Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm—Harvest operations in Alberta are virtually complete for 2024, the province’s crop report said. Combining advanced three points to 99 per cent finished as of Oct. 22 as well as being three points above the five-year average.
The south, central and Peace regions of Alberta wrapped up their harvests, while the northeast and northwest reached 97 per cent done.
The province’s sugar beets were 90 per cent harvested, the least advanced of the crops left to finish. Oats were next at 97 per cent completed, followed by canola at 98, then spring wheat, barley and flax at 99.
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Average spring wheat yields came in at 44.7 bushels per acre provincewide, ranging from a low of 39.5 in the south to a high of 50.8 in the northwest. Barley gleaned 57.2 bu./ac. with a low of 52.6 in the central region to a high of 69 in the northwest. Oat yields were 67.9 bu./ac. overall, with the least in the south at 48.8 and the most in the northwest at 79.4.
Canola averaged 33.3 bu./ac. across Alberta, with the south at 27.1 and the northwest at 38.6. For dry peas, yields came in at 35.3 bu./ac. provincially, with the south at 34.3 and the Peace region at 38.4.
Surface soil moisture levels remained an issue at 41 per cent good to excellent, slipping four points from the previous week. Regionally, the south lost five points at 50 per cent good to excellent, the northeast was down three points at 24 per cent, and the northwest shed one point at 30 per cent. On the plus side, the south added five points at 43 per cent good to excellent, and the Peace gained six at 93 per cent.
As fieldwork continued, the fall-seeded crops were rated at 53 per cent good to excellent provincewide, 11 points below the five-year average. Pastures in Alberta dipped one point to 33 per cent good to excellent, two above the five-year average.
