By Alex Soloducha

Early harvest continues in Prince Albert and area

Aug 21, 2015 | 6:34 AM

Summer is just winding down but harvest is already underway.

Around Prince Albert and in the northeast region, two per cent of crops are already combined, according to this week’s Saskatchewan Agriculture Report.

So far, one per cent of crops are swathed or ready to straight cut in the area. According to reports, all fall rye has been combined, while 52 per cent winter wheat is in the bin and three per cent of peas have been harvested as well.

According to Shannon Friesen with Sask. Ag, operations are just getting started.

“The northern part of the province has gotten quite a bit of rain in the last couple of weeks so (farmers are) certainly waiting for some of those fields to dry up, for the sun to come out and for some of those crops to be at the right stages for harvest,” said Friesen. “So even though we’ve just begun, we still have many weeks ahead of us.”

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Friesen said most pulses are ready, or will soon be ready. Some of the canola is still flowering so those crops could be another couple of weeks, although some swathing is already underway.  As for cereals, some will soon be ready to go, while others will need another couple weeks to finish filling and ripening, she said.

The last crops to be combined will likely be a, “mixed bag”, according to Friesen. In the North, she said it will likely be some cereals and canola crops.

Farmers are amid desiccation of their pulse crop which include peas, lentils, and in the south –chickpeas.

“It just kind of helps to evenly ripen crops and weeds so that combining is a lot easier,” explained Friesen. “The majority of producers do desiccate pulses and then they straight cut. It’s good to see this happening because we are very much early from where we have been the last couple of years.”

“So harvest will hopefully go a little bit quicker this year, as compared to last year.”

Crops subject to straight cutting include pulses, after they’ve been desiccated, some cereals, after they’ve had a pre-harvest application of glyphosate, and some canola.

“It is one less operation they have to do, but it really depends on if they have the equipment to do it, if you’re able to get into the field early enough and if you’re able to combine when the crop is ready,” said Friesen.

“We’re just excited that we’re in the fields, finally,” she said.

Across the province

Provincially, producers have nine per cent of the 2015 crop combined, according to the report. So far, 10 per cent swathed or straight cut. These numbers are ahead of the five-year average. Usually by this time of year, two per cent of crops are combined and five per cent are swathed or ready to straight cut.

The majority of fall rye in the province—63 per cent—is combined, along with 59 per cent of winter wheat, 40 per cent of field peas, 34 per cent of lentils and 14 per cent of chickpeas.

Canola is three per cent combined, mustard is four per cent combined, 14 per cent of canola is combined and 21 per cent of mustard is swathed or ready to straight cut.

asoloducha@panow.com

On Twitter: @alex_soloducha