By Alice McFarlane

Saskatchewan crop a big improvement from last year

Oct 20, 2022 | 4:01 PM

MELFORT, Sask.- Farmers in the northern and eastern regions of Saskatchewan are much happier with their crops this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture released its final report for 2022. Crop specialist Matt Struthers said dry weather in September and October allowed producers to harvest their crops without major weather delays.

“There’s still a few flax acres and maybe some late canola that is still being picked up, but it’s very few acres so we can say we’re virtually done,” Struthers said.

While harvest started early for many producers in the southwest and west-central regions, late seeding dates and weekly precipitation during the flowering and seed-filling stages delayed harvest in the eastern and northern parts of the province until the latter half of August. Struthers said this resulted in higher yields.

“Yields vary across the province and were dependent on who got the rain and who didn’t. It looks like the southwest and west central regions are looking at yields well below average for most producers while some are seeing yields a little bit closer to average, which is good,” he said. “But on the eastern half of the province and up into the northern regions, yields are either average or above average. That’s very good to see, especially after a difficult season last year”

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Average yields are being estimated at 44 bushels per acre for hard red spring wheat, 31 bushels per acre for durum, 93 bushels per acre for oats, 64 bushels per acre for barley, 36 bushels per acre for canola, 34 bushels per acre for peas and 1,165 pounds per acre for lentils.

The weather remained dry, and producers were able to gain momentum with their harvest and get all their crop in without any major issues. Topsoil moisture is rated as 22 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and 43 per cent very short for cropland. Hay and pasture are rated as 16 per cent adequate 37 per cent short and 47 per cent very short.

It’s very dry heading into the winter. Now that harvest is finished, producers would like to see some steady precipitation before the ground freezes and winter arrives, according to Struthers.

“The province hasn’t had a significant rain and in almost two months. The moisture conditions are remaining extremely dire in many parts and producers across all regions want to see it rain,” Struthers said. “Producers are likely to see rain now and a heavy snowfall and then rain again in the spring.”

Hay yields improved as higher amounts of precipitation allowed for early growth and rapid regrowth throughout the growing season.

Provincially, average hay yields on dry land are reported as 1.4 tons per acre for alfalfa. Most of the hay going into winter is rated as fair to excellent, with only one per cent rated as poor.

Winter feed supplies for livestock have also improved. Producers in the northern and eastern regions have indicated they will have a surplus or adequate inventories of hay, straw, green feed, and feed grain. Producers in the southwest and west-central report they did not have the ability to replenish their feed stocks completely and are sourcing their feed from other parts of the province, with some purchasing hay from Alberta or Manitoba.

Without large amounts of rain in the latter half of August and through September, many farmers decided it was too dry for proper germination of winter cereals, and producers elected to not risk seeding winter wheat and fall rye.

“Many parts of the province are just too dry for producers to risk that seed, we’re seeing seeded acreage of winter wheat fall by an estimated two per cent, fall rye has fallen by 17 per cent,” Struthers said. “It’s not a huge change. They don’t make up a huge portion of the seeded crop in the province but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.”

Struthers added farmers who did seed winter cereals have reported that the crop did not germinate well or at all.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW