The warm, dry weather in the southeast so far during the growing season has resulted in the start of harvest for many local agricultural producers.
Randy Johner, whose family has 26,000 acres of land in the Midale, Macoun, Benson and Lampman areas, told the Mercury on Monday morning that they already have about 20 per cent of their harvest operations finished.
“It’s been an earlier start than the last five years, because the last five years have been very wet in the spring, and pushed us late into the fall,” said Johner. “We were combining in November last year. I think this year we’ll probably be done close to the beginning of October.”
They were also able to start seeding earlier than in previous years.
Most of the peas were already harvested by August 10.
“Our lentils are turning,” said Johner. “We’re about 20 per cent done swathing our canola. The durum is starting to turn, but I think it’ll be a couple of weeks before we can harvest durum.”
He said this year will be an average crop as far as yields, but the quality should be better than last year, unless they receive a lot of rain during harvest. Last year the farm had a lot of precipitation, so the quality was downgraded, particularly for the durum.
Johner said he hasn’t experienced the moisture issues encountered by other producers in western Canada. His land had good subsoil moisture for most of the spring, which he said was helpful, and they haven’t lost any crops due to the dry conditions.
“Just like most of my life, we were looking up at the sky, looking for rain, and this year was no exception,” said Johner.
They also avoided hail for most of the year.
Johner’s operation is more advanced than the vast majority of farms in the province when it comes to the harvest.
According to last week’s crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture, less than one per cent of the provincial crop has been combined, while one per cent is ready to straight-cut.
Twenty-three per cent of fall rye, 10 per cent of winter wheat, five per cent of field peas and two per cent of lentils are now in the bin across the province. Two per cent of canola has been swathed.
Many crops were lodged, and some fields and yards were flooded, due to the rains that hit the province in late July. Crops have also been damaged by strong winds, insects, and a lack of moisture.
But topsoil moisture conditions have improved in many areas. Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as four per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and three per cent very short.
Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 58 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and seven per cent very short.
Livestock producers now have 80 per cent of the hay crop baled or put into silage, while an additional 12 per cent is cut and will soon be ready for baling. Hay quality is rated as three per cent excellent, 53 per cent good, 36 per cent fair and eight per cent poor.
Pasture conditions are rated as one per cent excellent, 32 per cent good, 38 per cent fair, 23 per cent poor and six per cent very poor.
