Richmound in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan received the most rain at 62 millimetres, while several other locations throughout the province had between 35 and 50 mm.

The ag department rated the province’s winter wheat at 55 per cent good to excellent and the fall rye at 66 per cent. For the spring cereals, the oats and spring wheat were pegged at 68 per cent good to excellent, with the barley at 65 per cent and the durum at 55 per cent.

Among Saskatchewan’s oilseeds, the soybeans rated 92 per cent good to excellent, followed by the flax at 75 per cent, the canola at 68 per cent and the mustard at 54 per cent.

For the pulses, field peas and lentils were placed at 75 per cent good to excellent and the chickpeas at 67 per cent.

In terms of soil moisture levels, the topsoil provincewide rated 65 per cent adequate, 28 per cent short and seven per cent very short. For hayland it was 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and nine per cent very short. As for pastures, they were 55 per cent adequate, 32 per cent short and 13 per cent very short.

The report said the first cut of hay was winding up with 68 per cent either baled or for silage, rating at 64 per cent good to excellent. A second cut was deemed to be unlikely unless there was sufficient rainfall.

Heat, dryness, gophers, grasshoppers, flea beetles and aphids were among the sources of crop damage.

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“Precipitation this week has brought some relief to crop conditions in certain areas, though prolonged hot and dry weather continues to be a challenge to crops and pastures in other regions,” said the report issued on July 25.

Ratings by region were mixed over the week, with central Alberta up six points at 93 per cent G-E. The northwest rated 71 per cent G-E but was down 11 points. The south rose three points at 64 per cent G-E and the northeast slipped four points, also to 64 per cent. The Peace dropped further in losing six points at 22 per cent G-E.

By crop, Alberta’s barley fared the best at 67 per cent G-E, followed by the spring wheat and dry peas at 66 per cent, the canola at 63 per cent, the oats at 55 per cent and tame hay at 42 per cent.

With the rain, the province’s surface soil added four points to the surface soil moisture levels at 57 per cent G-E. With 88 per cent G-E and four per cent surplus, the central led the rest of Alberta by a wide margin. The south was next at 50 per cent G-E, then the northeast at 48 per cent, the northwest at 43 per cent, and the Peace was far back at only 22 per cent.

As for subsurface soil moisture levels, Alberta tacked on one point at 48 per cent G-E. The central was at 80 per cent G-E, the northeast at 41 per cent, the south and northwest at 35 per cent, and Peace at 27 per cent.

The week’s moisture bumped up pasture ratings by four points at 52 per cent G-E.

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During the week ended July 7, Saskatchewan received up to 44 millimeters of rain in the Hanley area, with Serath, Lampman and Semans getting 28 to 32 mm. However, limited rainfall in several other areas has led to declines in moisture ratings:

• Topsoil 55 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and 12 per cent very short

• Hayland 43 per cent adequate, 38 per cent short and 19 per cent very short

• Pastures 33 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 27 per cent very short

The crop report said Saskatchewan’s winter cereals were nine per cent ripe, 47 per cent dough, 38 per cent heading and five per cent in the flag leaf and stem elongation. Of the spring cereals, four per cent were dough, 53 per cent were heading, 28 per cent at flag leaf and 15 per cent at stem elongation or tillering.

Of the oilseeds, the province’s flax was one per cent ripe, two per cent boll, 31 per cent flowering, 62 per cent stem elongation and four per cent seedling. The canola and mustard were at two per cent podded, 55 per cent flowering, 29 per cent bolting, 12 per cent rosette and one per cent seedling.

The pulses ranged from 11 per cent podded, 67 per cent flowering, 21 per cent vegetative and one per cent seedling.

Crop damage across the province ranged from a few instances of dry conditions, hot temperatures, wind, and hail. There were also areas where excessive rainfall prevented farmers from spraying fungicides. Also there were reports of insect and wildlife damage.

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The provincial agriculture department said crop ratings rose two points at 61 per cent good to excellent. Among the major crops the good to excellent totals were:

• Spring wheat up two points at 62 per cent

• Barley up two points at 63 per cent

• Oats up two points at 60 per cent

• Dry peas hold at 60 per cent

• Canola holds at 58 per cent

There’s a wide variation among Alberta’s regions, with northwest leading at 77 per cent good to excellent but the Peace is the worst off at a mere 23 per cent.

For crop development, the report said spring cereals are ahead in their growth with most in the booting stage. The cereals in the south were beginning to form heads.

Of the broadleaf crops, those flowering were:

• Lentils 58 per cent

• Dry peas 53 per cent

• Canola 42 per cent

• Mustard 42 per cent

• Chickpeas 35 per cent

Also, 48 per cent of Alberta canola was in the rosette stage and 43 per cent of the dry peas were in the seven-to-12 node stage.

