CROP REPORT FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 20 TO 26, 2009

Continued wet weather has resulted in little progress being made with the harvest since the beginning of October. In total, 79 per cent of the 2009 crop is in the bin, an increase of only two per cent since last week, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report. Last year at this time, Saskatchewan farmers had almost all the crop in the bin.

Many farmers with crop still in the field are indicating that they will have to wait for the ground to freeze and dry up before they can finish their harvest. Twelve per cent of the provincial crop remains in the swath, four per cent is standing and five per cent is ready to straight-combine.

Seventy-eight per cent of the spring wheat, 91 per cent of the durum, 59 per cent of the oats, 86 per cent of the barley, 33 per cent of the flax, 69 per cent of the canola, 89 per cent of the mustard, 59 per cent of the canary seed, 85 per cent of the chickpeas and three per cent of the sunflowers have been combined. All regions of the province still have crops in the field, with the northern and east-central regions having the largest amount of unharvested crop.

Province-wide, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 25 per cent surplus, 56 per cent adequate, 14 per cent short and four per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as eight per cent surplus, 65 per cent adequate, 16 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

Snow and rain were the major causes of crop damage last week. The recent weather has caused bleaching, sprouting, lodging and shattering. The snow has caused standing crops to lodge and swaths to settle into the ground. Combines and trucks are leaving ruts in the fields. There are also reports of wildlife (mostly geese) damaging crops in the swaths. Farmers are baling straw, hauling bales, cleaning corrals and applying fall fertilizer when weather allows.

Producers are doing what they can to get the crop off the field and are closely monitoring the grain in the bin.

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For more information, contact:

Grant McLean
Agriculture
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-694-3592