Crop District 5 – Melville, Yorkton, Cupar, Kamsack, Foam Lake, Preeceville and Kelvington areas;
Crop District 6A – Lumsden, Craik, Watrous and Clavet areas
For the Period October 10 to 16, 2023
Producers in the east-central were delayed getting into the fields this spring due to consistent moisture. That moisture proved imperative during the high heat of the summer and gave the region a step up in both yields and grades of crops. Throughout harvest the moisture continued into the fall, causing many combines to frequently pause. Harvest is virtually completed for most in the region with 94 per cent of the crop now off. Once their final acres are harvested, producers in the region are hoping for the rain to continue to help with soil moisture in the spring.
Early moisture and timely rains during the growing season helped the east-central region achieve some of the best yields in the province this year. Yields in the region are above the provincial averages, and the majority of crops are above the 10-year provincial averages. The majority of all crops are within the top two categories for quality.
The East-Central region received the most rain in general this year, accumulating between 133 to 366 mm depending on location within the region. Topsoil moisture is reflecting this, with 38 per cent of cropland having adequate moisture, 47 per cent is short, and 14 per cent is very short. Hay and pastures are very similar, with 35 per cent having adequate topsoil moisture, 43 per cent are short and 22 per cent are very short.
Hay yields within the region benefitted from the moisture as well, with brome yielding 1.4 tons per acre, brome/alfalfa yielding 1.36 tons per acre and greenfeed yielding 1.92 tons per acre. The hay is generally in good quality, and depending on location can be excellent or poor. Although producers are generally pleased with their winter feed supply there is significant variation in the region, some producers have a surplus of feed and others are facing shortages. The region is also anticipating a decrease of 15 per cent of fall rye to be seeded this year. Projected winter wheat acres remain unchanged.
Producers are busy wrapping up their last few fields, drying grain, and working their fields before the ground freezes. Producers are also marketing grain and livestock and preparing for winter overall.