Sask. farmers remain ahead of schedule for 2017 harvest

Farmers in Saskatchewan are almost done with this year’s harvest.

Harvest is essentially complete in the southwest part of Saskatchewan according to the Ministry of Agriculture for the week of Oct. 3-9. Ninety-nine per cent of the crop there is off the field.

Northwestern Saskatchewan is furthest behind with only 87 per cent of the crop combined.

The province as a whole has roughly 94 per cent of the crop combined.

Recent warm weather has helped farmers get ahead of the five-year average.

Ninety-seven per cent of durum, 96 per cent of barley, 95 per cent of spring wheat, 94 per cent of canary seed, 93 per cent of canola, 92 per cent of oats, 80 per cent of soybeans and 79 per cent of flax have been taken off the field.

Lack of moisture remains an issue across the province, although the ministry said the Foam Lake area reported 43 millimeters of rain.

Topsoil and subsoil levels are low and a significant amount of moisture will be needed in the coming weeks for next spring’s plant.

Most livestock producers say they have a good supply of hay, straw and feed heading into the winter months. However, producers in the south said many areas have inadequate feed.

As we get into October, the majority of crop damage was due to frost, lack of moisture and strong winds.

Electrical-related incidents on farmland rose by three during the week. SaskPower said the total number of incidents is at 34 since the beginning of September.

They remind producers to be careful when using equipment around power lines and to follow proper safety protocols.