Southeast harvest is 15 per cent complete

ESTEVAN — Harvest is in full swing for most producers in the southeast due to warm and dry conditions last week.

Harvest is 14 per cent complete in the Southeast, which is up 10 per cent from last week. Producers were combining winter cereals, pulses and spring wheat crops last week. In addition to combining, producers are also desiccating and swathing crops.

Approximately two-thirds of winter cereal crops are off with 70 per cent of fall rye and 65 per cent of winter wheat harvested. Producers are in the middle of harvesting pulses as 59 per cent of the field pea and 53 per cent of the lentil acres have been combined, while chickpeas lag behind the other pulses with only 16 per cent of these crops harvested. More producers started harvesting spring cereal crops last week. Harvest progress for barley sits at 18 per cent, 15 per cent for both durum and oats, and seven per cent for spring wheat. Oilseed crops aren’t ready for harvest yet as essentially none of these crops have been combined. All reported triticale crops were harvested as feed this year.

The Southeast has some of the best quality winter wheat and fall rye crops in the province this year. Currently, winter wheat is graded as 42 per cent 1 Canada Western (CW), 51 per cent 2 CW, six per cent 3 CW, and one per cent CW feed. For fall rye, 64 per cent is 1 CW, 34 per cent is 2 CW and two per cent is 3 CW.

There was very little rain in the southeast last week. The only places to get any notable rain was the Saltcoats area with 11 millimetres (mm) and the Rocanville and Langenburg areas with 10 mm each. With very limited rain, topsoil moisture levels slightly decreased. Cropland topsoil moisture levels are one per cent surplus, 74 per cent adequate, 21 per cent short and four per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is 63 per cent adequate, 34 per cent short and three per cent very short. Finally, pasture topsoil moisture is 57 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and eight per cent very short.

Most pastures in the southeast are in fair to good condition. One per cent of pastures are excellent, 57 per cent are good, 29 per cent are fair, 12 per cent are poor and one per cent are in very poor condition.

Most crop damage reported was caused by hot temperatures, dry conditions and strong wind that lodged crops, but damage was not widespread in the region. A couple of places received hail which caused varying levels of crop damage. Finally, there are isolated reports of wildlife and waterfowl feeding on a few crops in the region.

Census Division 1 – Carnduff, Estevan, Lampman, Redvers and Stoughton areas; Census Division 2 – Avonlea, Fillmore, Minton, Radville and Weyburn areas; Census Division 5 – Broadview, Esterhazy, Melville and Moosomin areas; Census Division 6 – Belle Plaine, Cupar, Lumsden, Indian Head, Regina and Rouleau areas.