Saskatchewan Agriculture’s final weekly crop report of the season shows 90 percent of the crop is now in the bin which is up from last week’s figure of 83 percent, but still well behind the five year average of 96 percent.
The report states many areas received mixed precipitation which stalled most harvest operations with the hope being that despite the amount of snow that has been received that they can get on the field and take what is left off.
The southeast and east-central parts of the province still have some work to do as they are at 88 and 82 percent respectively.
Ninety-seven per cent of mustard, 96 per cent of canary seed, 94 per cent of barley, 93 per cent of chickpeas, 92 per cent of spring wheat, 90 per cent of durum, 88 per cent of canola, 76 per cent of soybeans and 62 per cent of flax are now in the bin. An additional six per cent of the crop is swathed or is ready to be straight-cut.
Estimated average crop yields for the province are 38 bushels per acre for canola, 22 bushels per acre for flax, 1,024 pounds per acre for mustard, 28 bushels per acre for soybeans, 38 bushels per acre for durum, 45 bushels per acre for spring wheat, 66 bushels per acre for barley, 834 pounds per acre for canary seed and 1,420 pounds per acre for chickpeas.
Some fields remain saturated with excess water, particularly in southern and east-central regions. The majority of crop damage this past week was due to strong winds and frost. Geese and wildlife continue to cause damage by feeding on swathed crops.
There also continues to be many reports of significant downgrading at the elevator due to sprouting. The crop is coming off tough or damp and is being placed into aeration bins and grain dryers. Farmers are busy drying grain and hauling bales.
