Rain and snow continue to delay harvest

The 2019 harvest continues to be a frustrating one for Saskatchewan farmers.

Harvest had already been delayed due to wet field conditions, and was not not helped by the snowfall earlier this week.

In the crop report this week, Saskatchewan Agriculture said 47 per cent of the crop is now combined. The five-year average for this time of year is 75 per cent.

Thirty-four per cent of the crop is swathed or ready to be straight cut. The wet conditions have meant that much of the crop harvested so far is tough and is being put into grain dryers and aeration bins.

Steve Donald farms near Moosomin. He said his crops were already wet, and another delay means another hit to his bottom line.

“Mainly the marketing, but also in the grade,” he said.

Most areas of the province had a lot of precipitation in the last week. The Admiral area had 103 millimetres, and Moose Jaw had about 60 mm.

Mallory Scott farms in the Landis area. She said the rain, snow and delays will hurt.

“With the grade drop, (we’re) definitely going to lose some money,” she said.

The majority of crop damage this past week was due to hail, strong winds, lodging, localized flooding and frost.