The Saskatchewan harvest continued to make relatively modest progress this past week and remains well behind normal.
Thursday’s provincial crop report showed the overall harvest at just 27% complete as of Monday, up 9 percentage points from a week earlier. That is well behind 41% last year, and the five- and 10-year averages of 58% and 50%.
Most of the progress came earlier in the week before widespread heavy rainfall brought fieldwork to a halt across much of the province. Some of the largest totals included 138 mm in the rural municipality of Longlaketon, 132 mm in Eyebrow, 127 mm in Sarnia and 121 mm in McKillop. Fields are now saturated in many areas, leaving producers waiting for warmer, drier weather before combines can return.
Cropland topsoil moisture increased sharply, with 33% rated surplus and 58% adequate. Another 7% is rated short and 2% very short.
Excess moisture and high winds were the main sources of crop damage during the week, the report said, with isolated hail also reported. Lodging and waterlogging have become more widespread, while producers are increasingly concerned about grain quality, including bleaching and sprouting, it added.
Winter cereals, pulses and early seeded spring cereals accounted for much of the harvest progress the past week. Fall rye harvest was 94% complete as of Monday, and winter wheat was 87%. Among pulses, lentils were 84% harvested, field peas 79% and chickpeas 24%.
Spring cereal progress includes barley at 41% complete, durum at 38%, oats at 14% and spring wheat at 13%. Canary seed was 11% complete.
Oilseed harvest remains less advanced. Mustard was 50% harvested as of Monday, while canola was only 9% complete, soybeans 7%, and flax 3%.
Swathing and desiccation continue where conditions permit, while some producers are baling greenfeed and hauling bales as they wait for fields to dry enough to resume harvest.
The full report is available here
