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Agriculture

Peace region expected to have highest yields in the province

Aug 30, 2022 | 12:11 PM

AFSC and the Alberta Crop Reporting program have indicated they believe the Peace region will have the best yields compared to regional long-term averages this year.

As of August 23, a yield index of 112 is expected across the province compared to five-year benchmarks, the Peace sits above average at 116.

The current ten-year expected dryland yield index is 120 with 64 per cent of all crops rated good or excellent.

Hay yielding in the Peace is also the highest in the province, with second-cut at 1.5t/acre, the average around Alberta is 1.2t/acre.

88 per cent of crops across the province were still standing when the report was released with four per cent of crops in swaths and eight per cent combined.

The heavy rainfalls that came starting in June replenished the soil moisture for the growing season, but over the past month, a rapid reversal in the trend for soil moisture was reported.

According to reports, hail damage was declared in some areas.

61 per cent of the sub-surface soil moisture across the province is rated poor or fair, compared to 39 per cent on a ten-year average.

The Peace region is rating sub-surface soil moisture at: 21.3 per cent poor, 34.5 per cent fair, 42.9 per cent good and 1.3 per cent excellent.

Pests of concern in the Peace are lygus bugs, with a three per cent threshold. Around Alberta grasshoppers and flea beetles are the key noted pests of concern, but both in the moderate rating.