Warm days and a lack of precipitation helped Alberta producers advance the provincial harvest during the week ended Aug. 26.
Only 10.8 per cent of Alberta’s crops have come off the ground, according to the province’s weekly crop report. By comparison, the five-year average at this time was 14.7 per cent.
Fall rye and winter wheat harvests are near complete at 91.2 and 88.3 per cent, respectively. Lentils were at 62.3 per cent completion while dry peas were at 49.6 per cent. Durum was at 19.7 per cent, followed by chickpeas (16.5 per cent), barley (11 per cent), mustard (10.4 per cent), spring wheat (6.3 per cent), oats (3.7 per cent), canola (0.4 per cent) and mixed grain (0.1 per cent).
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Provincial crop conditions were rated at 65 per cent good to excellent, with the five-year average at 50 per cent. The central region had the highest proportion of all crops rated as good to excellent condition at 93 per cent, followed by the northwest at 70 per cent, the south at 65 per cent, the northeast at 61 per cent and the Peace region at 27 per cent.
Copious amounts of moisture throughout the summer significantly aided crop yields. Alberta’s five-year dryland yield index was 118.6, or 18.6 per cent higher yield than the five-year average. The central region fared the best at 144.5, while the Peace region was the worst at 94.5. Oats had the highest yields at 71.8 bushels per acre, followed by barley (69.1), spring wheat (50.6), dry peas (47) and canola (39.7).
Alberta surface soil moisture was rated at 56.6 per cent good to excellent provincewide, 13 points above the five-year average. The central region was in the best condition at 81.1 per cent, while the south region was in the worst condition at 44 per cent, down nine points from the previous week.
Provincial sub-surface was rated 54 per cent good to excellent, above the five-year average of 42 per cent. Regional sub-surface soil moisture ranged from 81 per cent for the central region to 37(+1) per cent for the northwest.
Alberta tame hay growth was rated at 44 per cent good to excellent. Regional ratings were from 77 per cent in the central region (32 points ahead of the five-year average) to 20 per cent in the northeast (down 18 points). With warm temperatures, second cut of dryland hay is ongoing with 21 per cent of second cut complete compared to the five-year average of 28 per cent for this week. Second cut yields were estimated at 1.3 tons per acre, ahead of the five-year average of one ton/ac.
Provincial pasture conditions were 54 per cent good to excellent, ranging from 84.7 per cent in the central region to 27.1 per cent in the northeast.
