(Resource News International) — A recent return to drier weather and warmer temperatures has helped Alberta farmers harvest their crops, according to a crop specialist with the provincial Ag-Info Centre.
“The weather has allowed harvest operations to move to about
85 per cent complete,” said Doon Pauly, a crop specialist with the Ag
Info Centre in Stettler. Harvest operations were seen as being the
furthest behind in parts of the central region of Alberta as well
as in the Peace River area in the north.
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The slow harvest pace in those regions reflected the fact
the crop was planted late and weather was poor for the crops’ development, Pauly said. Wet and cool weather at harvest has also
slowed the removal of crops off the field.
Yields of the various crops harvested to date were estimated
by Pauly as only average.
“Producers in some cases are happy to just see average
yields, as the less-than-stellar growing season had raised some
concern about achieving even normal yields,” Pauly said.
But the quality of the crops being harvested will remain
an issue, he said.
“There have been a lot of instances of green seed in canola, as an example,” Pauly said.
Soil moisture conditions in Alberta were rated as adequate
but producers, who have finished harvest activities, would like
to see some additional moisture arrive before the soils freeze up
for the winter, he said.
“If the ground froze today, there would be enough moisture
in reserve to get the crop off to a good start next spring,”
Pauly said. “However, additional moisture would be welcomed in
order to sustain that start.”
There have not been many fall fertilizer applications to
date, Pauly said, adding that a lot of producers were still
trying to get the crop off.
However, he said, given that fertilizer prices in the spring
will likely be a lot more expensive than they are now, a
number of farmers were definitely giving this operation some
serious consideration.
Seeding of winter wheat and fall rye crops was
completed a number of weeks ago, with crops showing some good
emergence.
“There was definitely a lot more winter wheat planted in
Alberta this year than in previous seasons,” Pauly confirmed.
Farmers who had to involuntarily leave fields as
summerfallow because of adverse spring weather, took the
opportunity to plant winter wheat, he said.
“There was a lot of winter wheat seeded in a number of non-traditional areas in Alberta.”
