“Another hot, dry week has many producers worried about their crops,” the weekly provincial crop report says.
A few farms in the driest areas of the province — particularly, farms that planted pulses and cereals early in the year — now say they are close to being ready for harvest.
Crop conditions in Saskatchewan: July 22, 2024
For many crops, including canola, this latest stretch of extremely hot days has come during the plants’ flowering stage, and so “has likely lowered yield potential” in the hottest, driest parts of the province, the report said.
“The continued heat wave has pushed crop conditions to deteriorate quickly, but thankfully, producers are reporting conditions are better than … compared to recent growing seasons. However, if the heat persists, crops will continue to decline.”
With only “minor rainfall received throughout the province” last week, these few millimetres of precipitation “will do very little for crops growing through the current heat wave,” the crop report found. In this dry heat, farmers were hoping for more ‘downpour’ than ‘drizzle.’
Watch: How cropland topsoil moisture conditions have changed in 2024
“Livestock producers would like to see rain soon to ensure their pastures can support their animals through the end of the growing season,” the crop report said.
Meanwhile, haying operations are “almost complete,” with more than half of the cut already baled or put up as silage, and 90 per cent of the hay is rated as excellent or good.
“A second cut of hay is not likely unless a substantial amount of rain is received soon to allow for adequate regrowth,” the report noted. “In many areas, haying has been slowed due to the extreme heat and the concern over baler fires.”
Whether haying or preparing to harvest, in these dry conditions, farmers are asked to “be safe (and) use every precaution available for fire prevention” in the days ahead.
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