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Crop Conditions as of November 3, 2015
Note: This is the final report for the 2015 crop season.
Harvest has essentially wrapped up in the province as more than 99 per cent of crops are now in the bin (Table 1). Harvest was challenging for producers this year due to frequent rainfall, generally damp conditions and uneven crop growth as a result of late germination.
Provincial yields are now estimated higher than first estimated earlier this summer (Table 2). Provincial average yields for spring and durum wheat are reported at 86 and 85 per cent of their 5-year averages, with barley at 90 per cent, oats at 86 per cent, canola at 95 per cent and dry peas at 80 per cent.
Crop quality dropped after the wet rainy weather in September, largely because of sprouting in many crops. However, quality is still significantly above the 5-year and 10-year averages for all crops, except for malt barley, oats and canola. Provincially, more than 76 per cent of spring wheat has graded as number two or better, up 15 per cent from the 5-year average. Durum wheat quality is graded at 85 per cent for the top two grades, up 18 per cent from the 5-year average. About 74 per cent of dry peas are graded as number 1 and 2, up two per cent from the 5-year average. While 65 per cent of barley is graded as number 1 (up almost one per cent from the 5-year average), only 13 per cent of barley is eligible for malt (down four per cent from the 5-year average). Almost 58 per cent of oats is graded in the top two grades, down 23 per cent from the 5-year average. Canola quality declined about 12 per cent from the 5-year average, with 80 per cent graded number 1.
 REGIONAL ASSESSMENTS:
The 2015 Alberta Crop Report Series continues to provide summaries for the following five regions:
Region One: Southern (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)
- Harvest is complete for all crops in this region.
- Crop yields are reported at 10 to 20 per cent below the 5-year average. Irrigated crops had higher yields than the average.
- Forage supply for the winter should be adequate for most parts of the region.
- Surface and sub-surface soil moisture conditions are rated as 47 per cent and 45 per cent good to excellent, respectively.
- Fall seeded crops are rated as nine per cent poor, 26 per cent fair, 50 per cent good and 15 per cent excellent.
Region Two: Central (Rimbey, Airdrie, Coronation, Oyen)
- Almost all crops have been harvested except a few fields that were seeded late. Producers are busy with fall field work and putting equipment away for the winter.
- Yields for spring wheat, barley and canola are about 5 per cent below the 5-year average. Durum and winter wheat yields are reported at 18 and 16 per cent below the 5-year averages, respectively, with yields for dry peas are almost 20 per cent below.
- Feed supply looks a lot better now than at the end of July. Some crops were baled or left for swath grazing.
- Both surface and sub-surface soil moisture conditions in the region declined and are rated as 62 per cent good to excellent.
- Fall seeded crops are rated as five per cent poor, 24 per cent fair, 69 per cent good and two per cent excellent.
Region Three: North East (Smoky Lake, Vermilion, Camrose, Provost)
- Harvest is basically done in this region with a few fields of wheat and canola still not combined. Producers are busy with some fall work.
- Yields for barley, oats and dry peas are about 20 per cent below the 5-year average, while canola yields are unchanged. Spring and winter wheat yields are about 12 per cent and 37 per cent below the 5-year average, respectively.
- Some crops were cut for feed to make up for a shortage of hay.
- Both surface and sub-surface soil moisture conditions have improved and are rated as 73 per cent and 57 per cent good to excellent, respectively.
- Fall seeded crops are rated as 10 per cent fair, 86 per cent good and four per cent excellent.
Region Four: North West (Barrhead, Edmonton, Leduc, Drayton Valley, Athabasca)
- Harvest is complete. There are some small pockets of canola still standing due to late germination and likely to be destroyed or baled.
- Canola yields are the same as the 5-year average. However, yields are below the 5-year average for spring wheat at 12 per cent, barley 13 per cent, oats 16 per cent and dry peas 18 per cent.
- Both surface and sub-surface soil moisture have declined and are rated as 32 and 12 per cent good to excellent, respectively.
- Fall seeded crops are rated as 83 per cent good and 17 per cent excellent.
Region Five: Peace River (Fairview, Falher, Grande Prairie, Valleyview)
- Harvest is pretty well finished. A few oats acres that never cured are likely to be baled or swath grazed.
- While canola yields are a little above the 5-year average, yields for barley are two per cent and for dry peas 5 per cent below. Spring wheat and oats yields are reported at 15 and 12 per cent below the 5-year average.
- Surface and sub-surface soil moisture conditions are rated as 45 and 39 per cent good to excellent, respectively.
- Fall seeded crops are rated as 36 per cent poor, 50 per cent fair, and 14 per cent good.
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
Ashan Shooshtarian, Crop Statistician
Economics and Competitiveness Division
E-mail: ashan.shooshtarian@gov.ab.ca
Statistics and Data Development Branch
Phone: 780-422-2887
November 6, 2015
Note to Users: The contents of this document may not be used or reproduced without properly accrediting Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Economics and Competitiveness Division’s Statistics and Data Development Branch.
The 2015 Alberta crop reporting series is available on the Internet at: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sdd4191
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