‘Ideal conditions’ help to hustle harvest along: Crop report

Sixty-four per cent of Saskatchewan’s crop is in the bin according to the latest crop report from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The report covering the week from Sept. 6 through Monday showed huge progress; one week previously, only 42 per cent of the 2022 crop had been harvested.

The big jump was largely due to “ideal conditions over the past week,” the ministry noted, which put farmers well ahead of the five-year average of 57 per cent for this time of year. An additional 20 per cent of this year’s crop is ready to be swathed or straight-cut.

Harvest in the southwest region is almost complete, with 93 per cent of the crop in the bin. The west-central region is close behind at 80 per cent, followed by the southeast region (57 per cent), the northwest region (47 per cent), the east-central region (46 per cent), and the northeast (41 per cent).

There was very little rain around the province during the most-recent reporting period, which allowed producers to do their work with minimal delays, the ministry noted.

Cropland topsoil moisture was rated at one per cent surplus, 37 per cent adequate, 38 per cent short and 24 per cent very short. For hay and pasture land, topsoil moisture was one per cent surplus, 27 per cent adequate, 44 per cent short and 28 per cent very short.

While rain was less of an issue than previous weeks, there was some crop damage reported due to light hail, wind and dry conditions, but frost was a factor as well.

“Frost was reported from the southeast up to the northwest,” the report noted. “Damage is not assessed yet as some areas received more severe frost than others.”

The dry conditions helped with harvest, but in some parts of the province, farmers reported the land was too dry to think about seeding winter cereals.

“There are concerns regarding soil moisture and a good soaking rain post-harvest would be ideal,” the ministry wrote in the report.

Durum quality grades were estimated at 50 per cent 1 CW, 30 per cent 2 CW, 15 per cent 3 CW, and five per cent 4 and 5 CW.

For peas, quality was estimated at 45 per cent 1 CAN, 46 per cent 2 CAN, nine per cent 3 CAN, and one per cent sample grade.

Lentil grades were estimated to be 34 per cent 1 CAN, 60 per cent 2 CAN, and seven per cent 3 CAN.