Producers in the northeast have been working long hours to try to get the crop in the bin. Almost all of the crops are coming off tough or damp and are being placed in dryers as space permits.
Crop District 8 – Hudson Bay, Tisdale, Melfort, Carrot River, Humboldt, Kinistino, Cudworth and Aberdeen areas;
Crop District 9AE – Prince Albert, Choiceland and Paddockwood areas
For the Period October 2 to 8, 2018
Sixty-four per cent of the crop is now combined, significantly up from 45 per cent last week but behind the five-year (2013-2017) average of 82 per cent for this time of year. Recent snow and rain in the last few days will likely slow down progress for many producers. A good couple weeks of warm, dry and windy weather is needed in order to get the rest of the crop off.
Precipitation in the region ranged from trace amounts to 20 mm in the Tisdale area. A combination of snow and rain was reported across the region, with the Porcupine Plain area receiving 3 mm of precipitation, the Arborfield area 2 mm, the Lake Lenore and Garrick areas 7 mm and the Kinistino area 10 mm. The Nipawin area has received the most precipitation (429 mm) in the region since April 1.
Many fields remain wet from the recent moisture. Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 15 per cent surplus, 78 per cent adequate, six per cent short and one per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as nine per cent surplus, 86 per cent adequate and five per cent short.
Thanks to timely rain throughout the growing season, most livestock producers in the region have indicated adequate supplies of hay, straw, greenfeed and feed grain heading into winter.
The majority of crop damage this past week was due to lodging from snow and rain; downgrading is expected at the elevator as some crops are bleached or sprouted. Some standing crops such as canola have shelled out from wind and snow and wildlife and geese have been feeding on swathed crops.
Producers are hoping that the weather improves so they can return to the field and get the rest of the crop combined.
