Alberta producers made incremental harvest progress this past week, with just 2% of major crops in the bin as of Tuesday, a modest gain of one point from the previous week and well behind the five- and 10-year averages of 8% and 6%, respectively.
The latest weekly crop report on Friday said regional progress is led by the South at 6% harvested as of Tuesday, supported by warm and dry conditions. The Peace Region follows at 4% complete, while all other regions remain below 2%. Notably, the Peace is slightly ahead of its historical average, while other regions trail seasonal benchmarks.
Among major crops, dry peas are furthest advanced at 17% harvested. Barley sits at 3%, while spring wheat is at 1%. Oats and canola remain below 1%.
Amid the sluggish start to harvest, crop conditions remain strong. The report said 64% of major crops were rated good to excellent as of Tuesday, holding steady from last week and well above the five- and 10-year averages of 50% and 55%. The Central Region leads with 93% rated good to excellent, followed by the North West at 69%, the South at 63%, the North East at 60%, and the Peace at just 26%.
Major cereals are nearing the end of the dough stage and are expected to begin ripening in the coming weeks, largely in line with long-term averages.
Moisture conditions remain mixed. Widespread rains brought relief to previously stressed crops in the North West, North East, and Peace regions, significantly improving surface soil moisture but delaying harvest due to cooler, wetter weather. Soil reserves in the Central Region remain stable, with slight declines in isolated areas. In contrast, warm and dry conditions in the South have reduced moisture levels, slowing crop maturation and further delaying harvest progress.
Overall, surface soil moisture rated good to excellent now stands at 63% provincewide, well above the five-year average of 41%.
The full report can be found here:
https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/2e0c96ee-50bf-4891-8f16-224233f372ce/resource/d59ee654-8854-4986-bb89-a7b693cb621a/download/agi-tedab-alberta-crop-report-2025-08-19-abbreviated-report.pdf
