Crop Report June 16, 2008

One Year Ago Topsoil moisture conditions deteriorated as a result of heavy rains in some areas. Both the amount of land with surplus moisture and with short moisture increased. The main source of crop damage was flooding. Delays in spraying casued concersn for farmers.

SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008   % Ahead % Normal % Behind Fall Cereals 3 44 53 Spring Cereals 1 33 66 Oilseeds 1 29 70 Pulse Crops 1 42 57

Producers in central and southern Saskatchewan received much needed rain this past week according to Saskatchewan Agriculture's weekly crop report.

Average rainfall, as tracked by the provincial crop reporters, was recorded for the following areas: southwest - 75 mm, southeast - 63 mm, east central - 49 mm, west central - 26 mm, northeast - 14 mm and northwest - 7 mm. 

Fall cereal crops are reported to be at least 60 per cent in good to excellent condition provincially, with 47 per cent of the crops at, or ahead of normal development for this time of year.  Over

60 per cent of spring cereal crops are in good to excellent condition, with 34 per cent of the crops at, or ahead of normal development.  Flax and canola crops are reported to be 60 and 48 per cent in good to excellent condition respectively, and 30 per cent are at, or ahead of normal development.  Pulse crops are over 60 per cent in good to excellent condition, with 43 per cent reported to be at, or ahead of normal development for this time of year.  Warmer temperatures are needed to improve crop development.

Topsoil moisture conditions on crop land improved during the past week.  Reporters rated 77 per cent of crop land and 74 per cent of hay and pasture land as having adequate topsoil moisture. 

Haying operations on the 2008 crop are just getting underway, with less than one per cent cut.  Warm weather is needed to help move haying operations along.

Flooding was the main source of crop damage during the past week.  Other sources included gophers, insects (flea beetles and cutworms), drought, frost, hail, wind and leaf disease.

Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	6	10	7	12	5	6	20
% good	54	64	58	60	60	59	67
% fair	27	19	31	26	31	32	10
% poor	11	6	3	2	3	3	3
% very poor	2	1	1	0	1	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	6	3	4	0	10	10	4	7
% good	54	45	53	65	55	60	59	68
% fair	34	39	34	32	33	27	30	23
% poor	6	10	8	3	2	3	7	2
% very poor	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

 

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South eastern Saskatchewan
(Crop Districts 1, 2, & 3ase)

SE SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	12	43	45
Spring Cereals	3	31	66
Oilseeds	1	28	71
Pulse Crops	1	41	58

The south eastern region was cool and wet during the past week.  An average of 63 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 52 mm reported in Crop District (CD) 2b, to an average high of 73 mm reported in CD 1.  Over 90 mm was reported in Moosomin area.  Flooding caused some crop damage in all areas.  In the Moosomin area, creeks were running more heavily than in the spring.  There was a bit of hail in the Radville area on June 14^th.  Most reporters commented on the need for warmer temperatures to move crop progress ahead more quickly.       

Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland improved from last week, with 87% of crop land rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 60% last week.  Conditions were also better on hay and pasture land with 94% rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared to 47% last week.  For the first time this season, there are some areas of surplus moisture in the southeast. 

In addition to flooding, insects and disease were the main source of crop damage during the past week.  Flea beetle damage was reported in the Montmartre area.  Cutworms and tan spot damaged crops in the Weyburn area.  Leaf disease was reported in the Moosomin area.  Gophers caused crop damage in the Minton area.  In the Frobisher area, some crops were turning yellow due to stress from the cool, wet weather.

Windy, wet weather slowed spraying operations last week.  There are heavy infestations of wild oats and millet in the Whitewood area, as well as some fields with a lot of gopher mounds.  Weed pressure is also starting to show in the Weyburn area.  Hay crops are expected to have below average yields across the region.

