By Curtis Galbraith

Harvest wrapping up at some Peace Country farms

Oct 16, 2021 | 8:00 AM

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – Some farmers in the Peace Country are wrapping up harvest.

Valhalla producer and Grain Growers of Canada chair Andre Harpe, says it looks like people are into the last few days of combining after good weather this week.

“For the most part, quality is good. Obviously, the quantity is down. I’m hearing anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent of a regular crop,” he said.

“People are, I think, pleasantly surprised that there’s more than they were expecting but at the same time, they weren’t expecting a lot.”

Harpe says producers are happier now they were coming into to fall but adds “it is still not a good situation.”

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He adds prices are good now but the reason for that is that there is very little crop around.

“I have some canola that I’ve been contracted for December and they are actually already wanting it delivered now. In a regular year, that would never, ever happen,” he said.

“Most farmers and we do it every year, and we have to do it just to guarantee movement, a lot of the crop was pre-sold or contracted as far as a year back.”

Harpe says the crop has been sold at what he calls a decent price but not at the prices that are being quoted right now.

Harpe says there are still some worries about forward contracting leaving farmers in a tough spot financially.

“Farmers are quite conservative in contracting but when you don’t have the crop there, all of a sudden a conservative sell is not so conservative anymore and it might be your whole crop or maybe more.”

Harpe says prices now are much different than they were even six months ago.