STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.
Agriculture

New crop report says soil moisture low in some areas of the Peace

May 25, 2021 | 3:15 PM

The latest crop report from Alberta Agriculture says while some parts of the Peace Region got rain last week, other parts did not.

The May 18 crop report includes a map of moisture conditions that shows the MDs of Fairview and Spirit River, along with Birch Hills County, and parts of the County of Grande Prairie, Saddle Hills and Clear Hills Counties, and the MDs of Peace and Smoky River have low moisture. So does Mackenzie County.

There are parts of the MD of Spirit River where soil moisture is rated very low. There are also several other areas in those municipalities, plus smaller areas of the MDs of Greenview and Big Lakes, Northern Sunrise County, and the County of Northern Lights that are moderately low.

Part of the MD of Spirit River is rated very low. Other areas are near normal or a bit high. There are some areas in the southeast portion of the MD of Greenview that are too wet.

As for seeding progress, 58.7 per cent of the Peace Region crop had been planted by that date. That is ahead of the five-year and ten-year averages of 45.2 and 48.1 per cent, respectively.

The completion breakdown by crop is 66.4 per cent for peas, 61.7 for spring wheat, 58 for canola, 45.4 for barley, and 40.6 for oats.

Crop emergence was at three per cent, below the five-year average of seven per cent.

The report also says 47.7 per cent of the pasture is in good condition, 24. per cent poor, 26.4 fair, and 1.7 per cent excellent.