Photo by Curtis Galbraith

By Curtis Galbraith

Agriculture

Some crops drowned out in Fairview area

Jul 23, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Excess water has impacted some crops more than others in Fairview area.

Farmer and Alberta Canola Regional Director Dan Doll says close to his place south of Fairview, crops are average or a bit above average.

“If you go 20 miles either direction, it gets worse. I would say they have below-average crops. We just happen to be in a little bit of a good spot right where I am. I mean, (there is) some water damage, but not too bad.”

He adds canola and barley are in the worst shape.

“The wheat isn’t quite as bad, but there is still lots of damage. On my farm, for example, I think I have about 20 per cent drowned out, from what I seeded, about 20 per cent is zero. When you go other places, it could go as high as 50 per cent, so that’s significant.”

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Doll estimates some farms will have their worst harvest in a long time.

“In these areas away from Fairview, I would say probably the worst in 20 years. My particular farm isn’t. We had drought years in the early 2000s that produced a worse crop than I have now.”

Doll says there has been some pea-sized hail in the area, and even that can cause damage in flowering canola, but he hasn’t heard or any “real bad storm.” He adds there have been reports of hail damage around Berwyn.

He adds all the moisture means more problems with sclerotinia in the canola crops.

“When there’s high humidity and lots of moisture, it’s just a disease that shows up. There’s been quite a bit of spraying for it on the crops that look like they’re above average, but the crops that are poor, I don’t think the spraying is going to be done.”

Doll says he hasn’t heard of any insect outbreaks yet, but it is still early for that. Lygus bugs are a possibility once canola starts podding.

A lot of crops could not be sprayed for weeds or the spraying did not work because it could not be sprayed at the right time and the spray did not work as well.

Doll expects “tremendous” hay crops as far as yields, but the farmers are having a hard time getting out to cut it because the fields are so wet. Rain also means the quality of the hay is a concern.