The Saskatchewan Agriculture weekly crop report estimates 99 percent of the provincial crop is in the bin, which is well ahead of the five-year average of 83 percent.

There is still two percent left to combine in the northwest and up to four percent in areas north and east of Prince Albert. Most of the crop still in the field is late canola, flax, faba bean, as well as soybean in southern areas.

Harrowing, working low spots, applying anhydrous ammonia, fixing fences and hauling bales are on producer ‘to-do’ lists.

“I have about 70 percent of my anhydrous down and 90 percent of fall spraying done,” said Luke Perkins, who farms at Star City—between Melfort and Tisdale. “I even have the boat put away so that is a bonus for us this year.”

St. Gregor area farmer Evan Michel says the 2020 harvest was an enjoyable experience.

“We didn’t really have many days down because of weather or anything. Crops came off dry for the most part, which was a nice change,” Michel said.

The one concern is topsoil moisture conditions with farmers hoping for precipitation prior to freeze-up. Provincial cropland topsoil moisture ratings are 25 percent adequate, 41 percent short and 34 percent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as one percent surplus, 18 percent adequate, 34 percent short and 47 percent very short. Additional snow over the winter will be required to recharge dugouts and ensure adequate moisture for next year’s crop, hay and pasture land.

You can check out the region-by-region comments below:

SOUTHEAST

Harvest is virtually complete in the southeast region, up from 98 per cent last week and well ahead of the five-year (2015-2019) average of 86 per cent for this time of year. Fall field work such as harrowing and working low spots has started. Post-harvest weed control and application of anhydrous ammonia has been limited due to the dry soil conditions and lack of actively-growing weeds.

There was very little to no rainfall received in the region this past week. The Grenfell and Moose Jaw areas received the highest amount of rain this past week with just one mm. Topsoil moisture conditions continue to deplete in the region. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as five per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 59 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and 65 per cent very short.

With almost all of the crop out of the field, there was limited crop damage reported this week; there was some loss reported to be caused by strong winds and lack of moisture. Dry conditions have limited livestock water supplies and caused fire concerns in the region. High amounts of fall rain and winter snowfall are needed to replenish dugouts and to ensure adequate moisture levels for next year. Farmers continue to haul bales, clean corrals, move livestock home from pastures and market their cattle.

SOUTHWEST

With harvest wrapped up in the region, farmers continue to focus on other post-harvest field work. The five-year (2015-2019) average is 89 per cent complete. Farmers continue to do field work such as harrowing, working low spots in fields, spraying and fixing and cleaning equipment.

There was very little precipitation in the southwest region this week, ranging from none to 6.4 mm in the Consul area. The Rockglen area received three mm and the Leader area two mm. Crop Districts 3 AN, 3BS and 3BN all reported trace amounts or no rain. There continued to be a slight reduction in topsoil moisture conditions in the region and farmers are hoping for rain prior to freeze up. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 22 per cent adequate, 46 per cent short and 32 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 11 per cent adequate, 40 per cent short and 49 per cent very short.

It remained windy in the southwest this past week, which has continued to dry out topsoil. Farmers continued to fix fences, haul bales, bring livestock home and market their animals.

WEST CENTRAL

Most farmers in the region finished combining this past week, ahead of the five-year (2015-2019) average of 81 per cent for this time of year. Farmers continued to focus on other post-harvest work such as harrowing, working low spots and sloughs, hauling grain, and applying fall and spring herbicides as well as fertilizer.

There was very little to no rainfall this past week in the west-central region. The Macklin area received the highest amount of rain with five mm. The Conquest and Rosthern areas received two mm and some areas around Kindersley received one mm. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 28 per cent adequate, 50 per cent short and 22 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 22 per cent adequate, 44 per cent short and 34 per cent very short. The topsoil moisture conditions continue to deplete in the region due to lack of rain and windy conditions. Farmers are hoping for fall rain prior to freeze up and snowfall over the winter to ensure adequate amounts of moisture for the land and dugouts.

With most of the crop combined, there was limited damage reported this week, but the strong winds have continued. There have been reports of wildlife damage to grain bags in fields. Farmers are busy cleaning corrals, hauling straw and bales and moving cattle home from pastures.

EAST CENTRAL

Harvest has wrapped up for many farmers in the east-central region this past week with 99 per cent of the crop now in the bin. This is up from 92 per cent last week and remains ahead of the five-year (2015-2019) average of 74 per cent for this time of year. Farmers continue to do other post-harvest work now harvest is almost complete including harrowing, spraying weeds, working up low spots and applying anhydrous ammonia. Some farmers noted that due to dry soil conditions the application of anhydrous ammonia was limited and they would like to receive more rain prior to further applications.

Most of the region saw little rain, with scattered showers of less than five mm in some areas. The Foam Lake area received the highest amount of rainfall this past week with four mm. The Elfros and Pelly areas received three mm, the Semans area 1.5 mm and the Lipton area one mm. Moisture conditions continue to deplete in the region and farmers are hoping for high levels of rain to replenish soil moisture for next year. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 20 per cent adequate, 39 per cent short and 41 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 15 per cent adequate, 25 per cent short and 60 per cent very short.

Most of the crop loss or damage this week continued to be caused by strong winds. Farmers are busy hauling bales and cattle home, as well as marketing or taking them to market.

NORTHEAST

With few delays in the northeast this week, many farmers were able to wrap up harvest. Currently, 99 per cent of the crop has been combined, which is up from 93 per cent last week and remains ahead of the five-year (2015-2019) average of 81 per cent for this time of year. Scattered showers paired with cool, damp conditions did shorten combining days for some farmers, but good progress was still made and many were able to finish getting the crop off. In areas where combining has wrapped up farmers have switched focus to other field work such as harrowing, applying fertilizer and hauling grain.

The northeast region received some small amounts of scattered rain this past week, but many areas reported just trace amounts. The Hudson Bay area received the highest amount of rain with five mm. The Star City area received two mm and the Humboldt, Vonda and Garrick areas all reported one mm. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 50 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 14 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 34 per cent adequate, 46 per cent short and 20 per cent very short. With harvest completed for many farmers in the region, they are hoping for rain to recharge moisture levels for next year.

Most of the crop damage and loss this past week was caused by wind, waterfowl and wildlife. There were also reports of damage by wildlife to grain bags. Although windy conditions did cause swaths to blow around in fields, it also helped dry crops that were tough due to the cool, moist weather conditions. Farmers are busy hauling bales and livestock home.

NORTHWEST

Ninety-eight per cent of the crop has been combined, which is up from 91 per cent last week and remains ahead of the five-year (2015-2019) average of 72 per cent for this time of year. Most of the crop still in the fields is flax and canola. Farmers continue to do other post-harvest field work such as harrowing, working low spots and sloughs, applying fertilizer and spraying. Scattered showers and cool, damp conditions caused delays for some farmers, but they were still able to make good harvest progress.

There was little precipitation received in the northwest, with much of the region receiving less than five mm in the form of scattered showers. The St. Walburg area received the highest amount in the province this week with nine mm. The Glaslyn and Mayfair areas received three mm and the Neilburg area two mm. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 58 per cent adequate, 30 per cent short and 11 per cent very short. Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent surplus, 47 per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and 18 per cent very short.

Most of the crop damage this week was due to continued windy conditions, wildfowl and wildlife. Farmers are busy fixing fences, hauling bales and cleaning corrals and equipment to bring livestock home.