Warm, dry conditions sped the Alberta harvest of major crops to near one-quarter complete this past week.
Friday’s weekly crop report pegged the harvest of major crops (spring wheat, oats, barley, canola, and dry peas) at 22% complete as of Tuesday. That is up from just 8% a week earlier and ahead of the five- and 10-year averages of 21% and 17%.
The harvest is furthest advanced in the South region, where 33% of major crops were in the bin as of Tuesday, followed by the North West at 24%, the Peace at 20%, the North East at 18%, and the Central at 16%.
Dry peas and cereals saw the most notable progress. The dry pea harvest is now 77% complete, with 27% taken off in the past week alone. Barley harvest reached 29%, advancing 18 points from a week earlier, while spring wheat rose to 26% complete, up 20% points from last report. Oat harvest is 17% finished, a 14-point jump from last week. Canola remains at just 3% harvested, but 28% of the crop is swathed, reflecting its later-season timeline.
Despite rapid progress, uneven crop maturation is being reported in wetter areas, where fields are ripening inconsistently. Still, the hot, dry weather has generally pushed crops toward maturity and supported strong combining conditions.
Soil moisture, however, is beginning to show strain. The share of the province rated good to excellent for surface soil moisture slipped to 45%, down 12 points from last week. That rating now sits between the 5-year average of 43% and the 10-year average of 48%.
The same conditions are slowing pasture regrowth. Warmer temperatures and limited rainfall have caused some pastures to brown, raising concerns about feed supplies for livestock as the fall approaches.
The full report can be found here:
https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/2e0c96ee-50bf-4891-8f16-224233f372ce/resource/25387256-9ef9-480e-83c4-b49feb557ec2/download/agi-tedab-alberta-crop-report-2025-09-02-abbreviated-report.pdf
