As we reach mid-July, Alberta farmers are seeing everything from crop gains to pasture pains, depending on where you farm. While some regions have soaked up much-needed rain, others are battling heat stress and falling moisture reserves — a combination that’s creating a tale of two growing seasons.
Crops across the province are generally looking better than they were two weeks ago. According to the latest reports, 66% of all crops are now rated in good to excellent condition — up from 61%. Most of this improvement is thanks to timely rainfall in the Central and South regions.
The Peace region, however, continues to lag, with only 28% of crops rated good to excellent — well below the 5- and 10-year averages. Still, it’s a slight improvement from two weeks ago.
Crop staging is ahead of the usual timeline across the province:
- Spring cereals in the Peace are in early milk stage.
- In the South, most cereals are finishing flowering.
- Broadleaf crops are 74% into flowering, with 20% starting to pod.
Gopher pressure is rising in some areas, especially in the North West, where 10% of fields are above threshold levels.
Click here to see more...