Another week of heat and little rainfall is causing crop conditions to decline, but producers say they are still better compared to recent growing seasons. But if the heat persists, crops will continue to decline and yield potential will fall.
The Provincial Crop Report, released Thursday morning, suggests most crops are in good to fair condition “with the lowest rated crops coming from the southwest, west central and parts of the southeast where conditions are driest.”
Producers in the southern and western parts of the province are concerned about their crops due to this past week’s heatwave, as multiple days of hot weather during the flowering stage could lower the yield potential in some areas. There are few reports of crops in the drier areas, mostly early-seeded pulses and cereals, are close to ready for harvest. Crops like canola are very sensitive to the heat during the flowering stage and cereals appear to be affected.
Still, producers are hoping for some rain to alleviate stress and help with seed filling ahead of harvest. The Macklin area had the most rain at just 20mm, followed by the Shaunavon area with 17 mm, and a handful of areas got less than 10 mm of rain over the past week.
Topsoil moisture levels continued to take a step back. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 50 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 10 per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as 45 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. Lastly, pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 36 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short and 19 per cent very short.
The hot, dry conditions, grasshoppers, gophers, and aphids were the main factors of crop damage around the province this past week.
Meanwhile, haying operations are almost complete. The report says 18 per cent of the hay crop remains standing, 27 per cent cut and 55 per cent baled or put up as silage. Hay quality is rated as 25 per cent excellent, 65 per cent good, nine per cent fair and one per cent poor. A second cut of hay is not likely unless a substantial amount of rain is received soon to allow for adequate regrowth. In many areas haying has been slowed due to the extreme heat and the concern over baler fires.
Producers will be wrapping up fungicide application but will look to control pests until harvest. Producers whose crops are furthest along are geting their equipment ready and are reminded to be safe during their harvest operations.
A region-by-region breakdown is below.
Southeast
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development and resulted in deteriorating crop conditions, especially in areas where lower amounts of precipitation have been received. Producers are hoping for rain soon to help lessen the impact of the heat on their crop yields, aid hayland regrowth and improve their pasture lands currently supporting livestock.
There was no reported rainfall for the southeast this week; some producers are reporting their crops have turned so fast they might be harvesting by next week. Topsoil moisture conditions continue to drop week to week. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 52 per cent adequate, 41 per cent short and six per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as 46 per cent adequate, 46 per cent short and eight per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 40 per cent adequate, 51 per cent short and nine per cent very short.
Crop conditions in the region also continue to decline from the heat and dry growing conditions. Crops such as wheat, durum, barley, canola and lentils are rated to be in fair to good condition, but if the weather does not improve we will see a further increase in poor and very poor rated crops.
Haying has been slow in the region this past week with 27 per cent of the crop now cut and 46 per cent of it baled or put up as silage. Hay quality remains high with a rating of 20 per cent excellent, 64 per cent good and 16 per cent fair. Operations have been slow due to the hot dry weather increasing the risk of equipment and field fires.
Crop damage continues to be caused by heat, lack of moisture, gophers, grasshoppers and aphids. Producers have or will be close to completing fungicide applications as the window for application has closed for many crops.
Southwest
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development and result in deteriorating crop conditions, especially in areas where lower amounts of precipitation have been received. Producers are hoping for rain soon to help lessen the impact of the heat on their crop yields, aid hayland regrowth and improve their pasture lands currently supporting livestock.
Rainfall was very minimal and very sporadic; the Shaunavon area reported 17 mm, the Consul area nine mm and the Hazenmore area five mm. This rain will do very little for the crops and pasture suffering through the heat wave. Topsoil moisture in the region has deteriorated greatly and the southwest remains the driest region in the province. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 24 per cent adequate, 46 per cent short and 30 per cent very short. Hayland is rated as 19 per cent adequate, 49 per cent short and 32 per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 15 per cent adequate, 51 per cent short and 34 per cent very short. The heat and reduction in topsoil moisture is causing crop conditions to decline as the heat blasts flowers and reduces yield potential.
Most crops are reported to be in fair to good condition with a growing percentage being rated poor to fair as the heat and dry weather conditions persist. Early seeded crops appear to have tolerated the extreme conditions slightly better as they were more advanced than later seeded crops during the heat wave. Rain is desperately needed in many areas as producers report that they are seeing very little head or seed filling.
Haying operations are coming to a close with 25 per cent of hay now cut and 62 per cent baled or put up as silage. Due to the limited rainfall, there will be no second cut, which is very common for this region. Hay quality remains high at 26 per cent excellent, 66 per cent good, seven per cent fair and one per cent poor. Producers are working carefully due to the fire risk being very high.
Minor to severe crop damage was reported from gophers, grasshoppers, heat and lack of moisture. Pastures have also suffered from the heat and dry conditions and producers are wary about how long they will be able to support livestock if the weather does not improve. Producers will be prepping equipment for harvest as crops are quickly approaching maturity.
East-Central
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development and resulted in deteriorating crop conditions, especially in areas where lower amounts of precipitation have been received. Producers are hoping for rain soon to help lessen the impact of the heat on their crop yields, aid hayland regrowth and improve their pasture lands currently supporting livestock.
There was no reported rain fall for the east central region this week, this has caused some crops to rapidly advance. Topsoil moisture conditions continue to drop week to week. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 55 per cent adequate, 43 per cent short and two per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as 65 per cent adequate, 34 per cent short and one per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 51 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and 12 per cent very short.
