West-central farmers wrap up harvest

By Your Southwest Media Group

Warm, dry weather allowed most west-central Saskatchewan farmers to finish harvesting their fields.

They had all but one per cent of their crops combined by Oct. 19, leaving “only small pockets of later-seeded crops in the field,” the provincial Agriculture Department’s regional crop report said.

They still had one per cent of their spring wheat, oats and canary seed left to harvest.

Livestock producers generally had adequate feed because “increased precipitation during the growing season benefited forage production and contributed to stronger feed availability,” the report said.

Topsoil moisture levels were one per cent surplus, 76 per cent adequate and 23 per cent short in fields, and about 75 per cent adequate and 25 per cent short in hay and pasture land.

Around the province, farmers had combined 97 per cent of their fields. Those in the southwest and west-central regions led at 99 per cent finished, followed by the northeast and northwest at 97 per cent, east-central at 96 per cent and the southeast at 95 per cent.

Farmers still had four per cent of their canola to harvest, eight per cent of the canary seed, 12 per cent of their flax and 26 per cent of the soybeans.