Harvest continued to move along in southeast Saskatchewan, despite some precipitation coming to the region last week. The latest crop report from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture showed the southeast has 77 per cent of the crop in the bin. This is ahead of the five-year average of 66 per cent, and the 10-year average of 67 per cent.
Not all areas are as far along, however.
“We’ve been done for just over a week now, and I would say if you took Weyburn south, which is kind of where we operate, it’s for sure 90 (per cent) plus complete,” said Garnet Hansen, an area farms. He noted that in his area, it is primarily those with canola left who still have some harvest left to go, although the recent rains have caused some delays.
Those rains were scattered across the region in the past week, with widely varying amounts. The provincial crop report showed the Indian Head region got 49 millimetres, or just shy of two inches, while the Trossachs and Avonlea areas received 28 millimetres. The rain has helped improve topsoil moisture, to an extent.
Across the whole southeast, cropland topsoil moisture is now rated as 61 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short, and 10 per cent very short. Hayland is rated 53 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short, and 12 per cent very short, while pasture land is rated 52 per cent adequate, 34 per cent short, and 14 per cent very short.
“We’re over four inches of rain since that first shot we got partway through harvest in September,” Hansen said of his farm. “That’s really good in terms of what we need going into the next spring, but you do not have to go very far south of us, and they really haven’t got that.”
The sporadic nature of the rains is also causing some delays for producers, but could also cause some stress for those who still have cereals to come off the field.
“That’s not very good because the quality is certainly going to be deteriorating, and the more it rains, the worse it gets,” Hansen added.
Province-wide, harvest is being reported as 74 percent complete.