October 15, 2009

Warm temperatures and dry conditions during September allowed producers in Alberta to make significant harvest progress in the week ended Oct. 8, the province's Agriculture and Rural Development department said Wednesday (October 14).

 

The department said in a crop update that 91 percent of the crop is already in the bin, compared to 60 percent two weeks ago. At this time last year, harvest progress was similar.

 

The harvest of crops was virtually completed in most areas, but lags behind in the Peace Region with harvesting 81 percent complete. Crops still in the field include canola. In most years, the harvest in Alberta is completed by the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in mid-October.

 

Many producers have reported higher yields than anticipated, particularly for canola, the report said. However, provincial average yields for spring cereals remain significantly below their 10-year averages, while canola yield is slightly below average.

 

The lower yields can be attributed to the impact of cool, dry conditions in the spring, and to a lesser extent, below seasonal temperatures and inadequate precipitation during much of the summer.

 

Hailstorms during the crop season also caused some crop damage in many areas, the report said. These adverse factors impacted crops relatively more in the Central, North East, and North West Regions of the province, where yields were markedly below their 10-year averages.

 

Yields for major crops were below average in the Peace Region, and below average to average in the Southern Region. For most specialty crops, which are grown primarily in the Southern Region, yields were similar to their 10-year averages or better. Also, strong winds caused some crop damage, especially to canola.

 

With respect to crop quality, warm, dry conditions in September resulted in favourable grade estimates for spring cereals, while high green-seed counts remain a concern for canola, the report said.

 

Preliminary results of early samples of 2009 crops indicate that 85 percent of hard red spring wheat and durum could be graded as No. 1 or No. 2. Nearly 20 percent of barley could be of malt quality, while 77 percent of canola could be graded as No.1. The recent rain and snow, coupled with heavy frost, will likely result in some quality deterioration for crops still in the field.

 

The condition of winter cereals seeded this fall vary, mostly ranging from fair to good, the report said.

 

Overall, surface moisture was reported as 56 percent poor, 29 percent fair, and 15 percent good, while the rating of subsurface moisture was 67 percent poor, 24 percent fair, and 9 percent good.