CHATNEWSTODAY file

By Brian Konrad

Southern Alberta harvest ahead of last year

Southern Alberta harvest ahead of last year’s pace; crop quality better than five year averages

Sep 17, 2019 | 7:57 AM

EDMONTON — Producers in the Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Foremost and Strathmore region are ahead of the rest of the province in terms of harvest.
The latest provincial crop report puts harvest progress in the south at just under 43 per cent, slightly ahead of the 5 year average and about 5 per cent ahead of last year.

Crop quality for the top two grades of spring wheat, durum, and canola are above the 5 year averages.

Yields for spring wheat is around 34.5 bushels to the acre, with durum wheat just under 27 bushels to the acre.

Barley is estimated to be producing 47 bushels per acre and canola is around 31 and a half bushels to the acre.

Producers in the south region were unable to get a second cut for dryland hay this year. It was just too dry this summer.

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But those with hay on irrigated land are in the process of harvesting their second cut, with 78 per cent completion according to the last report from Alberta agriculture.

Yields of second cut hay from irrigated land are about 1.8 tons per acre, with the quality rated 78 per cent good to excellent.

Alberta agriculture says pastures in the south are rated as 24 per cent poor, 40 per cent fair , 32 per cent good and 4 per cent are rated as excellent.