By Alice McFarlane

Farmers grateful for good weather as harvest wraps up

Oct 15, 2020 | 1:00 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Farmers across the province are finishing combining.

The latest crop report says 99 per cent of the crop now in the bin, well ahead of the five-year average of 83 per cent for this time of year.

Harvest is virtually complete in the east-central and northeast regions.

Star City, Sask. area producer Luke Perkins said this harvest was bittersweet. A devastating hailstorm in early July severely impacted his farm.

“We finished up some canola that I think averaged eight bushels an acre,” Perkins told farmnewsNOW. “On the bright side we got our seed back. But it’s done and we’re into next year country now. It’s been a wonderful fall. Probably one of the nicest one in a long time to combine so we really appreciated that.”

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Perkins said as of Tuesday he had made great progress with fall field work.

“We’ve got about 70 per cent of the anhydrous down and about 90 per cent of the fall spraying done. I even have the boat put away so that’s a bonus for us this year,” Perkins said. “It’s always nice to put things away and do some fall work when the sun is shining.”

Evan Michel from the St. Gregor district said it was an enjoyable harvest.

“We really didn’t have many down days because of the weather,” Michel said. “It was a nice year; crops came off dry for the most part which was a nice change.”

Michel said he was happy with crop.

“Quality was really good. Yields on the cereals were good and canola was down a little bit from previous years but it was still a good crop,” he said.

Most of the crop still in the field is canola, flax, soybeans and faba beans.

Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 25 per cent adequate, 41 per cent short and 34 per cent very short. Hay and pastureland topsoil moisture is 47 per cent very short.

Perkins and Michel agreed a good rain before freeze up would be ideal.

The final Ministry of Agriculture crop report of the season will be released next Thursday.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF