Harvest operations in the southeast are grinding to a halt as significant rainfall moves into the region this weekend. Weyburn-area farmer Dale Paslawski said Thursday the forecasted moisture is unwelcome for producers pushing to get the crop in the bin.
“Well, it'll delay us considerably here for a few days,” Paslawski said. He noted the forecast, which calls for nearly an inch of rain on Saturday, could lead to further complications. “We can get some issues out of that with sprouting and tougher conditions to grind our combine through.”
The forced stoppage comes at a crucial time. Paslawski estimates he is about 60 per cent finished with his own harvest, but is still waiting on some greener crops to turn. While a few producers in the area have already completed harvest, he said that isn’t the case for everyone.
“There's still a lot of acres to go, especially north of Weyburn and northeast,” Paslawski added.
The harvest delay is compounded by challenging market conditions. Despite what Paslawski described as a large crop with good yields for many, global trade issues have resulted in low prices.
“Our grain prices are actually very recessionary right now, so a lot of producers are planning on waiting for prices to improve,” he said. “The crop was quite large in the area... but we don't want to sell it at a bargain price.”
This economic pressure makes it vital to get the crop off in good condition for storage. Paslawski credited the recent warm, sunny weather for helping to mature and dry the crop down perfectly ahead of the rain. However, the rains expected this weekend could prove to be an issue for some producers.
Once the rain passes, Paslawski is hopeful that windy, late-summer conditions will allow fields to dry quickly, but he is still expecting a long harvest season. He anticipates combining well into late September and possibly the first week of October.