Warm, dry weather through much of last week allowed Alberta farmers to make major strides on seeding before widespread and heavy rains arrived, boosting soil moisture reserves and improving crop prospects across much of the province.
Provincial seeding progress for all crops reached 93% complete as of Tuesday, up from 51% two weeks earlier, while the seeding of major crops advanced 18 points from the previous week to 92% done. The seeding pace for all crops is now close to the five- and 10-year averages of 97% and 96%, respectively.
Southern Alberta leads seeding progress at 99% done, while the Peace region remained furthest behind at 78% amid slower field conditions.
Crop-specific progress showed most cereals nearing completion. Spring wheat seeding reached 96%, barley was 91% complete, oats stood at 77%, and canola had reached 89%. Dry peas were nearly finished at 99%, while lentils, mustard, flax, corn and chickpeas were essentially complete. Despite the rapid pace, northern Alberta continued to trail historical averages, reflecting delayed field access earlier in the spring.
Emergence, however, remains behind normal due to the later planting pace and cooler conditions. Across all crops, emergence was estimated at 60%, below the five-year average of 71%. Dry peas were furthest advanced at 79% emerged, while spring wheat reached 73%, barley 63%, canola 38%, and oats lagged at 34%.
Recent precipitation significantly improved soil moisture conditions after prolonged dryness through much of May. Provincially, 80% of surface moisture and 73% of sub-surface moisture was rated good-to-excellent, compared to five-year averages of 54% and 51%, respectively. Surface moisture ratings showed 39% of Alberta farmland rated good and 40% excellent, while only 7.7% was considered fair and virtually none was rated poor.
The moisture improvement was especially notable in northern regions and the Peace, where good-to-excellent surface moisture ratings reached 90%.
Region One: South (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)
• Emergence advancement of spring wheat is 83 per cent, barley is 82 per cent, oats are 82 per cent, canola is 66 per cent, and dry peas is 97 per cent.
• Sub-surface moisture is 6 per cent poor, 17 per cent fair, 41 per cent good, 34 per cent excellent, and 3 per cent excessive.
• Tame hay conditions are reported as 9 per cent poor, 31 per cent fair, 59 per cent good, and 1 per cent excellent.
Region Two: Central (Rimbey, Airdrie, Coronation, Oyen)
• Emergence reporting of spring wheat is 82 per cent, barley is 71 per cent, oats are 74 per cent, canola is 53 per cent, and dry peas is 77 per cent.
• Sub-surface moisture is 2 per cent poor, 36 per cent fair, 51 per cent good, 10 per cent excellent, and 1 per cent excessive.
• Conditions of tame hay are reported as 20 per cent poor, 36 per cent fair, 42 per cent good, and 2 per cent excellent.
Region Three: North East (Smoky Lake, Vermilion, Camrose, Provost)
• Emergence advancement of spring wheat is 76 per cent, barley is 46 per cent, oats are 33 per cent, canola is 38 per cent, and dry peas is 91 per cent.
• Sub-surface moisture is 3 per cent poor, 16 per cent fair, 26 per cent good, 46 per cent excellent, and 9 per cent excessive.
• Conditions of tame hay is reported as 2 per cent poor, 29 per cent fair, 56 per cent good, and 13 per cent excellent.
Region Four: North West (Barrhead, Edmonton, Leduc, Drayton Valley, Athabasca)
• Reporting emergence of spring wheat is 54 per cent, barley is 40 per cent, oats are 25 per cent, canola is 22 per cent, and dry peas is 54 per cent.
• Sub-surface moisture is 0 per cent poor, 28 per cent fair, 44 per cent good, 26 per cent excellent, and 2 per cent excessive.
• Tame hay conditions are reported as 4 per cent poor, 23 per cent fair, 55 per cent good, and 17 per cent excellent.
Region Five: Peace (Fairview, Falher, Grande Prairie, Valleyview)
• Emergence reporting of spring wheat is 48 per cent, barley is 27 per cent, oats are 25 per cent, canola is 13 per cent, and dry peas is 38 per cent.
• Sub-surface moisture is 0 per cent poor, 1 per cent fair, 58 per cent good, 41 per cent excellent, and 0 per cent excessive.
• Conditions of tame hay are reported as 30 per cent poor, 35 per cent fair, 30 per cent good, and 6 per cent excellent.
