A harvester kicking up dust.
It’s a picture that will bring a smile to a lot of central Alberta farmers.
After an abysmal early fall, with feezing temperatures and regular snowfalls keeping equipment out of the fields, the situation is looking brighter — literally and figuratively.
“Probably this is the fourth good combining weather we’ve had since Tuesday, so I suspect we’re making some pretty good progress,” said Mark Cutts, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
The abrupt switch to more seasonal weather came just in time. Only about 45 per cent of all crops were harvested at last count earlier this week. Usually, the number is 90 per cent at this time of year, based on a five-year average.
“With the favourable forecast that it looks like it’s going to give us another good week of weather, that should really put a pretty big size dent in what is left to be done out there.”
Environment Canada is forecasting sunny skies and highs in the 12 and 13 C range all through next week.
Two weeks of good weather may not be enough to get back to where the harvest is usually, however.
“It’ll certainly get us closer, though we’re not quite there yet,” Cutts said. “Things are looking up, I guess is what we would say.”
How good the crops will be remains to be seen.
“Time will tell. I think for now, producers are focused on getting the crop off, and once they have the crop off, then they go out and take it to the elevators.
“Then they can see what they have and proceed to figure out how to market those products.”
Team Alberta — which represents four crop commissions: wheat, barley, canola and pulse — warned the government that hay producers face huge losses because of quality issues and bigger bills created by the need to dry crops.
Much of Alberta’s wheat crop still in the field will be downgraded to feed — resulting in $240 million in milling quality losses, said Alberta Wheat Commission chairman Kevin Bender last week.
The situation seemed so dire that the County of Stettler and Lac Ste. Anne County, which is northwest of Edmonton, declared agricultural disasters.
A hay shortage will remain an issue. Quantities were down on first cuts of hay and the situation didn’t get much better. Producers are looking for other sources of feed and culling cattle herds to make ends meet.
There is a “bit of a silver lining” in the wet fall when it comes to pastures.
”The fact that we had good moisture through September and into October means there will be good moisture in the ground to get the pastures and hay fields going next spring,” said Cutts.
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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