Ag News

Alberta is seeing some good conditions in the lead-up to harvest season, as reported by the province's most recent crop report.

In that, the province details that it received widespread thunderstorms which brought much-needed moisture across the province. The storms also helped lower temperatures to the mid to high 20s across all regions.

The rainfall provided relief for stressed crops that have gone through prolonged periods of high temperatures.

With harvest right around the corner, a flurry of activity is set to descend don't the southeast, with safety being a high priority during those busy days.

Producers will be moving crops and on the road a lot, meaning they'll need to keep an eye out for a number of possible safety issues.

Robin Anderson, the Director of Programs and Communications at the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, says keeping safe is very important.

With the summer days becoming shorter, harvest time is almost here.  

A wet June, followed by a hot and dry July was mostly positive for local farmers according to Local Crop Extension Specialist Ashley Kaminski, but there were also some issues.  

“We’re very grateful for the moisture that we’ve had this year and honestly crops are looking pretty good, considering what we’ve had for the last few years.” 

Scorching temperatures and a lack of precipitation in July across the southwest have led some producers to begin harvesting.

The region is leading the province with four per cent of its crop harvested thanks to almost half the fall rye and 35 per cent of triticale in the bin.

Meghan Rosso, a crops extension specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, said the province is at two per cent of harvest complete which falls in line with their five and 10-year average.  

The most recent crop report for Saskatchewan is showing that the province is seeing harvest begin for some crops.

With a lack of moisture and hot weather in plenty of areas, some early cereals such as winter wheat and fall rye are ready for harvest with farmers already in the fields.

Crop Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Meghan Rosso talks about the conditions that led to that.

With farmers keeping a close eye on conditions with harvest just around the corner, the Saskatchewan government is giving weekly updates on the state of the Saskatchewan agricultural landscape.

These weekly reports are put together by volunteers who report the conditions on their own farms to give the province a clearer picture.

Rail lines are hard at work and CPKC is moving grain and getting ready for the upcoming season.

Elizabeth Hucker, the assistant vice president of marketing and sales for bulk, says they've done well ending July and starting august.

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) will be one of the organizations helping to host the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, this year taking place in Saskatoon.

Ryder Lee, the general manager for the CCA, says it's good to be in the province.

The Canadian Cattle Association has laid out its nominees for The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) with farming operations across Canada being nominated.

Carol Reynolds, the CCA's communications manager, talked about how they've been supporting those farmers with the awards.

Power line safety is one topic farmers should memorize as harvest approaches with plenty of work on the horizon.

Many farmers will be moving giant machinery across fields for over 12 hours a day, and between the stress of harvest and fatigue, there's a lot of room to make a mistake.

SaskPower Spokesperson Scott McGregor talks about how farmers can prepare for the upcoming season.