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(Alice McFarlane/farmnewsNOW Staff)
Crop Report

Harvest operations stalled again

Sep 12, 2019 | 2:22 PM

Farmers are looking forward to a change in the weather starting this weekend.

The cool and wet conditions effectively shut down harvesting all week.

Saskatchewan Agriculture’s latest report said producers now have 18 per cent of the crop in the bin. That’s up from 11 per cent the previous week, but well behind the five year average of 43 per cent for this time of year.

Central regions range from eight to 18 per cent combined and roughly eight per cent in northern areas. Harvest is furthest along in the southwest with 31 per cent combined.

Provincial crops extension specialist Cory Jacob said he doesn’t sense any panic, just frustration.

“Patience is wearing thin and producers just want to get out there,” Jacob said. “There’s a lot of money on the line sitting out there and degrading, which doesn`t feel good.”

Jacob said, in retrospect, a wet September is not unusual.

“We’ve been in this situation before. 2014 was another tough year. We’re used to wet harvests so we’ll get through it. This isn’t the first one and there will be more in the future to deal with.”

Jacob said crop yields are about average so far with canola at 35 bushels an acre and 42 bushels an acre for spring wheat.

Other yields so far include 39 bushels for field peas, roughly 1,400 pounds per acre for lentils, flax at 23 bushels per acre, 36 bushels per acre for durum and 66 bushels per acre for barley.

The change in weather should start tomorrow with sunshine and in the high teens and low 20’s in the forecast for the next five days.

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF

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