, according to the report.
The southern region was furthest along, at 68.1 percent complete, while the Peace River district only had 5.8 percent of its crops off the field. That compares with the five-year average of 48.7 percent for the area.
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Preliminary grades on harvested crops were projected to be over 75 percent in the top two grades for cereals, and 88 percent of peas. It’s still too early for canola projections.
Given the recent and ongoing cold wet weather, the quality of cereals may be reduced for acres still out in the field. Conversely green counts in canola may actually see a benefit, said the report.
Expected yields are aligned with the 10 year index for the province. Yields in the south region were significantly below normal at 75% of the 10 year yield index, however this was somewhat offset by Peace region at 131 percent of the 10 year index. The remaining three regions are all marginally above as compared to the past 10-year yields.
Average canola yields across the province were pegged at 39.5 bushels per acre, while spring wheat was at 45.9 bushels per acre, as of Sep. 18.
