The Alberta harvest made minor progress toward completion this past week, as cool, wet weather continued to delay fieldwork in the more northern areas of the province.
Friday's provincial crop report – the final one for the 2026 growing season – pegged the overall harvest at 97% complete as of Tuesday, up 4 points from a week earlier. With harvest extending later than normal, there are insufficient comparable years to provide five- and 10-year average comparisons.
Harvest in the South and Central regions is essentially complete at 100%, while both the North East and North West regions reached 98%, advancing six and seven points, respectively, from a week earlier.
The Peace Region made the largest weekly gain, advancing eight points to 89% complete. However, canola harvesting remains a challenge, with only 80% combined and another 15% swathed. Spring wheat and barley are both 96% complete, while oats are 91% harvested.
Provincially, spring wheat and barley harvesting are both 99% complete, oats are 96%, canola is 94%, and dry peas are effectively finished.
Cool temperatures, overnight frost, rain and snow continued to hamper northern producers. Some farmers are combining grain at higher-than-recommended moisture levels and relying on dryers to finish harvest before lasting snowfall, the report said.
The report also noted concerns about tough grain, canola dockage from moisture and green material, and wildlife damage to standing crops in the Peace Region.
Meanwhile, fall-seeded crop conditions improved three points to 72% rated good to excellent provincially. Ratings were highest in the South at 85% and North West at 83%, compared to just 47% in the North East.
Recent rain and snow also helped maintain generally favourable soil moisture conditions heading into winter.
Provincially, surface soil moisture was rated 66% good to excellent, while sub-surface moisture was rated 65%.
Surface moisture ratings were strongest in the Peace Region at 94% good to excellent, followed by the South and North East at 71% each. Central Alberta had the lowest rating at 46%.
The report said soil moisture reserves are near or above normal across most of Alberta, except in western portions of the Central Region.
The full report can be seen here:
https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/9af5b54d-f334-46ca-a0b1-23e560edb353/resource/1562551e-0679-4436-a20b-53ab3b972983/download/agi-tedab-alberta-crop-report-2026-10-27-abbreviated-report.pdf
