Warm, dry weather boosts harvest completion
Another week of same to finish job
Farmers are entering the home stretch in their race to finish the 2014 harvest, thanks to a big push from Mother Nature, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly crop report.
The report said Thursday 89 per cent of the 2014 crop is now combined, which is close to the five-year (20092013) average of 91 per cent combined, although still behind last year’s harvest completion of 97 per cent for this time of year,
“We’re certainly caught up (to the five-year average) and a lot of progress was made,’’ said Shannon Friesen, cropping management specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Moose Jaw.
Friesen attributed the big jump from 72 per cent complete the previous week to 89 per cent this week to nearly ideal harvest conditions. “It was just warm and dry. We couldn’t ask for more.”
Most of the province did not receive any rain this past week, although the Kindersley area reported 12 mm over the weekend.
Harvest is furthest advanced in the northwestern region, where 96 per cent of the crop is combined, followed by 95 per cent in the northeast, and 94 per cent in the southwestern and west-central regions. Harvest is 83 per cent complete in the southeast and 79 per cent in the east-central region.
Many producers have finished harvest operations, while others will need at least another week or more of warm and dry weather. “Certainly, by the end of the month, we should be mostly done,” Friesen said.
Ninety-four per cent of lentils, 93 per cent of mustard, 92 per cent of canola, 90 per cent of durum and barley and 88 per cent of spring wheat have been combined.
Across the province, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 11 per cent surplus, 83 per cent adequate, five per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as seven per cent surplus, 82 per cent adequate and 11 per cent short.
Very little crop damage was reported, although high levels of fusarium head blight are being reported in many areas.
Livestock producers are indicating adequate amounts of hay, straw, greenfeed and feed grain for their winter feeding supplies. Farmers are busy harvesting, hauling bales, moving cattle and completing fall work. “Hopefully, it stays warm for (producers) because there’s still a lot of field work to do, (like) clean up and storing equipment and everything else.”