Crop conditions in the region are rated from fair to good, with the largest percentage being good. Some parts of the region have faired better than others; these areas received high amounts of precipitation early in the season and this reserve has allowed crops to survive the heat. In the drier areas, however, producers are hoping for rain soon so they do not see their crops deteriorate further.
Producers continue their haying operations and now have 32 per cent cut with 46 per cent baled or put up as silage. This region could see a second cut of hay later in the season if rainfall is received. Hay quality remains high at 20 per cent excellent, 64 per cent good, 15 per cent fair and one per cent poor.
Reported crop damage this week was from gophers, heat, dry conditions and aphids. Producers were busy applying fungicides to control disease risk during the hot humid weather; applications have mostly finished up and producers will be monitoring their fields closely as they approach harvest.
West-Central
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development and deteriorated crop conditions, especially in areas where lower amounts of precipitation have been received. Producers are hoping for rain soon to help lessen the impact of the heat on their crop yields, aid hayland regrowth and improve their pasture lands currently supporting livestock.
There were some rain showers this past week, but they were not enough to give large relief to suffering crops through the heat. The largest rainfall that was reported was 20 mm in the Macklin area and 11 mm in the Luseland area; the rest of the region got little to no rain. Producers are hopeful more rain will be on the way soon to help improve topsoil moisture and help seed filling.
Topsoil moisture conditions for cropland are rated as 63 per cent adequate and 37 per cent short. Hayland is rated as 67 per cent adequate and 33 per cent short, while pasture is rated as 65 per cent adequate and 35 per cent short. Crops and pastures in the region will need rain soon or they will see a sharp decline in their condition.
Currently crop conditions are rated as fair to good with the majority rated as good. The west central has the highest percentage of crops rated as excellent as well; this is due to the moisture received in the spring and the rapid growth seen over the past few weeks. If the heat and dry conditions continue crops will rapidly decline in condition.
Haying operations are moving along slowly in the region due to high humidity but 28 per cent of the crop is now cut and 58 per cent is baled and put up as silage. Hay quality remains good with 14 per cent rated as excellent, 76 per cent rated as good and 10 per cent fair. Producers will be quickly finishing up haying as harvest is only a few short weeks away.
Heat and dry conditions were the two largest factors for crop damage this week, followed by gophers and grasshoppers who continue to feed on crops. Aphids are also still being reported across the region and producers have been busy monitoring their populations and assessing if they have passed actionable thresholds.
Northeast
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development but overall, the crops in the region have fared quite well in the heat compared to other areas of the province. Heavy precipitation earlier in the season which resulted in excess soil moisture is the saving factor for crops in the region.
Very little rainfall was received in the region this week and the hot dry weather allowed for topsoil moisture ratings to decline. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 71 per cent adequate and 29 per cent short. Hayland is rated as one per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate and 30 per cent short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 68 per cent adequate and 31 per cent short. Crops are holding on, but more rain is needed to ensure minimal damage from the heat and to aid in seed fill.
Crop conditions in the region are rated from fair to good, with the largest percentage being good. Some parts of the region have fared better than others; these areas received a high amount of precipitation early in the season and this reserve has allowed crops to survive the heat. In the drier areas however, producers are hoping for rain soon so they do not see their crops deteriorate further.
Haying operations are mostly wrapped up with 29 per cent of the crop cut and 55 per cent baled or up as silage. The quality of hay remains high with 28 per cent rated as excellent, 54 per cent good, 14 per cent fair and four per cent poor.
Where disease was observed, producers have applied fungicides to suppress disease and proactively control it; they will be monitoring these fields closely. There are still minor reports of flooding damage where standing water remains in fields, minor reports of wind were also reported to have caused lodging in cereal crops. Heat and lack of moisture have been reported as minor to moderate in the region.
Northwest
The region continues to experience hot and dry conditions which has quickened crop development and resulted in deteriorating crop conditions, especially in areas where lower amounts of precipitation have been received. Producers are hoping for rain soon to help lessen the impact of the heat on their crop yields, aid hayland regrowth and improve their pasture lands currently supporting livestock.
Very little rainfall was received in the region this week and the hot dry weather allowed for topsoil moisture ratings to decline. The rain reported was 7 mm in the Hafford area and 3 mm in the Mayfair area. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 48 per cent adequate, 44 per cent short and eight per cent very short. Hayland is rated as 42 per cent adequate, 45 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 39 per cent adequate, 48 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. Crops are experiencing a lot of stress from the heat, especially canola which has been reported to be dropping petals due to heat blasting.
Crop conditions in the region are rated from fair to good; without a break from the heat and a decent rain soon their condition will rapidly decline. Already producers are noting a reduction in potential yield due to heat blasting of flower petals. Pastures are also being observed as rapidly declining which has caused some concern for livestock producers in the region.
Haying operations are progressing nicely with 18 per cent of the hay crop cut and 67 per cent of it baled or put up as silage. The high humidity and smoke have slowed down drying of cut hay, but producers are not overly worried yet. Hay quality is very promising with 47 per cent being excellent, 50 per cent good and three per cent fair.
The largest cause of crop damage in the region is heat and lack of moisture which continues to lower the yield potential of all crops. Wind has also caused the lodging of cereal crops but is only reported as minor for the past week.
