PINCHER CREEK, LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – The heat wave hovering over Alberta may have reduced a promising crop to less than average, said an Alberta Agriculture crop specialist.
Doon Pauly believes many Alberta farmers can no longer expect average yields from their crops this year.
“We may be quickly losing that average potential,” said Pauly.
“The effects are more pronounced where there hasn’t been abundant rainfall.”
Pulse and canola crops have been hardest hit by the plus 30 C heat that has parked over the Prairies.
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Crops seeded early and already flowering before the heat wave may fare better than crops that were just beginning to flower. Whenever the heat starts, the flowering plants shut down.
Pauly said the only saving grace may be the high humidity that accompanied the heat, reducing the impact of the baking sun.
The wind was blowing air as hot as a space heater through the town of Pincher Creek July 18, where rain has been absent since late June.
Inside a local air-conditioned café, cattle rancher Brad Bustard said the area has received less than three millimetres of rain during the last six weeks.
He said the Oldman River seemed to form the dividing line for the zone, with snow, rain and wet conditions markedly greater on the north side since winter.
“It seems as though this little corner is unusually dry,” said Bustard. “Crops started great, but have since slowed way down and are burning up.”
He said hayfields looked great a few weeks ago, but after cutting, farmers discovered their yields are down.
Other parts of the Prairies are also experiencing crop stresses.
In Manitoba, hot and humid conditions are rapidly ripening crops but also bringing on diseases. By contrast, rains in western areas have delayed curing of alfalfa.
Crops are also advancing in Saskatchewan.
In the south, crops under moisture stress and high heat are experiencing flower abortion and leaf loss.
West-central and southwestern Saskatchewan are getting quite dry and could use rain. Crops are growing well in central areas although the heat is putting crops under moisture stress.
Back in Alberta, at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge research centre, a pronounced difference exists between lush green irrigated plots and yellowing dryland ones.
The region has had searing heat, humidity and no rain since last month.
“Thirty degree days, and several in a row, are going to start to have an effect,” said agrologist Elwin Smith.
However, irrigated crops are doing well in the heat.
The key for irrigators is an ample supply of reservoir-stored water.
Richard Phillips, general manager of the Bow River Irrigation District, said irrigators had the same bountiful spring rains as dryland farmers in April and May. But when the rains dried up in June and July, irrigation water took over.
Phillips said many early-seeded grain crops are ripening sooner than normal and that is helping reduce irrigation water demand.
Kent Bullock, manager of the Taber Irrigation District, said irrigated crops in his district look really good: “Producers are really putting the water to it.”
He said corn crops were behind schedule early in the season because of the weather, but are catching up or have caught up because of the hot days.
Mark Jensen, fieldman for the Raymond Irrigation District, said farmers who started irrigating early and were able to keep up with demand have good looking crops.
Jensen said most crops irrigated in the Raymond district are showing stronger prices, except for hay.
“If farmers have the equipment and water is available, they may as well pay the higher energy bills to do the irrigating,” he said.
Vulcan is the only area in the south still reporting good potential for non irrigated crops, and that relates to it being the wettest spot in the region.
Cliff Rich, Parrish and Heimbecker elevator manager at Vulcan, places canola, wheat, durum, feed and malting barley in the good category. From there, the crop conditions decline.
Doug Craik, P & H manager at Medicine Hat, said 210 mm of rain have been received since April 1.
That has helped keep barley and canola crops in fair to good condition. Durum is in fair condition, while wheat is poor.
John Noble, P & H manager at Bow Island, said wheat crops are in poor condition, durum and barley fair condition, and canola fair to poor.
Gary Gudmundson, P & H manager at Wilson Siding who also reports for Foremost and Magrath, said the southwest reporting area crops are in similar condition – wheat and durum are in poor condition, and the barley and canola are fair.