Meanwhile the province’s soil rating lost eight points on the week at 57 per cent good to excellent. Tops in Alberta was the central region at 82 per cent and the Peace came in at 31 per cent.

The report said June rains helped soil moisture levels in the south, central and northwest regions, but below normal levels persist in the northeast and Peace as well as in some parts of the south.

Tame hay quality improved five points to 42 per cent good to excellent and the first cut is underway. Dryland hay quality rated 54 per cent good to excellent and that on irrigated land was 82 per cent. Alberta’s pastures are at 49 per cent good to excellent.

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Some much needed rain fell over parts of the province, with amounts varying widely from about one millimetre in several locales to as much as 65 mm in the Sprague area.

Manitoba’s spring wheat was rated at 90 per cent good to excellent, with the earliest seeded fields heading. The winter wheat and fall rye were in good shape as well with some fields starting to set seed. The corn ranged from V4 to V7.

Among the oilseeds, the canola ranged from early flowering in the early planted fields to later seeded crops in two to six leaf stages. The province’s flax was said to be 10 to 15 centimeters tall, and the sunflowers were in the V4 to V10 stages. Also the most advanced soybeans were at the sixth trifoliate.

The report said Manitoba’s field peas were primarily in the seventh to 12 node stages with the earliest seeded fields starting to flower.

As for the forages, corn for silage was growing well and haying was underway. Dairy farmers have largely completed their first cut while beef producers started to hay. The province’s alfalfa and clover have started to bloom and some grasses are heading out.

Pastures are largely stable, but there are instances of overgrazing.

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Progress in southern Alberta continued to be far ahead of the rest of the province at 76 per cent, up 30 points on the week. However, producers also made strong progress in the other regions:

• Central advanced 31 points at 51 per cent done

• Northeast also progressed 31 points at 37 per cent finished

• Northwest is up 21 points at 29 per cent complete

• Peace River pushed 17 points at 27 per cent seeded.

By crop, emergence

By crop, Alberta’s dry peas were furthest along at 74 per cent seeded, followed by the spring wheat at 66 per cent. Barley was next, near the halfway point with canola at 24 per cent finished and oats at 17 per cent.

The report cited overall emergence at 10 per cent, seven points more than the five-year average. By region that worked out to be 19 per cent in the central, 15 per cent in the south, five in the northwest, and three in the northeast and Peace.

Moisture levels

Surface soil moisture levels, from the ground to six inches down, rated 59 per cent good to excellent, virtually on par with the five-year average. Recent precipitation helped to improve some ratings, but there were declines in others:

• Central up 20 points at 85 per cent G-E

• Peace down 11 points at 56 per cent G-E

• South dipped two points at 50 per cent G-E

• Northeast climbed 13 points at 45 per cent G-E

• Northwest held at 41 per cent G-E

Of note, no part of Alberta had any excessive surface soil moisture levels.

The report placed pasture growth conditions at 59 per cent good to excellent provincewide, 11 points above the five-year average. Alberta’s tame hay also came in at 59 per cent good to excellent, 15 points ahead of average.

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Manitoba Agriculture said about half of the spring wheat in the central and Interlake regions has been seeded. As well as corn, barley and oats were going into the ground along with canola, sunflowers, soybeans and field peas.

Survival rates for fall rye and winter wheat look good so far, with up to 90 per cent of both crops in the central region. Most of those winter crops have been fertilized. Also, numerous hay fields have been fertilized while current supplies remain adequate.

Overall, planting progress advanced five points on the week. The current pace is twice that this time last year and two points ahead of the five-year average.

Fields throughout most of Manitoba have dried out and can support farm machinery.

An overhanging factor is continuing good soil moisture. The report said the most precipitation was nearly 13 millimetres in the Virden area, with Gardenton in eastern Manitoba next at five. Most regions are well below their precipitation levels, except for the southeast with more than 100 per cent compared to its 30-year average.

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The southwest region nearly finished its combining at 96 per cent complete. Meanwhile, the southeast region was at 83 per cent, the east-central region was at 75 per cent, the west-central region was at 70 per cent and both the northeast and northwest regions were at 65 per cent.

Field peas, triticale and winter wheat have seen their harvests completed, with fall rye and lentils nearby at 99 per cent. The durum harvest was at 95 per cent complete, followed by mustard and chickpeas at 93 per cent, barley at 91 per cent, spring wheat at 85 per cent, oats at 75 per cent, canary seed at 68 per cent, canola at 56 per cent, flax at 42 per cent and soybeans at 31 per cent.

