Wet and cool weather continues to slow progress for completing the harvest in much of the province.

“Even though we had a very cool and very wet week, the southeast, as well as the southwest, actually, really didn’t have a lot of progress,” said Crop Extension Specialist, Shannon Friesen. “Most producers in those areas have not turned a wheel in at least a week, if not several weeks, and that’s mainly due to the weather conditions.”

It’s also due to the fact that what is left in the fields is not dry enough to be combined.

“Luckily, of course, the bulk of the crop is off, so all we need is for the weather to improve for at least a week, and then we should be able to get the crop off,” said Friesen.

She said it’s not so much the cold as it is the wet conditions.

“We can combine when it’s minus five, minus two out, with no problems,” she explained. “It’s really just the fact that it needs to be dry. So, dry enough, of course, to get the equipment into the field and to have the fields able to hold them, but also have that crop, and that straw move through the combine easily.”

She said if any producers have been able to take off any crop, much of that is going into dryers and aeration. But, of course, that depends on the space and time and availability of propane.

She added that with some more dry conditions, the rest of the crops should come off in the next couple of weeks.

More from Sask Agriculture's Weekly Crop Report for the week of October 2 to 8:

Many producers were, however, able to return to the field last week. 78 per cent of the crop is now in the bin, up from 73 per cent last week but behind the five-year (2013-17) average of 84 per cent for this time of year.

Harvest has essentially stalled in the northwest, due to a heavy snowfall earlier this week. Many areas reported snow last week, ranging from small amounts to several inches. More warm, dry and windy days are needed before producers can return to the field.

Harvest remains most advanced in the southwest, where 90 per cent of the crop is now combined, and in the southeast, where 89 per cent is combined, but these numbers are unchanged from last week. Producers in the west-central region have 70 per cent of the crop combined and those in the northeast are 64 per cent complete. The east-central region has 63 per cent combined, while the northwestern region has 44 per cent combined.

Eighty-five per cent of durum, 81 per cent of barley, 80 per cent of mustard, 65 per cent of spring wheat, 61 per cent of canola, 36 per cent of flax and 30 per cent of soybeans have now been combined. Many crops are coming off tough or damp and are being placed in dryers.

Topsoil moisture conditions continue to improve with the recent rain and snow. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as four per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 24 per cent short and six per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

At this time, most livestock producers are indicating they have adequate supplies of hay, straw, greenfeed and feed grain heading into winter. However, producers in southern and central regions are reporting that some areas will have inadequate feed and that shortages are likely.

The majority of crop damage this past week was due to the recent snow and rain lodging crops. There are many reports of geese and other wildlife feeding on swathed crops. Crop quality has been affected, and downgrading is expected at the elevator due to bleaching and sprouting.