Little harvest progress was made by Saskatchewan farmers in the past week due to cool temperatures and rain.
Saskatchewan Agriculture reported Thursday that 78 per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up three percentage points from the previous week, with another 15 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.
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The five-year average for this time of year is 74 per cent.
While most producers in the southern regions have completed or are nearing completion of their harvest, warm and dry weather is needed in central and northern regions so the harvest can resume.
The rain did help replenish topsoil moisture, with cropland rated 36 per cent short and 35 per cent very short, although significant new moisture is needed for the subsoil to replenish what was lost to this summer’s hot and dry weather.
The summer-long drought has affected canola yields by as much as 75 per cent in some areas and soybean crops have been slow to mature.
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Many lentil and cereal crops were also unable to fill out properly as those ran out of moisture much earlier than normal, resulting in lighter bushel weights and smaller seeds.
There have also been reports of reduced protein content in cereal crops.
Despite the reduced yields, crop quality is reported to be good to excellent with minimal disease issues.