The precipitation helped areas lacking in topsoil moisture and greened up pastures for fall grazing, but it has also concerned growers with possible reductions in crop quality.

Cropland topsoil moisture was rated at 64 per cent adequate, 32 per cent short and four per cent very short. Hayland was rated at 60 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and seven per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture was rated at 53 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and 10 per cent very short.

In total, 59 per cent of producers said there were or there will be no water shortages on their properties, with another 31 per cent saying they had moderate shortages. In addition, 85 per cent said there will be no concerns over water quality for their livestock.

Wind, wildlife and waterfowl were the major contributors to crop damage during the week. Winter cereal seeding operations also commenced in some areas.

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While “it’s tough to get people excited” about an event that’s still three years away, the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026 is important because of the ongoing threat to this critical habitat, said the co-chair of the North American support group for the event.

“We’re losing native grasslands,” said Barry Irving, who was a long-time manager of the University of Alberta’s research stations. “We have all these wonderful programs and information but there’s still a ton of native grassland that is converted (to cropland) every year.”

According to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, more than 70 per cent of the country’s prairie grasslands have been lost, and another 148,000 acres of native grasslands are plowed or developed every year.

More than 300 groups worldwide backed the idea of dedicating a year to rangelands and pastoralists (nomadic people who raise livestock in grassland environments).

“The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists aims to raise awareness and advocate for the value of healthy rangelands and sustainable pastoralism, as well as advocating for the need to further build the capacity of and increase responsible investment in the pastoral livestock sector,” the United Nations said when it announced the event last year.

A lot could be accomplished by raising awareness of rangelands with people who rarely step foot on them — the urban population, said Irving.

“That’s the group that could have some effect on future arrangements.”

His group is one of 11 worldwide that are working on preparations for the international year.

“North America will take more of a focus on rangelands, but other places in the globe will take more of a focus on pastoralists,” he said.

Originally the focus was going to be on rangeland alone. Then planners realized pastoralists, who collectively care for an estimated one billion animals worldwide (from sheep, goats and cattle to camels, yaks and reindeer) also required recognition of their role.

When it comes to protecting rangelands, there are short- and long-term forces at play, said Irving.

“A balance needs to be had. When resources become limited, they become more valuable.”

Eventually, the value of rangeland will become high enough — through conservation program payments or long-term leases — to keep it native. Until that happens across North America, the conversion to cropland will continue, said Irving.

Some gains are being made.

In addition to the efforts of conservation groups, Ottawa created the On-Farm Climate Action Fund, which could help keep ranchers on the land, Irving said. There is also more messaging on rangelands to raise awareness of their importance.

However, the losses continue.

“Private land has no protection in Alberta,” said Irving. “We’re down to about 20 per cent native rangeland left (in some areas).”

Public land isn’t safe either, through occasional land dispersal auctions by government entities.

Irving said it is vital to make more people aware of what’s happening and its impact, adding that it’s not just the land that’s under threat.

“That awareness goes beyond the sustainability of land, it’s sustainability of culture, lifestyle, communities.”

Many individuals and groups worked to get the United Nations to declare an international year for rangelands and his group was very active, said Irving. There were about 50 people on the committee, which was loosely affiliated with the Society for Range Management headquartered in Kansas.

“We accomplish the unknown, which was getting the U.S. and Canada to sign on formally as endorsing the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists,” he said. Reluctance was based on a fear they would be asked to help foot the bill.

“Typically Canada, United States, European Union and Australia do not sign on to formally support international years.”

Getting the declaration was not a simple process.

The proponents first needed approval from the UN’s Committee of Agriculture (and getting on its agenda takes considerable time and effort) and then the proposal had to work its way up to the General Assembly, the UN’s main policy-making body.

In Irving’s view, it’s not what happens in the higher echelons of government and the UN that is key. It’s the actions in ranching and farming communities.

“It’s a grassroots movement, I think. It moves from the ranch or farm individual on up. Voice your concerns about converting (rangelands) to cropland within your community.”

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Yields for first cut dryland hay (which accounts for 90 per cent of production) were estimated at 1.6 tons an acre, which is above the five-year average of 1.4 tons an acre. Nearly 75 per cent was rated as good or excellent, with only five per cent falling into the poor category, he noted.

But it’s not a good news story on the price front, said Furtas.

“The annual average cost of Alberta hay has increased four of the past five years, with 2020 being the lone exception. Prices for a ton of hay have more than doubled in value since 2017, when prices averaged $116/ton compared to the 2022 average price of nearly $240/ton.”

“It will take “at least another year of normal production” before prices start to fall, he said.

[RELATED] Feed situation is much improved this year but far from perfect

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