WINNIPEG, Aug. 8,(CNS Canada) – Oat producers are playing the waiting game on crop quality.
“There’s always a concern about quality and you never know where that is going to be until harvest,” said Art Enns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association.
The crop in South Dakota has been affected by hot and dry weather.
Quality isn’t what millers were hoping for, Enns said.
So far, oat crops across the Canadian Prairies are looking to fair better than their neighbours to the south.
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Seeded acreage for oats is down about 15 to 20 percent from last year due to strong competition from pulse and lentil crops, Enns said.
The effect of the wet weather on yields and on harvested acreage is to be determined.
“Are there going to be losses due to flooding and stuff like that? Yes… We don’t know exactly what the crop is going to yield,” Enns said.
Disease could also become an issue with the excess moisture, with reports of fusarium showing up in some areas, Enns said.
Last year, oat crops had some severe problems with lodging affecting quality, but luckily this year crops so far haven’t encountered the same issues, Enns said.
“The general crops overall are not showing as much (lodging), especially in the Red River Valley,” said Enns.
“Last year we saw it affect quality…so I think we’re a step ahead at this point anyways, but it’s not in the bin yet.”
Prices in the Red River Valley are on the low end, but it’s still similar to last year’s prices, Enns said.
“I know last week they were offering C$3 (per bushel) off the combine, you could have sold for C$3.25 (per bushel) a little bit earlier,” Enns said.
“We know that the carry-out is going to be a little bit lower than it normally is, so there could be some demand down the road, especially closer to springtime. Could that reflect on higher prices? That’s to be determined,” he added.
