2 weeks Ago By Julia Peterson
After that left many farmers throughout Saskatchewan wishing for clouds overhead, the skies opened up in dramatic fashion last week. With “notable rainfall” like 49 mm of rain in Indian Head, 48 mm in the Marsden area and 42 mm in the Milden area, many farmers had to briefly pause their harvest and wait for the wind to die down and the weather to clear, according to the province’s weekly crop report. However, harvest still progressed 13 per cent provincewide since last week, and is now 74 per cent complete.
That includes all of Saskatchewan’s winter wheat, triticale and field pea crops for 2024, while lentil and fall rye crops are also “very close to wrapping up,” the crop report says. Meanwhile, “many producers are currently working to get canola crops harvested (while) flax and soybeans are the furthest behind in harvest progress,” with just one quarter of this year’s soybeans currently harvested. Southwestern Saskatchewan is already in the final stage of harvest, with 95 per cent of crops already brought in, while northeastern Saskatchewan is more than halfway done.
“ Though torrential downpours kept some farmers out of their fields, the rain also helped pasture and topsoil moisture conditions. “After harvest has wrapped up, producers are to restore depleted soil moisture reserves,” the crop report says, noting that less than one per cent of Saskatchewan pastures are currently in excellent condition. More rainfall will also help mitigate the risk of equipment fires in dry fields.
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