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By Jaryn Vecchio

Crop Report

Harvesting hits one-third mark in Saskatchewan

Aug 31, 2023 | 1:18 PM

One-third of Saskatchewan’s crops have now been harvested.

That’s according to the province’s weekly crop report which noted this is above the five-year average of 23 per cent and the 10-year average of 20 per cent.

The crop districts around Swift Current lead the way in production as the only ones above 60 per cent complete.

The districts around Prince Albert and the northeast are the farthest behind as they’ve received more rain than most areas, which has allowed farmers the chance to wait a couple extra weeks before starting.

This is the case for Kerry Peterson, who farms in the Shellbrook area, as his crews just started harvesting this week. He explained his field got enough rain during the growing season but now he’s hoping to avoid it.

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“We need some warm, dry weather for the next few weeks,” he said.

He’s expecting it to take between 25 and 30 days to officially finish his harvest. Despite this, there’s a good chance he won’t be done until sometime in October as rain could force him to postpone work.

“Whether we get (harvesting days) consecutively or not is the trick,” Peterson said.

According to the report, fall rye is leading the way as 97 per cent has been collected.

Winter wheat, lentils, and peas are the only other crops that are at least 80 per cent complete.

Meanwhile, grasshoppers, gophers, and geese are causing issues for farmers across the province. Peterson added he’s had a few gophers pop up, but he’s had little issues with grasshoppers.

“Very rarely up here do we deal with grasshoppers, usually that’s Saskatoon and south,” he said.

As for geese, Peterson hasn’t had to deal with the notorious bird.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow