and harvest plans

from August 9, 2022 Country Booster

by The Camrose Booster

Central Alberta crop report, harvest plans

By Murray Green

Central Alberta has had various amounts of rain, sunshine and even hail as the harvest season approaches.

The Alberta Crop Report provides timely provincial and regional summaries of crop production in Alberta during the crop season, and is used by industry and other stakeholders for various purposes, including drought monitoring and forecasting of production insurance payments. The report is also used to validate some of the Alberta crop estimates generated by Statistics Canada.

In Region 3: North East (Smoky Lake, Vermilion, Camrose, Provost), dry conditions were reported across the region for July and crop reporters are consistent in communicating the need for more precipitation through the growing season. They have since received a high amount of moisture. Yield expectations are now 110 per cent of the 10-year average.

The end of July led to first-cut dryland hay yielding 1.4 tons/acre. Pastures are rated at 66 per cent good or excellent.

Surface soil moisture conditions (sub-surface shown in brackets) are rated as six (18) per cent poor, 23 (22) per cent fair, 49 (47) per cent good and 19 (12) per cent excellent, with two (two) per cent excessive.

Crop reports are released bi-weekly in July and August.

Reporters submitted yield expectations with highlights of the report that are the above average expectations for both provincial crop growing conditions and yield. On average across the province, major crops are rated as 74 per cent good to excellent growing conditions (compared to a 10-year average of 66 per cent) with yield expectations of 110 per cent of the 10-year provincial yield average.

All regions of the province are reporting yield estimates relatively consistent with, or ahead of, long term normal.

Year-over-year, June rainfall has made a significant difference. At this time last year only 20 per cent of all crops were rated as good or excellent and yield expectations were only 60 per cent of the 10-year average.

Garth Brett

gbrett@hhbccamrose.ca

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