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Western Producer Crop Report

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Published: September 4, 2008

MANITOBA

Interlake, East

  • Situation varies widely from area to area. Up to 150 millimetres of rain in Riverton, Fisher Branch last week drenched fields, halting harvest. Tracked machinery required in some areas.
  • High disease pressure in wet areas, with fusarium and sprouting in cereals. Some 40 percent of winter wheat grading 1 or 2, with the rest feed or commercial salvage.
  • Hay shortages critical in many areas. Many wild and even tame hay fields have yet to be cut. Cattle grazing high ground on flooded pastures.

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  • South Interlake faring better. Five percent of cereals, 50 percent of barley, five percent of oats already taken off. Winter wheat off, quality poor.

Central, Red River Valley

  • Harvest going well, despite small isolated showers in some areas. Fields overall are dry and harvest conditions favourable.
  • Wind has caused problems with standing canola and swaths, with some shattering loss reported. Yields range from 35 bushels to more than 50, with majority around 40 bu. an acre.
  • Cereals 40 to 70 percent finished. Some sprouting seen in spring wheat and late winter wheat that got rained on in the swath.
  • Oats showing very good yields, well over 100 bu. an acre, with excellent weights reported.
  • Corn, soybeans doing well. However, with accumulated heat units roughly 10 percent short of normal, some risk of early frost.

West

South of Trans-Canada Highway:

  • Majority of winter wheat and fall rye harvested, with yields average to above average. Quality good so far.
  • About 15 percent of barley finished, with yields averaging 60 to 70 bu. an acre.
  • Majority of canola swathed, no yield reports on yields so far.
  • Heat units needed to bring sunflowers and corn back on schedule, some concern about fall frost risk with crops two weeks behind.

North of Trans-Canda Highway:

  • Some 60 to 70 percent of winter wheat harvested, with yields above average. Very little spring cereals harvested so far because of rain. No sprouting reported.
  • Half the canola swathed; another week needed to finish most crops.
  • Hay may be short across entire west side of province, especially in drought-affected southwest corner.
  • Rain has kept pastures in good condition, which could help alleviate a possible winter feed supply crunch.

SASKATCHEWAN

Nine percent of the provincial crop is already combined, with 19 percent ready for swathing, government reports said.

The five-year average is 22 percent combined, with 23 percent ready for harvest.

North

  • Topsoil moisture conditions low in northeast.
  • Some crops damaged by rain, wind and flooding. Light frost reported in some areas.

Central

  • Spring wheat, barley and canola harvest just begun. Durum coming in later than usual. Crop reports put most durum in higher grades.
  • Crops later than usual.

South

  • Harvest more than 25 percent complete in southwest. Half of winter wheat and fall rye has already gone through the combines. Lentils one-third finished.

ALBERTA

Peace, northeast

  • Harvest underway in most areas of the Peace. Recent rains have halted harvest and more rain expected.
  • Pea harvest underway. Yields below average. Canola harvest underway. Yields poor to below average, but still must be harvested. Silage still underway in some areas. Hay will be in short supply.
  • In the northeast, harvest slowed by recent rain. Pastures still in good condition thanks to recent rains. Pea harvest underway with good yields reported. Canola swathing well underway.

Central

  • Barley harvest underway. Good yields reported. Hot weather in August didn’t harm canola crops as much as feared. Canola swaths are good and thick. Will be a week before first canola harvest begins. Peas coming off quickly. Dry conditions making quick work of pea harvest.
  • Full harvest still not underway. Wheat near Wainwright will still need at least two weeks of hot weather to ripen, or longer if weather stays cool and damp. Some wheat fields lodged, but few farmers complaining about heavy wheat crops.
  • Moisture in air makes it difficult to work long hours in fields. Canola swaths binding on canvas after recent rains.

South

  • Crops a little behind schedule, but farmers pleased with early harvest results. Expect average to above average yields. Swathing of canola and peas well underway. Some early barley harvest started with good yields reported.
  • Hay crops under irrigation doing well and are mostly cut and baled.
  • Most fall-seeded crops coming off in good condition and good yields. Hot, dry weather expected to continue in southern areas giving farmers good harvest run.

Conditions as of Aug. 29

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