Despite cold and wet weather, Saskatchewan farmers have made progress on a largely challenging harvest.
Ninety per cent of the crop is now in the bin, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture‘s crop report for Oct. 22 to Oct. 28. The figure is up from 83 per cent the previous week, but still below the five-year average of 96 per cent for this time of year.
A mixture of rain and snow stalled most harvest efforts in the province, though the government said producers remain hopeful they will finish the job this fall.
The west-central and northeastern portions of the province have the most crop combined with 96 per cent. The east-central region is farthest behind at 82 per cent.
Soybeans and flax are the least-harvested crops at 76 per cent and 62 per cent respectively.
After incredibly dry conditions this spring, some fields are now saturated with too much water, particularly in the southern and east-central regions, according to the report.
Saskatchewan-wide, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 13 per cent surplus, 80 per cent adequate, five per cent short and two per cent very short.
The province said there continue to be many reports of significant downgrading due to sprouting. The crop is often coming off tough or damp before ending up in aeration bins and grain dryers.
The report issued Thursday is the last weekly crop report of 2019. A final report is scheduled for release on Nov. 21.
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