Canola, photo courtesy Everything GP Staff

By Erika Rolling

Agriculture

Harvest to be finished earlier than normal in Peace region

Oct 3, 2022 | 12:20 PM

The Alberta crop report has been released for the last week of September.

AFSC says the Peace region is behind most of the province for harvest, with only 81.1 per cent of major crops off as of September 27.

Only 7 per cent of major crops were still standing when the report was released on Friday, much lower than the five-year average of 24 per cent province wide.

According to the report, in the Peace region:

• Dry peas are 93 per cent harvested
• Spring cereals from 81 to 87 per cent harvested
• Canola is 74 per cent harvested

Pasture was reported mostly as either poor (60 per cent) or good (30 per cent) in the Peace, and across Alberta they are reported at below historical normal growing conditions.

With the exception of the Peace, the rest of Alberta was well below the historical normal for precipitation last month; allowing for a quick, steady harvest season.

The Peace region is better off than the rest of the regions for surface and sub-surface soil moisture. Ratings in our region are as followed:

• Poor – 29 per cent surface, 42 per cent sub-surface
• Fair – 22 per cent surface, 18 per cent sub-surface
• Good – 46 per cent surface, 28 per cent sub-surface
• Excellent – four per cent surface, two per cent sub-surface

Despite the rainfall received at the end of September, and favorable spring moisture even the Peace is now below average long-term soil moisture.