Cool temperatures and lingering wetness slowed field progress as the Alberta harvest pushed for the finish line this past week.
Friday's provincial crop report pegged the harvest of crops (spring wheat, oats, barley, canola, and peas) at 94% complete as of Tuesday, up from 88% a week earlier. The harvest of all crops was estimated at an identical 94% complete.
The harvest is extending later than normal, particularly in northern growing regions where wet fields and elevated grain moisture have limited opportunities for combining, the report said.
The South and Central regions are virtually finished, with major crop harvest progress reaching 100% in both regions, up from 96% and 97%, respectively, the previous week.
In the North East, progress advanced to 91% from 81%, while the North West reached 92%, compared to 85% a week earlier. The Peace Region continues to lag at 81% complete, although that represents an improvement from 74%.
Much of the remaining crop in northern areas consists of swathed canola and later-maturing cereals. Cooler temperatures have reduced daily drying opportunities, while wet soils in low-lying areas continue to hamper equipment movement. Strong winds have also displaced swaths in some fields.
Provincially, the canola harvest reached 86% complete, up from 74% a week earlier. Barley advanced to 98% from 96%, while oats increased to 92% from 84%. Spring wheat was 98% harvested, compared to 95% previously.
Despite the prolonged harvest, provincial yield estimates remain largely unchanged from earlier forecasts, with major crop yields expected to average 21% above the five-year average.
Regional yields are forecast at 60% above average in the South, 24% in the Central, 8% in the North East and 14% in the Peace. The North West is the only region expected to fall below average, with yields estimated 9% lower.
Provincial average yields are forecast at 54 bu/acre for spring wheat, 73 bu/acre for barley, 79 bu/acre for oats, 38 bu/acre for canola and 43 bu/acre for dry peas.
Crop quality has deteriorated modestly as harvesting moved into later-maturing fields.
An estimated 57% of spring wheat is expected to grade No. 1 CW, down six percentage points over two weeks. The proportion of oats expected to grade No. 1 CW declined two points to 20%, while durum improved one point to 61%.
For canola, 88% is expected to grade No. 1 Canada, down one point, while 27% of dry peas are expected to achieve the top grade, unchanged from two weeks earlier.
Meanwhile, provincial surface soil moisture rated good to excellent declined four points over the past week to 65%.
Regional ratings ranged from 44% in the Central region to 93% in the Peace Region, indicating that substantial soil moisture reserves remain heading into the winter.
See the full Alberta crop report here:
https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/9af5b54d-f334-46ca-a0b1-23e560edb353/resource/c3d51ba5-2e96-4b15-a597-1b991c1f7c63/download/agi-tedab-alberta-crop-report-2026-10-20.pdf
