This year's crops are looking better than expected heading into the harvest / Photo: CHAT News Today

By Meghan Cobb

‘A lot better than expected’: Southern Alberta farmers are getting ready to harvest

Aug 13, 2022 | 9:25 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – After a slow start to the growing season, southern Alberta farmers are cautiously optimistic heading into this year’s harvest.

Rain in May and June helped crops recover from cold, dry and windy spring seeding.

“This season turned out to be a lot better than we were originally expecting,” said Dustin Vossler, chair of the Cypress County Agriculture Service Board. “Irrigation country looks decent and dryland country is burnt off a bit, but what I’ve heard, they’re getting some decent results.”

Harvesting of pea crops has started near Hilda with farmers reporting 38-40 bushels to the acre. Everything else will start in the next couple of years, and aside from a slight decrease in wheat, Vossler says farmers can be happy with this year’s results.

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“Compared to the last few years, everyone’s in a much better mood,” said Vossler. “There’s going to be a crop to come off. It may not be the best crop you ever seen, but it’s going to be a crop non the less.”

Farmers have been plagued with drought conditions and hot temperatures over the past five years, and those conditions continued into this season. Spring seeding was difficult this year because of high winds and a lack of moisture in the ground, and Cypress County declared a state of agricultural disaster in June in response to the prolonged drought.

The storm that tore through Cypress County on July 18 didn’t help those in it’s path, but Vossler says luckily the storm had a fairly narrow path.

“The people that were in the direct path, that was fairly detrimental to them,” Vossler said. “For the most part so it didn’t effect a huge area, but it really affected the people that it hit.”

In regards to prices, Vossler says farmers will see good returns for what they are able to harvest. Prices aren’t at the record highs seen last year, but haven’t dropped significantly.

“We’re seeing decent dollars for the crops,” said Vossler. “So, with that market we should be able to make our payments and not have to eat ramen for the next year so everyone should be happy with that.”

The good news continues when it comes to grasslands. According to Vossler, most pastures are going to be able to stay in full term, and there could be some carry over into next season as long as there is decent moisture through the winter and into the spring.

“The Famers’ Almanac says it’s supposed to be a rough winter so there should be some snow with that!,” laughed Vossler.