Saskatchewan Agriculture reports harvest is underway in many areas of the province as hot and dry conditions continue to advance crop maturity. Saskatchewan Agriculture released its crop report Thursday for the period from August 6th to 12th. Tyce Masich, a crops extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says harvest has taken off, mainly in the south and some central areas but has yet to start in northern areas of the province but that will certainly change if it remains dry.
Quote-Tyce Masich-Saskatchewan Agriculture:
Moisture and our dry weather have been a hot topic all throughout the summer.It's been pretty dry throughout July and the first half of August here in many areas of the province.Within this past week only a couple of places within Saskatchewan got significant moisture to report and that was mainly in the east central and northeast areas of the province, primarily around Rose Valley, Middle Lake, Kelvington, Kuroki and Wadena areas.
They got anywhere between 25 and 55 millimeters but the rest of the province received fairly insignificant moisture so that means crops have been very dry within the last month, which has caused rapid maturity and has allowed farmers in southern parts of the province to begin harvesting.We're seeing more of a pickup in harvest progress specifically in the southern areas of the province.This is mainly due to the hot and dry conditions that we've had all throughout July and August.
It caused crops to turn quickly and to mature.Harvest progress for the southwest is currently at 16 percent and in the southeast it's 11 percent, which is well above the six percent provincial average.Masich expects harvest to continue forward in the southwest and southeast parts of Saskatchewan and pick up in central and northern areas within the next week or so.He says right now farmers are getting equipment ready for harvest, emptying grain bins and desiccating crops.
Source : Farmscape.ca