PRINCE ALBERT -
Excellent weather in most areas of the province last week allowed producers to gain another 22 per cent in completing the 2009 harvest. Producers have 72 per cent of the crop in the bin, up from 50 per cent last week, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report.
An additional 16 per cent is swathed and six per cent is ready to straight combine. The majority of progress was made with canola and durum crops averaging 60 and 80 per cent combined, respectively.
The five-year (2004-2008) average for this time of year is 68 per cent harvested, although harvest progress has ranged from as little as 30 per cent completed in 2004 to as much as 92 per cent completed in 2006. Scattered showers, green seed count, and dew in the mornings and evenings has slowed harvest in some areas of the province. Frost touched down in some locations of the province on the weekend as well.
The northern regions of the province will need decent and dry weather in the next two weeks to get the majority of the crop in the bin.
Cropland topsoil moisture in the province is rated as one per cent surplus, 61 per cent adequate, 28 per cent short and 10 per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions have declined since last week's report and are rated as 49 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and 15 per cent very short.
Wind, frost and grasshoppers have caused the majority of crop damage. The recent high winds have tossed flax and canola swaths around in some regions of the province.
Pasture conditions have declined from last month, mostly due to the dry fall experienced to date. One per cent of the pastures are rated as excellent, 25 per cent good, 41 per cent fair, 24 per cent poor and nine per cent very poor. Livestock water supplies have also lessened from last month with 89 per cent reporting adequate supplies and 11 per cent reporting inadequate supply.
