Harvest Moves Ahead as Warm, Dry Conditions Persist

Warm, dry weather across Alberta has harvest operations moving ahead at a steady clip — but at the expense of much-needed soil moisture, according to the latest crop report.

As of this week, 59 per cent of major crops are now harvested, up 20 points from a week ago. That’s well ahead of both the five-year average of 52 per cent and the ten-year average of 41 per cent.

Regionally, progress looks like this:

• South: 67% complete
• Peace Region: 61% complete
• North West: 59% complete
• North East: 56% complete
• Central: 53% complete

By crop, harvest is nearly finished for dry peas (98%), and has advanced strongly in spring wheat (75%), barley (75%), and oats (63%). Canola still has the furthest to go at 28% complete, but one-third of fields have already been swathed.

Dry Weather Speeds Harvest, Depletes Moisture

A few scattered showers popped up in the South and Central regions, but overall conditions remain hot and dry. While this has been a boon for combines, it has left soil reserves dwindling — particularly in the North East, North West, and Peace regions, where moisture stress has been an issue all season.

Surface moisture across the province is rated at 29% good to excellent, well below the five-year average of 43%. Sub-surface moisture tells a similar story at 31% good to excellent compared with the five-year norm of 38%.