Southeast Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	6	10	9	18	8	7	0
% good	56	58	61	54	61	62	100
% fair	24	22	26	25	28	28	0
% poor	13	7	3	2	2	2	0
% very poor	1	3	1	1	1	1	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	10	7	8	0	19	15	5	21
% good	50	37	40	73	42	53	58	48
% fair	35	47	42	27	37	29	29	28
% poor	5	7	5	0	1	3	7	3
% very poor	0	2	5	0	1	0	1	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

 

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South western Saskatchewan
(CDs 3asw, 3an, 3b, & 4)

SW SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	1	48	51
Spring Cereals	1	36	63
Oilseeds	0	36	64
Pulse Crops	0	42	58

The week was generally cool, windy and wet in the southwest.  An average of 75 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 66 mm reported in CD 3an, to an average high of 92 mm reported in CD 3bs.  Over 100 mm was reported in the Viceroy, Mankota, Ponteix, Webb, and Gouldtown areas.  Damage from flooding in low spots was reported in several areas.  There was some hail damage in the Rockglen area.      

Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland generally improved from last week, with 88% of the crop land and 93% of the hay and pasture land rating adequate for topsoil moisture.  For the first time this season, there are some areas of surplus moisture in the southwest.

Gophers were one of the main sources of crop damage during the past week.  Cutworms damaged crops in the Viceroy and Blumenhof areas.  Weed pressure is high and farmers are hoping to get back to spraying operations with a return to warm, dry weather.

Haying operations are just getting underway with some cutting in CD 4b.  Yields are expected to be below average across the region.

The rain helped raise dugout levels.

Southwest Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	13	15	16	13	8	15	26
% good	41	69	67	66	72	65	74
% fair	20	11	17	20	20	19	0
% poor	25	5	0	1	0	1	0
% very poor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary	Chickpea
% excellent	2	2	4	n/a	5	15	5	0
% good	76	63	66		68	62	68	80
% fair	22	28	23		24	20	22	19
% poor	0	7	7		3	3	5	1
% very poor	0	0	0		0	0	0	0
	100	100	100		100	100	100	100

 

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East central Saskatchewan
(Crop Districts 5 & 6a)

EC SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	0	30	70
Spring Cereals	0	21	79
Oilseeds	0	14	86
Pulse Crops	1	33	66

The east central region was cool with showers and some strong winds during the past week.  An average of 49 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 39 mm reported in CD 5b, to an average high of 57 mm reported in CD 5a.  Over 90 mm was reported in the Humboldt area.  Crop damage from flooding was reported across the region.  Wind damage was reported in the Jedburgh and Leroy areas.  Frost damage was reported from the Foam Lake area, but it is not expected to have much of an impact on the crop.       

Reporters rated 90% of the crop land as having adequate topsoil moisture, up from 59% last week.  Hay and pasture land moisture ratings show 92% having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 47% last week.

Damage from flea beetles was reported in the Jedburgh, Foam Lake, Preeceville, Quill Lake, and Lumsden areas.  Cutworm damage was reported in the Leroy area.  Gophers caused crop damage in the Lumsden area.

Some hay cutting has started in CD 6a.  A return to warmer weather is sought to bring pastures and hay crops along.  Hay yields are expected to be down in the east central region this year.

With recent moisture, warmer weather will help ungerminated seeds to sprout and emerge.  The cold weather has been hard on the crops.  Canola fields in particular are showing slow growth and spotty emergence.  Some crops in the Leroy area are a yellow-green colour from the cool, damp weather.

Spraying operations are behind and weed pressures are building.      

East Central Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	3	1	3	0	6	4	0
% good	56	66	64	58	64	62	90
% fair	36	29	30	38	29	31	10
% poor	5	4	3	4	1	3	0
% very poor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	1	3	0	0	5	5	4	0
% good	59	44	44	40	53	63	56	59
% fair	33	40	43	60	36	29	35	41
% poor	7	12	13	0	6	3	5	0
% very poor	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

 

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West central Saskatchewan
(Crop Districts 6b & 7) 

WC SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	3	44	53
Spring Cereals	0	35	65
Oilseeds	0	33	67
Pulse Crops	0	48	52

The west central region had windy and cool weather with some showers during the past week.  An average of 26 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 21 mm reported in CD 7a, to an average high of 29 mm reported in CD 7b.  Over 100 mm was reported in the Denzil area.  The majority of the crop damage that occurred was due to dry soil conditions.  Some wind damage was reported in the Harris area, and some hail damage was reported in the Biggar area.

