West-Central Saskatchewan farmers see strong yields despite early season dry spell

EAGLE STAFF

West-central Saskatchewan farmers experienced a good crop year after an unpromising start.

Dry weather after seeding caused concern, then “timely rains during the growing season greatly supported crop development and yields,” said the provincial crop report for this region.

Challenges included too much rain at times, requiring spraying of fungicides to suppress or prevent disease, and Bertha army worms in canola.

Farmers in this region had the highest average yields in the province for lentils, canola, barley, flax and canary seed. And most crops in the area attained grades of No. 1 or 2, the report said.

However, topsoil moisture levels declined during the past two months as rains generally stopped, allowing for a relatively quick harvest.

Moisture levels are considered 26 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short and 29 per cent very short in fields, 24 per cent adequate, 49 per cent short and 27 per cent very short in hay land, and 23 per cent adequate, 50 per cent short and 27 per cent very short in pastures.

“Producers would like to see rain prior to freeze-up and abundant snow this winter to improve soil moisture conditions for next spring,” the report noted.

Throughout the province, most farmers were “busy with fall field work and preparing for winter.” They’d begun harvesting “slightly later” than usual thanks to “plentiful rainfall throughout the growing season and uneven crop staging in many areas,” the province-wide report said.

Bertha army worms, cabbage seedpod weevils and Richardson’s ground squirrels caused challenges in some places, it added.

Yields were above-average in much of the province. Hard spring wheat yielded 51.5 bushels per acre and other spring wheat yielded 55.5 bushels per acre. Canola averaged 42.4 bushels per acre; durum, 39.4 bushels per acre; field peas, 40.8 bushels per acre; lentils, 1,785.5 pounds per acre; chickpeas, 1,716.2 pounds per acre; soybeans, 39.6 bushels; and flax, 26.6 bushels per acre.

Canola quality was higher than the 10-year average, with 86 per cent of it No. 1., as did 63 per cent of the spring wheat, while 27 per cent of the barley was of malt quality.