Western Canada’s harvest remained well behind its normal pace to begin October, with persistent September rainfall contributing to field delays and crop quality concerns.
As can be seen on the map below, much of southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba received more than 200% of normal precipitation during the 30 days ended Oct. 1. Large surrounding areas received between 150% and 200% of average rainfall.
The excessive moisture helps explain why Saskatchewan’s harvest - despite making its largest weekly advance of the season - remained well behind normal at the end of September. About 63% of the provincial crop was harvested as of Sept. 28, up sharply from 41% a week earlier. However, that compares with 84% last year, the five-year average of 91% and the 10-year average of 82%.
Conditions have been considerably drier across parts of Alberta. Large areas around Edmonton received less than 60% of normal precipitation during the past month, with some areas below 40%. Even so, Alberta’s harvest entered the second half of September substantially behind historical averages after earlier periods of wet weather restricted fieldwork.
Manitoba has also dealt with persistent moisture through much of the harvest season, with particularly wet conditions across southwestern portions of the province, while other southern areas received near- to above-normal rainfall. This week’s Manitoba crop report showed the Manitoba harvest at 51% complete as of Monday, up from 43% a week earlier.
A stretch of warmer, drier weather has recently allowed combines to return to fields across much of the Prairies. However, the delayed harvest has increased concerns about sprouting, grade losses and other quality deterioration, particularly in cereal and pulse crops that remained standing through repeated rainfall.
With a large share of canola and some cereals still to be harvested, producers will need an extended period of favourable October weather to close the gap. The good news is that seasonably warm and dry conditions forecast across much of Western Canada for the next week or so.
