As of June 24, major crops in the North West Region appear to be performing well, rated at 73 per cent good to excellent, above the five-year average (66 per cent) and 10-year average (67 per cent).
That’s according to the latest crop report from Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) and the Government of Alberta.
Meantime, tame hay is rated at 54 per cent good to excellent, and pasture at 59 per cent, both below the five-year averages of 74 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively, due to spring moisture stress impacts.
Surface moisture is strong at 67 per cent, though sub-surface levels remain modest at 49 per cent, indicating the need for continued and consistent rainfall, the report notes.
Additionally, haying has begun in some areas, but initial indications are of light yield. Older pastures are reportedly stressed, despite recent showers and cooler temperatures in most areas.
Provincially, major crop conditions rated good to excellent have improved to 59 per cent, a 10 per cent increase from a week previous, but remain below the five- and 10-year averages of 73 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively.
Most regions saw an increase in good to excellent conditions, with the exception of the Peace Region, where conditions decreased by two per cent to 25 per cent since last week. Regionally, major crop conditions improved to 73 per cent in the North West (up 24 per cent), 55 per cent in the South (up 7 per cent), 72 per cent in Central (up 20 per cent) and 65 per cent in the North East (up seven per cent).
While most areas are reporting below averages, the North West is above both the five- and 10-year averages, and Central Region is slightly above its 10-year average. Provincially, most spring wheat, barley and oat crops are progressing through early to mid stem elongation. Notably, the reports says the spring wheat and barley in the South and Central regions are ahead and in the booting stage.
Precipitation over the past two weeks has significantly increased surface moisture levels across much of the province, supporting crops and pasture development. Provincial surface soil moisture rated good to excellent rose significantly to 65 per cent from 37 per cent a week before, still slightly below the five-year average but on par with the 10-year average.
Regionally, good to excellent surface moisture stands at 67 per cent in the North West, 69 per cent in the South, 76 per cent in the Central, 59 per cent in the North East and 36 per cent in the Peace. While most regions are reportedly below their historical averages, the South and Central have notably improved beyond both the five- and 10-year averages.
According to the report, sub-surface moisture has also improved, with provincial good to excellent ratings reaching 50 per cent, a 12 per cent increase from last week. Although most regions reported an increase in sub-surface moisture levels, the Peace and North West declined slightly to 43 per cent (from 54 per cent) and 49 per cent (from 50 per cent), respectively.
At the time of publication, good to excellent sub-surface soil moisture conditions (week over week change) were rated at 49 (-1) per cent in the North West, 48 (+22) per cent in the South, 59 (+17) per cent in the Central, 44 (+9) per cent in the North East, and 43 (-10) per cent in the Peace.
Meanwhile, pasture conditions across the province remain below the five- and 10-year averages, with some regional variation.
The past week’s rain across most regions supported some greening and regrowth of pastures, though growth remains limited due to prior dry conditions. Improvement varied across the province, with Central and North East regions experiencing an increase in good to excellent pasture growth conditions compared to the South, North West, and Peace regions, where conditions declined.
As of June 24, pasture growth conditions (week over week change) were rated as 41 (-0) per cent good to excellent provincially, 59 (-2) per cent in the North West Region, 33 (-6) per cent in the South Region, 53 (+7) per cent in the Central Region, 33 (+1) per cent in the North East Region, and 22 (-4) per cent in the Peace Region.
The report notes that compared to the previous week, tame hay growth conditions rated as good to excellent are now reported at 37 per cent provincially, a decrease of one per cent. Regionally, the ratings are 54 per cent in the North West (down three per cent), 30 per cent in the South (down three per cent), 49 per cent in the Central (up six per cent), 28 per cent in the North East (up three per cent), and 20 per cent in the Peace Region (down six per cent).
Pasture weed growth remains mostly light; however, the South and Peace regions are reporting heavy weed growth at eight and 10 per cent, respectively, which is above the averages.
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