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The Saskatchewan Ministry Of Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report, released this morning for the period of August 5th to 11th, is showing a dramatic improvement to topsoil moisture levels thanks to recent rainfalls.
Later-seeded crops will benefit most from the timely precipitation, but warm, dry conditions are now needed for proper crop development, which is lower in the southeast compared to the rest of the province.
The abundant rain even caused minor damage to some crops in low lying areas, while isolated hailstorms damaged a few crops in the region. Additionally, strong winds caused minor lodging in some crops.
A few crops in the southeast are reaching maturity as one per cent of crops, mainly winter cereals, have been harvested in the region. Currently, 17 per cent of fall rye crops and 12 per cent of winter wheat are in the bin. Pulse crops are starting to come off as well with three per cent of lentil and two per cent of field pea acres off. Many producers haven’t started harvest yet but are preparing machinery and desiccating crops.
Provincially, two per cent of the crop is in the bin, which is still behind the five and 10-year averages.
Notable rainfall has replenished soil moisture levels. Currently, cropland topsoil has 13 per cent surplus moisture, 70 per cent is adequate, and 17 per cent short. For hayland topsoil, 11 per cent has surplus moisture, 67 per cent is adequate, 18 per cent is short, and four per cent is very short. Finally, 78 per cent of pastures have adequate topsoil moisture, 18 per cent are short, and four per cent are very short.
Livestock producers have largely wrapped up haying and silaging this year. Dryland alfalfa yielded 1.41 tons per acre, tame hay yielded 1.25 tons per acre, and greenfeed yielded 1.80 tons per acre on average. Irrigated hay crops yielded a bit higher; alfalfa and tame hay yielded 2 tons per acre while irrigated greenfeed yielded 4 tons per acre.
Silage crops yielded the highest in the southeast compared to the rest of the province with an average yield of 6.82 tons per acre.
No matter the industry, safety should always be the higher priority. The Farm Stress Line is a toll-free number that producers can use to help manage their stress during this busy time, which can be reached at 1-800-667-4442. Producers should be aware of physical hazards, such as fire and powerlines, and take preventative measures to avoid incidents. The public is reminded that there is more heavy equipment traffic on roads during harvest and to be patient by giving machinery extra time and space.
Read the provincial crop report HERE.