Crops in Alberta remain in good shape as the latest crop report noted all crops across the province are 72 per cent good to excellent. That’s a huge improvement compared to this time last year when drought pushed crops down to 20 per cent good to excellent.
Rain, especially in June proved to be very beneficial to Alberta’s crops. That said, some dry conditions have seeped in parts of Southern and especially the Peace River regions.
The province-wide five-year average for the end of July is 58 per cent good to excellent.
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Conditions vary between the five regions, with the South the lowest at 54 per cent good to excellent, followed by Peace River at 73 per cent, the North West at 79 per cent, Central at 80 per cent and the North East the highest at 83 per cent.
Among the cereals oats topped out at 81 per cent good to excellent in Alberta, with spring wheat close behind at 80 per cent, then barley at 73 per cent and durum lagging at 48 per cent.
Flax ranked the highest among the oilseeds at 72 per cent good to excellent, followed by canola at 69 per cent and mustard at 51 per cent.
Of the pulses, dry peas were doing the best at 72 per cent good to excellent. Lentils were at 51 per cent and chickpeas struggled at 46 per cent.
Potatoes rated 66 per cent good to excellent and sugar beets were 65 per cent.
The crop report also provided the first yield projections, with spring wheat pegged to reap 52.3 bushels per acre across Alberta. Barley was projected at 71.1 bu/ac. with oats at 72.2. Canola was forecast at 40.6 bu/ac. and dry peas at 45.5.
Flea beetles were proving to be a challenge this year, with the report noting that 15 per cent Alberta’s crop acres incurring a moderate to over threshold levels of the pest. The five-year average is one per cent. Grasshoppers remained to be of little concern, while root maggots were reported in the Peace River region.
