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Big weekly jump in crop harvest

Sep 22, 2016 | 11:51 AM

A mostly warm and dry week allowed producers to make major harvest progress in the northwest region.

Producers are slightly above the five-year average with 48 per cent of the crop now in the bin, up from 17 per cent last week. The five-year average for this time of the year is 46 per cent. There is an additional 47 per cent swathed or ready to be straight-cut.

Across the province, 60 per cent of crop was combined and 28 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut. The five-year average time of year is 62 per cent combined.

Over the week, the Debden area received 22 mm of rain, Speers and Barthel had 19 mm, St. Walburg received 11 mm and Neilburg had six mm. Rain set in on Sunday, causing some field operations to pause for a few days.

Across the northwest, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 94 per cent adequate and four per cent short. Hayland and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent surplus, 84 per cent adequate and 12 per cent short. Pasture conditions are rated as one per cent excellent, 44 per cent good, 52 per cent fair and three per cent poor.

The majority of crop damage this past week was due to rain with some late-season rains causing staining in pea crops and bleaching in cereal crops.

 

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