WEYBURN – Producers in the southeast were making good progress in their fields before large storms halted some harvest operations.
These storms caused delays and damage by blowing around swaths, lodging crops, flooding, and hailed out crops.
The harvest in the southeast region is 28 percent completed, but in the Weyburn region and to the south and west, the harvest is over 40 percent completed. The progress for the southeast is ahead of the five-year average of 22 percent.
Weyburn area farmer Dennis Mainil estimates they are about one-third done with harvest.
When asked how the crops were looking, he noted he just took off a canola field and said, “Harvest was looking good until the recent hail storm – but that’s farming. It’s a risk you have to love.”
Some producers have noted their crops are not yet ready for harvest and are hoping they dry down quickly to avoid any issues in September.
Significant progress has been made with fall cereals. Winter wheat is now 79 percent in the bins, and fall rye is 86 percent done. Field peas and lentils are also nearing completion, with 85 percent of field peas and 73 percent of lentils harvested for the year.
Producers are focusing on spring-seeded cereals, with 40 percent of durum, 36 percent of oats, 33 percent of barley, and 16 percent of spring wheat harvested in the southeast. For oilseeds, mustard leads the progress, with 53 percent of the crop in the bin and 11 percent of canola harvested so far.
From the series of heavy downpours from thunderstorms, the Creelman area received about 76 mm of rain, the Radville area 55 mm, the RM of Weyburn 87 mm, and the RM of Brokenshell 60 mm.
The heavy rain has flooded low-lying areas and caused issues for farmers with swathed crops.
The rain improved soil moisture in the southeast. Six percent of crop land is rated to have surplus moisture, 70 percent is adequate, 19 percent is short, and five percent is very short.
Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as 56 percent adequate, 38 percent short, and six percent very short. Pasture land is rated as 54 percent adequate, 38 percent short, and eight percent very short.
Crop damage in the past week was mostly caused by wind, heavy rain, and hail, which saw some crops completely cut down.
Producers are busy with harvesting and working cattle. The recent rains will hopefully allow some cattle to stay on pasture longer into the fall and reduce the need to provide supplemental feed in bales.
