Harvesting in Saskatchewan is in the home stretch as warm and dry conditions for the week ended Sept. 30 saw a 12-point gain to 91 per cent complete, the provincial agriculture department reported.
Feed grain prices on the Prairies stayed relatively steady for the week ended Sept. 25 as low cattle numbers in feedlots and light test weights for grains limit price gains.
Canadian purchases of corn from the United States are off to a slow start in the 2024-25 marketing year, with ample old crop barley supplies likely limiting demand.
The harvest in Saskatchewan advanced 13 points for the week ended Sept. 16, at 74 per cent complete, despite rain in some parts of the province. The pace of combining was eight points behind this time last year, but 11 ahead of the five-year average.
Hot and dry weather saw crop conditions decline across much of Western Canada over the past month, with the latest model-based production estimates from Statistics Canada showing downward revisions in both canola and wheat production from the August report.
Combining of major crops in Alberta progressed 23 points during the week ended Sept. 10, reaching 54 per cent, according to the province's latest weekly crop report. While dry weather helped to advance the harvest, crop yields were not meeting expectations.
Saskatchewan’s harvest was more than halfway finished at 61 per cent complete, although not as much as the 68 per cent complete from one year ago. The figure was higher than the 42 per cent reported last week, the five-year average of 50 per cent and the 10-year average of 46 per cent. The southwest region was the nearest to completion at 85 per cent while the northeast region’s harvest was only at 34 per cent.
With Alberta farmers presently reluctant to sell their barley and wheat for feed, cash prices have been on the upswing, according to Darcy Haley, vice-president Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge.