Sask. harvest progress nearly doubles

Dry weather allowed farmers to stay out in the field longer and get more crops in the bin.

The provincial crop report has harvest progress for Saskatchewan at 41 per cent complete, up from 23 per cent the previous week. However, it's still behind the five year average of 58 per cent and the ten year average of 49 per cent. 

The southern regions led the charge with the southwest at 55 per cent complete and the southeast at 50 per cent. The northwest region is 41 per cent complete, the east-central 31 per cent, and the west-central and northeast are at 27 per cent.

The report says harvest is "nearly complete across the province for winter cereals and field peas while lentils are 84 per cent complete." For spring cereals, triticale is 64 per cent combined, barley 54 per cent, durum, 49 per cent, spring wheat and oats are 35 per cent harvested, and canary seed is 11 per cent complete. About 24 per cent of chickpeas are in the bin. For oilseed crops, mustard is 27 per cent harvested, canola 12 per cent, and producers got started on flax with three per cent of it taken off the field.

Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Tyce Masich expects the harvest of canola to increase even more should dry conditions continue.