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Harvest is nearly complete across Saskatchewan, and farmers are taking advantage of dry conditions as they work to get their operations wrapped up.
According to the weekly crop report from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, which covered the week ending on Monday, harvest is now 93 per cent complete across the province, and every region has passed the 90 per cent mark. That puts the province slightly behind the five-year average of 98 per cent, but ahead of the 10-year average of 87 per cent.
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Almost all of the province’s winter cereal and pulse crops are in the bin, the ministry said, with the exception of chickpeas, which are 70 per cent harvested. Only a few spring cereal crops remain in the field, while 91 per cent of the mustard crop, 89 per cent of the canola crop, 70 per cent of the soybean crop and 60 per cent of the flax crop have been harvested.
The ministry said yields are above historical averages for most crop types, but the yields vary greatly across different areas, thanks to varying levels of rainfall and other regional challenges.
Hard red spring wheat yielded an average of 51 bushels per acre, the ministry said, while durum yielded 71 bushels per acre. Each acre of oats produced 92 bushels, while barley came in at 71 bushels per acre.
When it comes to pulses, field peas yielded 42 bushes per acre, lentils yielded 1,922 pounds per acre and each acre of chickpeas produced 1,817 pounds.
“Notable amounts of oilseed crops are still being combined, but canola is currently yielding 42 bushels per acre, mustard is yielding 1,192 pounds per acre and flax is yielding 26 bushels per acre,” the ministry noted.
“Provincially, 65 per cent of hard red spring wheat is 1 Canada Western (CW), 27 per cent is 2 CW, six per cent is 3 CW and only two per cent graded as CW Feed.”
Rainfall over the week ending on Monday was very limited, the crop report noted, which meant the trend of declining topsoil moisture continued across the province.
In cropland, topsoil moisture levels were rated as one per cent surplus, 43 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 16 per cent very short. It was a similar story in hayland, where moisture was rated as two per cent surplus, 38 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 20 per cent very short. Pasture land is also very dry, with moisture levels rated at one per cent surplus, 28 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short and 26 per cent very short.
“With conditions remaining dry in much of the province, we would like to remind producers to have fire mitigation resources ready, blow off their combines regularly and take precautions when working around powerlines,” the ministry said.
While the crop damage reported over the week ending on Monday was “minor and not widespread,” the ministry said some producers are struggling with high winds blowing their swaths around, wildlife feeding on crops and freezing temperatures. The provincial government added an additional elk hunting opportunity this fall in an effort to help mitigate agricultural damage caused by the animals.
As harvest wraps up on farms around the province, the ministry said producers will be starting their fall field work, spraying for weeds, harrowing, moving livestock and applying fertilizer.
A full version of the report can be found on the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s website.
