Peace Region harvest at 73.7% as snow, rain put it furthest behind in Alberta

The first snowfall of the season arrived just before Thanksgiving, delaying harvest across Alberta and hitting the Peace Region especially hard, with up to 50 mm of precipitation recorded there. Wet fields kept producers from the field for multiple days, and crop still standing in the north will need extra drying before it can be stored.

According to the latest Alberta Crop Report from the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, provincial harvest progress sits behind the five-year average of 98 per cent. The Peace Region is furthest behind of any region in the province at 73.7 per cent complete, well short of its own five-year average of 96.3 per cent. As of October 13, crop-specific progress in the Peace included spring wheat at 87.1 per cent, barley at 86.8 per cent, oats at 77.4 per cent, canola at 57.4 per cent and dry peas at 99.4 per cent.

Despite the slow harvest, the Peace Region reported the highest soil moisture in Alberta. Surface soil moisture there is rated 93 per cent good-to-excellent, up three points from the previous week, while sub-surface moisture sits at 99 per cent, also up three points. Provincially, surface and sub-surface moisture are rated 69 and 64 per cent good-to-excellent, both above five- and ten-year averages.

Pasture conditions dipped two per cent province-wide to 48 per cent good-to-excellent, while the Peace Region held steady at the same level. Feed hay supply is rated 60 per cent adequate and 19 per cent surplus, with greenfeed supply at 63 per cent. The next crop report is expected October 23.