Local Harvest Underway - Heat Has Impacted Many Crops

The heat and the dry weather has taken a toll on local crops. The exact extent will not be known until the harvest progresses more.

There are reports of reduced seed size as a prolonged period of dry weather has in many cases promoted smaller seed size, shrivelling and some yield reductions.

Depending on the soil type and amount of moisture the field received there is still some soil moisture whereas lighter land which has received insufficient rainfall in some cases has even started to crack as the soil moisture levels has rapidly depleted in the past 10 days of heat and wind.

Heat has taken its toll as shown here with the soil showing a large crack due to the lack of moisture - MJ Independent photo

Locally crops are not only feeling the heat stress but the seed size is smaller. In canola crops visited by MJ Independent the smaller seed size than normal is evident when they are shelled out.

When shelled out this canola crop had smaller than average seed size - MJ Independent photo

Canola crops development varies depending on when they were planted. In the example canola crop all stocks and the pods were brown. The pods were not brittle enough to shell out easily by touch.

Whereas the canola crop right across the road was noticeably greener. The seeding dates of the two crops is unknown.

According to the latest provincial crop report the deteriorating soil moistrure conditions brought on by heat, wind and a lack of precipitation was a major factor damaging crops over the past week.

According to the weekly report cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 44 per cent adequate, 39 per cent short and 17 per cent very short.  Hay and pasture land topsoil moisture is rated as 33 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 25 per cent very short.

A field pea crop has been harvested over the past week - MJ Indpendent photo

Combining is underway with the southwest region of the province having the majority of the crop in the bin.

Provincally four per cent of the crop has been combined, up from one per cent last week and slightly behind the five-year average (2015-2019) of five per cent for this time of year.  Six per cent of the crop has been swathed or is ready to straight-cut, behind the five-year average (2015-2019) of eight per cent.

Sixty-two per cent of fall rye, 37 per cent of winter wheat, 22 per cent of field peas, 19 per cent of lentils and six per cent of barley has been combined.  An additional three per cent of canola has been swathed or is ready to straight-cut.

This lentil crop appears to have completed its growth for the year - MJ Independent photo

Eleven per cent of the crop in the southwest region has been combined, five per cent in the southeast, two per cent in the central regions and less than one per cent in the northern regions. 

In the Moose Jaw region there has already been some crops already combined most notably field peas.

This durum crop shows there still needs to be additional filling and ripening - MJ Independent photo

The same durum crop does show that there is viable kernels inside the heads and heat shrivelling is not yet a factor - MJ Independent photo

Durum has not seen extensive harvesting efforts as of yet but there are some fields locally which have been combined.

There is some browning of leaves in an irrigated forage corn crop just south of Moose Jaw - MJ Independent photo

The extent of the hot and drier weather even manifest it self in the effluent irrigated forage corn crops grown south of the city with a browning of some leaves despite on-going irrigation. The crop still needs more time to mature.

Editor's Note: As a disclaimer our foray into the fields are funded by a grant from the Poltava based Ukrainian Grain Trading Company. We thank them for their generous support.