Race to the finish line for Sask. farmers

In a harvest season that has seen one delay after another, the latest Saskatchewan Agriculture crop report shows 90 per cent of the crop now in the bin.

That’s up seven per cent from last week, but down from the five-year average of 96 per cent.

Once again, poor weather caused some delays, with most of the province being hit by rain and snow in the past week.

Mallory Scott farms in the Landis area and said they are close to being wrapped up.

“We have some canola that we seeded in the spring that we’re still trying to get, but the snow put a damper on things,” said Scott. “The guys are still hopeful we’ll be able to push it through the combines and clean up the field before spring.”

Ninety-seven per cent of mustard, 96 per cent of canary seed, 94 per cent of barley, 93 per cent of chickpeas, 92 per cent of spring wheat, 90 per cent of durum, 88 per cent of canola, 76 per cent of soybeans and 62 per cent of flax are now in the bin.

The majority of crop damage this week was due to strong winds and frost. Geese and wildlife continue to cause damage by feeding on swathed crops.

There also continue to be many reports of significant downgrading at the elevator due to sprouting. The crop is coming off tough or damp and is being put into aeration bins and grain dryers.

This is the last weekly crop report for the season. A final 2019 crop report will be released Nov. 21.