Crops looking ‘above average,’ but bumper year not expected

Saskatchewan farmers are getting ready for this year’s harvest and are expecting a good yield.

Todd Lewis, the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and a farmer in Gray, grows lentils, durum, canary seed and canola on his 9,500 acres.

He says his family will be spending the next few days preparing machinery and spraying before they start bringing crops in from the fields.

Some of his crops will be ready by next week; others will take a bit longer. Some won’t make it.

That’s just the reality of farming in Saskatchewan, he said.

“If it’s not ready, it’s just not going to make it,” he said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Last year, some farmers ended up leaving parts of their crops out in the fields due to early frost and inclement weather.

“That was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime (thing) on a lot of farms with the amount of acres that were left out,” Lewis said. “Let’s hope it doesn’t repeat itself.”

According to farmers this year, it seems like that isn’t likely. In fact, some were calling for bumper crops across the province.

Todd Lewis on his farm in Gray, SK on Aug. 13, 2020. (Libby Giesbrecht/980 CJME)

Lewis expects good results this year but nothing close to a bumper crop.

“Some of the early results on the pea crops … they look better than they probably are,” Lewis said. “They’re not disappointing results but not bumper results. I think we’re going to have an average crop.”

He says some areas of the province will see better yields than others, depending on moisture and sunlight.

“In a province as big as Saskatchewan, you’re going to have areas that have exceptional results and you’re going to have other areas that aren’t going to do as well,” Lewis said. “But I think overall … producers are lowering their expectations.

“I think overall we should be average to above average.”

Lewis estimates it would take a yield of about 70 to 80 bushels an acre for cereal crops and 50 to 60 bushels an acre for canola to reach bumper status.

“Thirty years ago, a 40-bushel-plus crop was considered a bumper but now with improved agronomics, that’s moved up,” Lewis said.

Lewis believes a bumper crop could have been possible this year.

“I think really crop maturity has come along pretty well this year and I think everybody’s looking forward to a much more average-type harvest,” Lewis said.

“We needed one more rain in July to really get to the bumper status.”