Reporters rated 65% of crop land as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 36% last week.  For hay and pasture land, 51% was rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 16% last week.  Some west central areas are short of moisture and need rain.

Recent rain will help germinate crops that have not yet emerged.  Rapid weed growth will mean farmers will be busy spraying.  Hay crops are short because of dry and cold weather and some stands will not be worth cutting.

West Central Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	1	4	3	6	4	4	0
% good	30	48	51	45	42	51	11
% fair	62	36	40	42	43	37	68
% poor	4	8	6	7	11	8	21
% very poor	3	4	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	1	3	6	0	5	5	1	0
% good	49	45	48	0	57	61	52	44
% fair	43	39	39	70	37	32	38	29
% poor	6	10	7	30	1	2	9	14
% very poor	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	13
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

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North eastern Saskatchewan
(Crop Districts 8 & 9ae)

NE SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	0	75	25
Spring Cereals	0	60	40
Oilseeds	0	55	45
Pulse Crops	0	65	35

The north eastern region had cool weather with showers in some areas this past week.  An average of 14 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 9 mm reported in CD 9ae, to an average high of 17 mm reported in CD 8b.  Over 30 mm was reported in the Vonda area.  Crop damage from frost was reported in the Arborfield and Nipawin areas.

Topsoil moisture conditions on cropland improved a little this past week, with 68% of the land rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 56% last week.  Reporters rate 63% of the hay and pasture land as having adequate topsoil moisture, up from 55% last week.  Several parts of the region still need rain to help the crops, hay, and pasture, and all areas need warmer temperatures.

Flea beetles were reported in the Vonda area.

The hay crops are expected to be short this year.  Spraying continues around the wind and the showers.  Some patchy canola was reseeded to barley in the Alvena area.

 

Northeast Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	0	0	5	0	3	3	0
% good	91	75	64	72	71	69	85
% fair	9	22	30	25	25	27	15
% poor	0	3	1	3	1	1	0
% very poor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	1	2	0	n/a	0	6	8	n/a
% good	57	68	69		45	76	78
% fair	38	26	27		46	16	13
% poor	4	4	4		9	2	1
% very poor	0	0	0		0	0	0
	100	100	100		100	100	100

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North western Saskatchewan
(Crop Districts 9aw & 9b)

NW SK Crop Development - June 15, 2008
	% Ahead	% Normal	% Behind
Fall Cereals	8	46	46
Spring Cereals	3	28	69
Oilseeds	2	28	70
Pulse Crops	4	33	63

The north western region saw some showers during the past week, as well as winds and cool weather.  An average of 7 mm of precipitation was reported, ranging from an average low of 3 mm reported in CD 9aw, to an average high of 10 mm reported in CD 9b. Over 30 mm was reported in the Neilburg area.  Several areas reported crop damage from lack of rainfall.  Frost damage was reported in the Hafford area.  Wind damage was reported in the Dorintosh area.      

Twenty-eight per cent of crop land is rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared to 24% last week.  Nineteen per cent of hay and pasture land was rated as having adequate topsoil moisture, compared with 22% last week.

Flea beetle damage was reported in the Duck Lake and Turtleford areas.  Gopher damage was reported in the Pierceland area.

There are crops that haven't germinated yet, and farmers are wondering if those crops will develop.  Some crops have been worked up due to lack of moisture.  Pastures and hay crops are in very poor condition.

Spraying operations are underway - for both weeds and flea beetles.

Northwest Saskatchewan Crop Conditions, June 15, 2008
	Winter Wheat	Fall Rye	Spring Wheat	Durum	Oat	Barley	Triticale
% excellent	9	17	3	n/a	0	1	n/a
% good	25	42	38		38	26
% fair	17	38	47		48	60
% poor	4	3	7		10	9
% very poor	45	0	5		4	4
	100	100	100		100	100
	Flax	Canola	Mustard	Sunflower	Lentil	Pea	Canary Seed	Chickpea
% excellent	0	0	n/a	n/a	n/a	3	0	n/a
% good	36	16				42	100
% fair	64	54				48	0
% poor	0	19				2	0
% very poor	0	11				5	0
	100	100				100	100