Harvest season is fast-approaching in the Prairies, but the three provinces are all in vastly different situations. Detailed reports are below.
Manitoba
For the seven-day period ended Aug. 23, Manitoba harvest is underway. Harvest activities are mainly focused on winter wheat and fall rye; those crops are now at just over 50 per cent harvested while all crops for Manitoba are still at an average of one per cent harvested. Crop conditions look good to very good in most parts of the province. Early spring wheat harvest indications in the eastern and central regions are showing CWRS (Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat) protein ranging between 12.5 to 14.3 per cent, with good falling numbers and slightly higher fusarium damaged kernels than recent years, but low deoxynivalenol levels.
Canola crop quality remains variable, with many in excellent condition and others in poor condition with thin strands. Crop staging ranges from late bloom to very early harvest. The annual canola disease survey is now underway. Flax and sunflowers are advancing. While basal sclerotinia infection is prevalent in many sunflower fields, incidence within a field remains low.
Saskatchewan
Harvest activities are underway in multiple parts of Saskatchewan, although activities are slightly behind the five-year average. For the week ending Aug. 15, harvest progress is now at five per cent, just behind the five-year average of eight per cent for the same period. The southwest leads the charge with 17 per cent of the crop harvested. West central follows with eight per cent progress. For crop-specific progress, winter wheat leads with 36 per cent, followed by lentils (24 per cent), fall rye (22 per cent), field pas (16 per cent) and canola (two per cent). Producers were able to make the most of hotter, dryer weather in the last week to make such harvest progress before significant precipitation rolled in to all of Saskatchewan’s regions.
The Humboldt area led the charge for rain received, with 83 mm. While many regions have received less than 150 mm of rain this growing season, rain is now too late for annual crops in the driest areas of the province. Cropland topsoil moisture across the province is rated as three per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. However, recent rain could benefit cattle by increasing the available amount of drinking water. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 58 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and 16 per cent very short.
Crop damages from this week were attributed to insects such as aphids, diamondback moths and grasshoppers, strong winds, heavy rains and hail. Some crops received minor damage from hail, while others were completely cut down. Grasshoppers have also caused significant crop damage all season. | READ MORE
Alberta
As of July, Alberta’s crop reports are now released every other week. This week, no new report was covered. Per last week’s report, which covers the two-week period ending Aug. 9, Alberta’s crop quality had declined somewhat, with, 77.9 per cent rated as good or excellent, down from 80.4 per cent on July 26. However, quality for this week is still significantly higher than the five- and 10-year average. |READ MORE
